The Bluesound Node 2 network player connects to a local network or mobile gadgets. Switching is provided both wired (Gigabit Ethernet and USB) and wireless, via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The analog output is standard unbalanced on two RCA connectors, plus a separate channel is provided for connecting an active subwoofer. There is a headphone jack on the front panel. Digital optical and coaxial outputs are used for switching with an external DAC unit. The presence of a volume control provides an interesting opportunity to connect the device directly to active speaker systems or to a power amplifier; this function is well complemented by a 12V trigger. Compatibility with portable equipment is not limited to support for the Bluetooth interface with the aptX extension; if desired, you can use a wired connection with a standard 3.5 mm AUX cable.
The control panel is located on the top wall of the case, and is more of a decorative nature. Full access to the capabilities of the Bluesound Node 2, as well as other devices of this brand, is carried out through the proprietary application for smartphones, tabltablets, computers. It is absolutely free and has versions for all four popular operating systems - iOS, Android, Windows and Mac OS X. The interface here is organized in an optimal way, you can understand the entire wide range of functions at an intuitive level. Music playback is available both from your home collection on servers and from the global network of a dozen available services and hundreds of Internet radio channels. The resolution of the material is supported in the standard range - up to 24 bit / 192 kHz inclusive. The lack of native support for the DSD format is to some extent compensated by compatibility with the latest high-resolution audio standard Meridian MQA. This may require a firmware update to version 2.2.
The analog part of the audio path, which has absorbed many years of NAD experience, favorably distinguishes Bluesound from budget media players, similar in functional equipment and even in digital filling.
Special attention deserves the wireless services block, which combines WiFi (Airplay) and Bluetooth 5.0 (two-way) modules with support for the aptX HD codec. As for the list of supported streaming music platforms, here the manufacturer deserves special praise, because his creation is able to work with most of them, including the most popular TIDAL, Spotify and Deezer. By the way, there was also the option to broadcast audio content from Internet radio, including free "stations" TuneIn Radio, iHeartRadio, Calm Radio, etc. A nice addition was the ability to integrate the Bluesound NODE 2i into the home ecosystem (multiroom) of Apple or Amazon with further cooperation with the voice assistant Siri and Alexa.
The high-class Burr-Brown 5122 DAC (PCM 24 bit/192 kHz) is responsible for receiving and converting the digital stream. As for the sound signature of the device itself, there is a favorable picture here: the tracks are played cleanly, richly, enerenergetically, voluminously.

Technical characteristics
Playback - MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, WMA-L, FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, HRA, MQA
Sampling frequency, kHz - 32-192
Encoding, bit - 24; 20; 16
Signal/noise ratio, dB – 110
SNR, % – 0.005
Data exchange – Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth with aptX, USB
Audio inputs – analog / optical toslink minijack 3.5 mm
Audio outputs – stereo pair RCA, analog RCA to subwoofer, digital coaxial, digital optical output to headphones 3.5 mm
Additionally – Free Internet Radio (TuneIn Radio, iHeartRadio), support for cloud music services WiMP, Slacker Radio, Qobuz, HighResAudio, JUKE, Deezer, Murfie, HDTracks, Spotify, TIDAL, Napster, Rhapsody, DLNA 1.5
Dimensions, cm – 22.0 x 4.6 x 14.6
Weight, kg – 1.12