(January 17, 2025) If you’ve ever wondered why your music doesn’t sound quite as good in your living room as it does in a demo studio, it probably has less to do with your gear and more to do with your room. Of course, many other factors come into play, but your room and how it interacts with sound is a big deal. That's why Bluesound's newly launched integration of Dirac Live room correction in both the NODE (N132) and NODE ICON (N530) players is a big deal. Better sound is on its way.
According to Matt Simmonds, Bluesound’s Product Manager, Dirac Live has ranked high on customer request lists, explaining, "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.” Using advanced algorithms to analyze and correct a room’s unique acoustics, Dirac Live can have transformative impacts on what you hear and experience. As an added benefit, Bluesound's implementation of the technology happens before its players' internal DACs, allowing owners who prefer bypassing to an external DAC to realize the same benefits. This feature, says Morten Nielsen, Associate Product Manager for Bluesound, has also been commonly requested by customers.
Owners of the NODE (N132) and NODE ICON (N530) can access Dirac Live by purchasing Bluesound’s Room Calibration Kit and a Dirac Live license. The Kit, retailing for $39 USD and available through authorized dealers and Bluesound’s website, includes a high-performance omni-directional microphone capable of capturing audio across the full audible frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. It connects to laptops via USB-A 2.0 and is plug-and-play compatible with both Windows and MacOS.
Owners have three Dirac Live license levels to choose from: Dirac Live Limited, which corrects frequencies below 500 Hz for $159 USD; Dirac Live Full, which offers full-frequency correction for $249 USD; and an upgrade from Limited to Full for $99 USD. These licenses are device-specific and available directly from Dirac’s website.
Bluesound says it plans to roll out Dirac Live compatibility to older models, including the NODE X (N131), NODE (N130), POWERNODE (N330), and POWERNODE EDGE (N230), by summer 2025.
Rikard Hellerfelt, Dirac’s VP of Consumer and eCommerce, highlights the significance of this news, noting that it introduces Dirac Live to streamers for the first time. "We know that Bluesound has very passionate customers who love great sound, and we are pleased to be able to introduce Dirac Live to a new device category—streamers—for the very first time," explains Hellerfelt. "This allows music lovers to elevate their existing audio setups— even those without built-in Dirac Live—by simply adding a Bluesound streamer.”
Owners can begin their journey to better sound by purchasing a Calibration Kit (here) and visiting Dirac's online shop for license information.
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