OVERALL VERDICT

Bluesound very much delivers

on its goal to be a high-fidelity wireless and multiroom-capable system, not merely an audio system of convenience. As an example of this, we put the Powernode 2 here to work behind speakers retailing at $999, $4000 and $14,000, and the amps weren’t lacking in power even when giving things a right old crank — a sign of the quality of the ‘HybridDigital’ amplification within, borrowed from stablemate NAD (as used in its digital D 3020 and others). We haven’t heard a cleaner bettersounding multiroom amplifier unit.

Meanwhile the all-out revisions made for Bluesound Gen 2 have delivered more décor-friendly and convenient designs while adding the obvious Gen 1 omission of Bluetooth and a wider range of standalone speaker solutions for smaller rooms.

And the all-important app here is both attractive and intuitive. Once your networked music libraries have been fully scanned you can enjoy playlists flitting between online sources (Tidal especially recommended here) to high-resolution network streaming, mixing and matching your music with fingertip control. Exactly what a modern hi-fi should achieve.