Bluesound Node N130 w/LHY LPS vs Node ICON

This mini-review is related to my earlier thread here.

I’ve been listening to the ICON for a couple of days comparing in the following configurations using my Black Ice Glass FX Tube DAC. I did not compare the N130 to the ICON using it’s internal DAC (IME there was no point, the ICON is obviously much better.)

RCA and XLR interconnects are Zavfino Fusion. Comparison was done with both devices connected to WiFi as there was no way to hard wire both devices. Music sources were SXM Radio and Qobuz (HR+, HR and CD tracks)

1. N130 + DAC with NOS Mullard 12AX7
2. ICON as a standalone player via XLR (I did not test RCA out)
3. ICON + DAC

Using the BluOS player management I was able to seamlessly and instantly switch between 1 and 2. Switching between 2 and 3 was quick but not seamless/instant. I let the ICON run for around 8 hours before making any comparisons. 

The ICON’s industrial design is nice, but not great. Setting it up was a breeze. 

Comparing the N130 (1) to the ICON (2) was surprising. It was hard to tell any difference at first. The ICON didn’t sound etchy or too analytical compared to the tube DAC. If anything I thought the ICON’s bass was a little richer on some tracks. So far so good.

Next I compared the ICON (2) with my DAC connected (3). Again the presentation was very close, with a slight edge going to the tube DAC.

I though imaging was comparable across all 3 set ups.

The ICON will be going back because as a streamer only, I don’t think it is much better (if at all) than the N130, but perhaps a Teddy Pardo LPS upgrade would help. However that will void the warranty and bump the cost to $2K which for me will be better spent saving up for something like a Lumin T3x.

For anyone looking for a high quality single-box streaming solution, I think the ICON is excellent value for money at $1300 with an easy $500 LPS upgrade once the warranty runs out.