blue sound, on one streamer node or another, has been bringing music to mainstream audio systems and home networks for a decade. Now with the new blue sound centerthe company is inviting the rest of your home into the world of Bluesound with a networking accessory that connects to any cabled analog or digital audio source.
Available mid-June for $319, the new Hub immediately expands your BluOS app-controlled multi-room streaming possibilities. Older wired technology shouldn’t be languishing in your wireless home: the Hub even has a moving magnet phono stage that transforms a turntable into yet another BluOS-enabled streaming source for the whole house.
The Hub has stereo analog inputs, coaxial and digital optical inputs, and an HDMI port with eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) if you want to connect a TV. When needed, the hub can support Hi-Res music (up to 24-bit, 192kHz). The accessory runs on an ARM Cortex-A53 processor, which may sound familiar to owners of the Raspberry Pi single-board computer favored by DIY streamers.
Each hub can manage one analog and one digital source simultaneously, transmitting signals to a Bluesound player in your home. (The latest version, the blue sound nodecosts $599.) Your home network can accommodate up to four hubs.
Node owners can add a hub and new sound sources to their BluOS network through the setup wizard in the BluOS app.
Bluesound, part of the Lenbrook Group (makers of NAD electronics and PSB loudspeakers) in Pickering, Ontario, also outfitted the 5.6 x 6 x 1.8-inch (W x D x H) hub with eyelet slots. four-way lock for wall mounting.
