Comments

23 comments

Date Votes
  • Official comment
    Sam R.

    I don't have the precise measurements, but like the previous POWERNODE, into 4ohms you do get more power - for the N330 it may be something like 160W (peak at 220W into 4ohms)

    Can't run less than 4ohms with the POWERNODE, will likely trigger the protect mode if you run the POWERNODE with 2ohms. 

  • Seppi Evans
    Hi-Res
    • Edited

    Hopefully someone from Bluesound will correct me  😁 

    The ratings on digital amps are not like the old school amps based on power supplies and gain stages, basically / probably 80w into 8 or 4 Ohms, saying that some hybrid digital amps do have higher outputs with say 4 Ohms.

    0
  • Seppi Evans
    Hi-Res

    Interesting… just had a look at some of the current NAD amps, some do have a much higher output on 4 Ohms but equally some digital hybrid amps don’t.

    0
  • Jake Miyairi

    Interesting - so it can't run LS50s or many standmount speakers with impedance peaks in the 3s....

    0
  • George Allen

    Jake - I'm running LS50 metas with a Powernode 2i. It's enough power, but barely so and probably not enough if you want to listen loud. However, if you use a powered sub that takes a fair amount of amp load away from the Powernode.

    0
  • George Allen

    Update to my comment above: I received my new POWERNODE. There's some significant improvement in the bass, which I attribute to the additional 20w (other improvements too).

    0
  • nstzya

    I imagine there is significantly more than 20 watts - particularly into 4 ohms. And particularly dynamically peak. Do we have those specs?

    1
  • nstzya

    And why did we not simply call them Powernode 3? It’s worked well for Apple and is confusing - everyone is calling them 3’s anyway to avoid such confusion 

    0
  • Jake Miyairi

    Agree - would be great to get official RMS specs for 4 ohm loads.  160w sounds too good to be true given the small power supply (peak 220w I can understand). 

    0
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    Math is hard but that sounds about right...

    0
  • Gordon S.

    Hey Guys,

    Nice infothread here. I would like to know, is it possible to switch the impedance from 8 to 4 Ohm in the new Powernode ?
    Or otherwise.... Is it possible in general to switch the impedance in an Hybrid-Digital-Amp ?

    0
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    Hi Gordon

    Impedance happens at the speaker end - the amp cannot control it.

    0
  • JG.B.

    Hi,

    Can you provide with official reference / measurement for the Powernode ratings into 4 ohms? Have read a lot of speculation around it but no Bluesound statement.

    Many thanks

    1
  • ALI NAQVI

    Hi,

    I'm also a bit confused as I thought (as Seppi says above), that with digital amplifiers the power is the same, regardless of the speakers' ohm rating. But Bluesound has previously said that at 6ohms you would get around 100+ watts per channel using the latest POWERNODE, not the 80w as specified. So it would be really good if Bluesound could tell us definitively what the power is at 4, 6 & 8 ohms?

    Thank you.

    Ali

    1
  • ALI NAQVI

    Hello Tony @ Bluesound,

    Just wondering if you or a colleague can finally settle the above debate? No hurry if it means you have to do more tests or make more enquiries. But would be good to know definitively.

    Thanks

    Ali

    0
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    Please see; https://support1.bluesound.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/4415661019927/comments/4415768644503

    0
  • JG.B.

    Hello Tony,

    Many thanks for that link suggesting the Powernode N330 can deliver c.160W per channel into 4 ohms but Stereophile review (very positive by the way) suggests it is not the case: "the Powernode met its specified continuous maximum power into 8 ohms of 80Wpc (19.05dBW) at 1% THD+noise (fig.6). However, very little more power was available into 4 ohms, the Bluesound clipping at 84Wpc into that load (16.23dBW, fig.7)" 

    Could Bluesound provide official measurement and specification for all typical impedance to close the debate?

    Many thanks

    1
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    Hi JG. B.

    All information you are looking for is provided here; https://www.bluesound.com/products/powernode-edge/#tab-audio

     

    0
  • ALI NAQVI

    Hi Tony

    The link relates to the Edge not the N330 as JG.B asks and I'm not sure it answers his question.

    I know you have answered this question a few times before but as JG.B and Seppi say there are differing answers to this question of outputs from 4 & 6 ohms and it would be good to get an official definitive answer and then we'll leave you alone - well on this issue at least!

    Thanks

    Ali

    1
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    The POWERNODE N330 is here; https://www.bluesound.com/products/powernode/#tab-audio

     

    0
  • JG.B.

    Thank you both.

    On this page I can see rated power output into 8 ohms, IHF dynamic power into 4 and 8 ohms but not rated power into 4 ohms or am I mistaken?

    1
  • JG.B.

    Hi all,

    Assuming we won't have any clear official answer on this I wish you all the best for the future.

    Regards

    1
  • JG.B.

    Hi,

    Additional facts contradicting what Tony suggested: Amirm measurements on Audio Science Review concludes no additional power is available into 4 ohms (vs. 8 ohms) and confirm Audiophile's measurements.

    Don't understand why Bluesound is hiding/not providing those basic facts (appreciating most of their lifestyle consumers are probably not interested)

    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Didn't find what you were looking for?

New post