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NAD M10/PSB Alpha T20/Bluesound Pulse Mini 2i multiroom system

NAD M10/PSB Alpha T20/Bluesound Pulse Mini 2i multiroom system

As with the majority of brave new worlds, establishing a wireless multiroom audio system initially required quite serious compromises. Though there were minor compromises to be accommodated where ergonomics and operability were concerned, the most significant compromises centred around sound quality – and consequently multiroom audio was deemed a non-starter by anyone who fancied themselves an audiophile.

Happily, the simple convenience and arousing modernity of wireless multiroom audio proved an irresistible lure to many a consumer – and as result the wireless multiroom audio sector can confidently be characterised as ‘oversubscribed’. Any number of electronics brands, from the venerable to the no-profile, from the long-established hi-fi stalwarts to vendors of beard-trimmers and toothbrushes, are ready to help you into the brave new(ish) world of simple, straightforward wireless multiroom audio. And it’s true: some of them deliver extremely acceptable sound while they’re doing it.

NAD M10/PSB Alpha T20/Bluesound Pulse Mini 2i multiroom system, NAD M10/PSB Alpha T20/Bluesound Pulse Mini 2i multiroom system

Bluesound was far from first out of the blocks with its range of wireless multiroom audio products. But it understood both the lure and the shortcomings of the already-ubiquitous Sonos streaming system – rock-solid stability, ease of use and entirely humdrum sound – and with its own extensive range of products attempted to replicate the Sonos strengths while addressing its weaknesses. The Bluesound ecosystem remains the only one able to support uncompressed 24bit/192kHz digital audio files on every player in a wireless system – and that’s true even if you’re running 64 players on the same network. Which is extremely good news for boutique hoteliers if no one else.

Bluesound uses a bespoke operating system called BluOS to control its products. And, as Bluesound is a part of Canada’s Lenbrook International (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lenbook Group), other Lenbrook-owned companies like NAD Electronics (as well as an increasing number of non-Lenbrook brands like DALI) can be grouped, administered and otherwise controlled using BluOS too.

The importance of the user interface where wireless multiroom audio is concerned can’t really be overstated. It needs to be stable, logical, ergonomically impeccable and easy to operate – and, as anyone who’s ever used a control app from a company without the necessary development resources knows, that’s not especially easy to achieve. One of the reasons ‘Sonos’ is well on its way to becoming a generic term in wireless multiroom audio is because of its absolutely flawless, completely reliable and stunningly straightforward user interface. So while Bluesound products have the audio capability to make them a pretty compelling option, if BluOS doesn’t measure up then Bluesound’s sonic prowess becomes an irrelevance.

Building a modest wireless multiroom system using Lenbrook International brands couldn’t be more straightforward. And I use the word ‘modest’ only to describe the extensiveness of the set-up – there’s nothing modest about the way the system assembled here performs.

NAD’s M10 BluOS streaming amplifier is nigh-on ideal to form the engine of your main-room listening experience. It wants to be a bit of everything: stereo amplifier, high-resolution audio streamer, incorporate a bit of home cinema functionality and look like a superior bit of industrial design while it does so. So under the hood there’s 100 watts of Hypex nCore Class D amplification, an ESS Sabre 9028 digital-to-analogue converter capable up to a heady 32bit/384kHz resolution and aptX HD Bluetooth connectivity. On the rear panel are a couple of stereo RCA analogue inputs alongside digital coaxial and digital optical alternatives, along with stereo RCA pre-outs and a couple (!) of pre-outs for subwoofers. There’s also a LAN connection for ultimate network stability (naturally enough there’s wi-fi on board too) and an HDMI ARC socket for connection to an appropriately specified TV. At the front there’s a hi-res TFT touchscreen with plenty of options for customisation of input name, icons and what-have-you, as well as the option of virtual VU meters. This is all wrapped in a smooth glass-and-aluminium chassis that’s a discreet 10 × 22 × 26cm.

NAD M10/PSB Alpha T20/Bluesound Pulse Mini 2i multiroom system, NAD M10/PSB Alpha T20/Bluesound Pulse Mini 2i multiroom system

The NAD is connected to a pair of PSB Alpha T20 loudspeakers which are fully deserving of the description ‘modest’. Another Lenbrook International brand, PSB is in the process of overhauling its ‘Alpha’ range for the first time in several decades – and as well as being modestly priced, the Alpha T20s are an unassuming 83cm high. Nevertheless, PSB has found room for a 19mm aluminium dome tweeter behind a shallow wave-guide and a pair of 13cm textured polypropylene mid/bass drivers up front, and a 64mm tuned reflex port above biwire speaker binding posts at the rear.

The ‘multiroom’ aspect of this particular system is represented by Bluesound’s Pulse Mini 2i wireless speaker. Like the PSB speakers, the Pulse Mini 2i is a rather utilitarian looker – but, like the PSB speakers, it has it where it counts. A total of four drivers (two tweeters, two mid/bass drivers) are angled out from the front of the enclosure to deliver a convincingly wide spread of sound, and they’re powered by a total of 100 watts of Class D amplification. It’s able to handle high-resolution audio formats like FLAC and MQA without alarms, and as well as operating via BluOS it’s packing aptX HD Bluetooth connectivity (in both directions – so it can be used with wireless headphones as well as its 3.5mm headphone output) as well as a combination digital optical/analogue 3.5mm input. There are touch-control on its top surface, and voice control is available via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

As a stand-alone, second-room option, the Pulse Mini 2i is hard to argue with. It’s not the most discreet wireless speaker you can buy, but the sound it serves up is considerably larger the enclosure it emanates from – Marvin Gaye’s Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) [Tamla] as an MQA file occupies an expansive, strictly defined soundstage. Detail levels are high, bass reach is considerable, midrange communication is torrential… the Pulse Mini 2i is way more capable than its configuration (if not its price) might suggest. It’s a poised and authoritative listen – and while some alternatives may have a little more rhythmic certainty to the sound, none can combine the Bluesound’s sheer scale of sound with its extensive functionality and specification.

There’s no arguing with the NAD/PSB combination where rhythm management is concerned, though. They prove to be a surefooted and sympathetic combination, as a pass through a 24bit file of Thee Oh Sees’ The Master’s Bedroom is Worth Spending a Night In [Castle Face] proves in short order. The PSBs have no problem integrating the frequency range smoothly through their multiple drivers, and they deliver every scrap of the considerable quantity of information the M10 provides them with. Other amp/speakers combinations are rather more willing to give the bug-eyed, grimy dynamism of this recording full expression – I get the strong impression the NAD considers this pin-headed garage-rock nonsense a little beneath it – but it’s arguable that no other similarly priced pairing exercises quite such control or exhibits such straight-edged low-frequency presence.

It’s a similarly gratifying story when listening to the NAD/PSB combination from other sources. A Netflix stream of George Clooney’s snail’s-paced The Midnight Sky via the HDMI ARC input enjoys a wide-open soundstage, with the NAD alive to even the most minor detail or peripheral harmonic variation. Plug in a CD player using one of the two digital sockets, or a (phono stage-equipped) turntable using one of the stereo RCA inputs, and the effect is pretty much the same. The amp and speakers demonstrate a real understanding of attack and decay, of texture and timbre, and seem absolutely adamant that decorum and good taste trumps dynamism and forcefulness every time.

NAD M10/PSB Alpha T20/Bluesound Pulse Mini 2i multiroom system, NAD M10/PSB Alpha T20/Bluesound Pulse Mini 2i multiroom system

As far as control of the overall system goes, the BluOS control app proves about as capable and reliable as any alternative that doesn’t say ‘Sonos’. It looks clean and reasonably uncluttered, and the ability to integrate any number of streaming services and internet radio services is very welcome. It’s not the most intuitive, it’s true, and it’s possible to flummox it by switching inputs much more easily than it really should be – anyone who (like me) is disproportionately annoyed by electronics not doing what they really ought to is going to find themselves frustrated on occasion. But as far as organising and operating a wireless multiroom audio system goes, BluOS is one of the very best of the rest. Even if you decide your system should feature 64 players.

 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

NAD M10

Amplifier section

  • Type: Class D integrated amplifier
  • Analogue inputs: stereo RCA × 2
  • Digital inputs: Coaxial; optical; HDMI ARC; LAN
  • Analogue outputs: stereo RCA pre-out; subwoofer pre‑out × 2
  • Supported sample rates: up to 32bit/384kHz
  • Input impedance: Not quoted
  • Output impedance (preamp): Not quoted
  • Power Output: 100watts
  • Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz
  • Harmonic distortion (80% power, 8Ohms @ 1kHz): 0.03%
  • Signal to Noise Ratio (dB): 90

DAC

  • Type: ESS Sabre 9028
  • Resolution: 32bit/192kHz
  • Supported sample rates (kHz) (coaxial): 32bit/192kHz
  • Supported sample rates (kHz) (optical): 24bot/192kHz
  • Distortion (THD + Noise): Not quoted
  • Overall

Dimensions: (H×W×D)  10 × 22 × 26cm

  • Weight (kg): 5
  • Price: £2,199

Manufacturer: NAD

URL: nadelectronics.com

 

PSB Alpha T20

  • Type: Two-way; bass reflex port loudspeaker
  • Driver complement: 19mm aluminium dome tweeter; 2 × 13cm mid/bass driver
  • Frequency response: 36Hz–21kHz
  • Crossover frequency: 2.5kHz
  • Impedance: 8 Ohms nominal, 6 Ohms minimum
  • Sensitivity: 90dB/W/m
  • Dimensions: (H×W×D)
    83 × 17 × 24cm
  • Weight: 11.9kg/each
  • Price: £599/pair

Manufacturer: PSB

URL: psbspeakers.com

 

Bluesound Pulse Mini 2i

  • Type: Class D wireless speaker
  • Driver complement: 2 x 19mm tweeter; 2 x 102mm mid/bass
  • Frequency response: 50Hz–20kHz
  • Crossover frequencies: not quoted
  • Dimensions (hwd, cm): 17 × 34 × 16
  • Weight (kg): 3.6
  • Price: £499

Manufacturer: Bluesound

URL: bluesound.com

UK Distributor: Lenbrook UK Ltd

URL: lenbrook.com

Tel: +44(0)1908 222245

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Tags: BLUESOUND PULSE MINI 2I FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER M10 NAD NAD M10 PSB PSB ALPHA T20 STREAMER

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