Bluesound has announced the arrival of room-correction technology Dirac Live to two of its newest music streamers. As of now, owners of the Bluesound Node (2024) and the Bluesound Node Icon will receive a firmware update allowing compatibility with Dirac Live.
You can read more about Dirac Live on our dedicated explainer, but the short version is that it's a dedicated room audio correction software that will try to reduce the peaks and fill in the frequency dips in a system’s sound, opting for a smooth and even response regardless of the frequency produced. Dirac also aims for a cleaner, tauter sound by reducing phase issues experienced between speaker drive units.
Owners of the compatible music streamers will still need to purchase a dedicated room-calibration kit and a Dirac Live license to experience "enhanced sound quality across any room of the house, regardless of the room’s unique acoustics."
Meanwhile, owners of the older network players such as the Node X, Powernode and Powernode Edge will get access to Dirac Live before the summer of 2025. There's no word on when, if ever, the entry-level Node Nano will receive the update.
The room calibration kit, costing £39 / $39 / €45, includes an omnidirectional microphone which connects to any laptop via USB-A and features compatibility with Windows and MacOS. For the license, Dirac offers three options: Dirac Live Limited ($159 / £127 approx), which corrects audio below 500 Hz, Dirac Live Full ($249 / £199 approx), which corrects the full frequency range, and a license which lets you upgrade from Limited to Full access for $99 / £79 approx.
According to Bluesound's Product Manager Matt Simmonds: “This launch is important to us since Dirac Live has been one of the most requested features from Bluesound customers due to its unique room-correction methods that result in more transparent, balanced sound, and tighter bass and enhanced clarity.”
We have listened to both the Bluesound Node (2024) and the smaller, cheaper Node Nano, both of which earned four stars when we reviewed them last year and garnered praise for their pleasing sound and impressive array of features. With the addition of Dirac Live, Bluesound aims to take its newer music streamers (aside from the Node Nano) to the next level.
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