On 20 October Bluesound announced that Apple Music now runs inside BluOS, its streaming platform. It is a free software update. You sign in with the BluOS Controller app, and the amplifier fetches the music itself. Your phone is no longer in the chain.
BluOS is not only in Bluesound boxes. NAD uses it too, and so do PSB, DALI, Cyrus and Monitor Audio. Bluesound says the update reaches “compatible” devices from all of them. That made me count what we hold.
The current Bluesound POWERNODE, model N331, 1,299 dollars: 100 watts a channel and the cheapest watt of any BluOS amplifier we list
Quick facts
- Free update, out now. You need an Apple Music subscription, nothing else.
- We list 18 stereo amplifiers with BluOS: 14 NAD, 3 Bluesound and one Roksan. Four of them have been replaced by a newer model.
- Prices run from $849 to $7,399. The cheapest is the POWERNODE Edge. The dearest is the NAD M33 V2.
- Lossless is not confirmed. Bluesound has not said what quality Apple Music streams at. Early owners report AAC at about 256 kbps.
- No model list. Bluesound says “any Bluesound Player” and “compatible” partner devices. It does not name them.
Every BluOS amplifier we list, by price
Here is the whole list. Prices are list prices in the US. Power is per channel into 8 ohms.
| Amplifier | Price | Watts | Phono | Note |
|---|
| Bluesound POWERNODE Edge | $849 | 40 | No | cheapest |
| Bluesound POWERNODE N330 | $949 | 80 | No | replaced by the N331 |
| NAD C 359S | $1,299 | 70 | MM | Class A/B |
| Bluesound POWERNODE N331 | $1,299 | 100 | No | Dirac Live paid |
| NAD C 700 | $1,499 | 80 | No | replaced by the V2 |
| NAD C 3030S | $1,499 | 50 | Yes | |
| NAD C 368 BluOS-2i | $1,998 | 80 | MM | older card, see below |
| NAD C 388 BluOS-2i | $1,998 | 150 | MM | older card, see below |
| NAD C 700 V2 | $1,999 | 80 | Yes | colour screen |
| NAD C 379 BluOS-D | $2,048 | 80 | Yes | amp plus $549 card |
| NAD C 3050 BluOS | $2,449 | 100 | MM | VU meters |
| NAD M10 V2 | $2,499 | 100 | No | replaced by the V3 |
| NAD C 389 BluOS-D | $2,549 | 130 | Yes | amp plus $549 card |
| Roksan Attessa | $3,199 | 80 | MM | not named by Bluesound |
| NAD M10 V3 | $3,199 | 100 | Yes | compact |
| NAD C 399 BluOS-D | $3,448 | 180 | MM | amp plus $549 card |
| NAD M33 | $6,499 | 200 | MM, MC | replaced by the V2 |
| NAD M33 V2 | $7,399 | 200 | MM, MC | flagship |
The “BluOS-D” NADs are worth a second look. NAD does not sell them as one product. You buy the amplifier and then a $549 MDC2 BluOS-D card that slots into the back. So a C 399 with BluOS is really $3,448, which is more than an M10 V3 with BluOS built in.
Our own rows had that wrong until today. The C 399 BluOS-D was listed at $2,599, which made it cheaper than the C 399 on its own. I re-read these NAD prices from NAD’s US store while writing this and corrected eight rows.
The new POWERNODE is the one most people should look at first
Bluesound replaced its POWERNODE in September 2025, and we had not caught up. The new one is the POWERNODE N331, and I added it to our database this morning from Bluesound’s spec sheet. The old one is now listed as the POWERNODE N330.
The N331 costs $1,299. It gives you 100 watts a channel, up from 80. It has HDMI eARC for the TV. It can also run three speakers, left, centre and right, at 80 watts each. A May 2026 update added Dirac Live room correction, but you buy the licence and the microphone kit separately.
Rear of the POWERNODE N331 with HDMI eARC, USB-C, optical and RCA inputs and three pairs of speaker terminals for left, centre and right
Per watt, it is the cheapest BluOS amplifier we list: $13 a watt. The Edge works out at about $21 a watt and the M33 V2 at $37. Cheap watts are not the same as good watts. But for a pair of normal bookshelf or floor-standing speakers, 100 watts is plenty.
What it does not have is a phono input. If you play records, you need a phono stage in front of it.
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | |  |  |  |
| Model | Bluesound POWERNODE N331 | Bluesound POWERNODE N330 | Bluesound POWERNODE Edge |
| Type | Integrated Amplifier | Integrated Amplifier | Integrated Amplifier |
| Amplifier Class | Class D | Class D | Class D |
| Power into 8 ohms | 100 watts | 80 watts | 40 watts |
| Minimum Impedance | - | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
| THD | 0.005% | 0.008% | 0.008% |
| Signal to Noise Ratio | 102 | 100 | 92 |
| Frequency Bandwidth | - | 20 Hz-20 kHz | 20 Hz-20 kHz |
| Built-in DAC | | | |
| Max Bit Depth | 24 | 32 | 24 |
| Max Sample Rate | 192 | 384 | 192 |
| Analog Inputs | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Phono Input | | | |
| Optical Digital Inputs | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Coaxial Digital Inputs | - | No | No |
| USB Input | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI Input | eARC | eARC | eARC |
| HDMI ARC | eARC | eARC | eARC |
| XLR Input | No | No | No |
| Preamp Outputs | Mono-RCA(Sub) | Mono-RCA(Sub) | Mono-RCA(Sub) |
| Subwoofer Output | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Headphone Output | 6.35mm | 3.5mm | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AirPlay 2 | | | |
| Chromecast built-in | - | | |
| Roon | Ready | Ready | Ready |
| BluOS | | | |
| HEOS | - | | |
| Room Correction | Yes | - | - |
| Room Correction System | Dirac Live by update (May 2026); licence and calibration kit sold separately | - | - |
| Handheld Remote | | | |
| Height | 70.0mm | 69.9mm | 44.4mm |
| Width | 220.0mm | 220.7mm | 220.7mm |
| Depth | 190.0mm | 190.5mm | 215.9mm |
| Weight | 1.90kg | 1.72kg | 1.37kg |
| MSRP | 1299 USD | 949 USD | 849 USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo |
Which one I would buy
Most of these are good amplifiers. The right one depends on your speakers and what else you plug in.
- A second room, small speakers: the POWERNODE Edge at $849. It is only 40 watts a channel, so check your speakers first. Our amp and speaker matcher will tell you if they are too hungry for it.
- The main room, on a budget: the POWERNODE N331 at $1,299.
- The same money, but you play vinyl: the NAD C 359S, also $1,299. It is a full-size Class A/B amplifier with 70 watts and an MM phono input. You give up 30 watts and the centre channel.
- You want a screen and a phono input: the NAD C 700 V2 at $1,999.
- Big, hard-to-drive speakers: the NAD M33 V2 at $7,399, with 200 watts and an MM and MC phono stage. We compared it with the original in our M33 V2 vs M33 post.
The NAD C 700 V2, 1,999 dollars, 80 watts a channel with BluOS built in, a phono input and a colour screen
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | | |  |  |
| Model | Bluesound POWERNODE N331 | NAD C 359S | NAD C 700 V2 |
| Type | Integrated Amplifier | Integrated Amplifier | Integrated Amplifier |
| Amplifier Class | Class D | Class A/B | Class D |
| Power into 8 ohms | 100 watts | 70 watts | 80 watts |
| Power into 4 ohms | - | 120 watts | 80 watts |
| Minimum Impedance | - | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
| THD | 0.005% | 0.03% | 0.04% |
| Signal to Noise Ratio | 102 | 90 | 84 |
| Frequency Bandwidth | - | 20 Hz-20 kHz | 20 Hz-20 kHz |
| Damping Factor | - | 210 | 90 |
| Built-in DAC | | | |
| DAC | - | - | ESS ES9028 |
| Max Bit Depth | 24 | 24 | 32 |
| Max Sample Rate | 192 | 192 | 384 |
| Analog Inputs | 2 | 3 | - |
| Phono Input | | | |
| Phono Type | - | MM | - |
| Optical Digital Inputs | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Coaxial Digital Inputs | - | - | 1 |
| USB Input | Yes | No | Yes |
| HDMI Input | eARC | 1 | 1 |
| HDMI ARC | eARC | eARC | - |
| XLR Input | No | No | - |
| Preamp Outputs | Mono-RCA(Sub) | No | Yes |
| Subwoofer Output | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Headphone Output | 6.35mm | Yes | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes | 802.11ac |
| AirPlay 2 | | - | |
| Roon | Ready | Yes | Ready |
| BluOS | | | |
| HEOS | - | - | |
| Room Correction | Yes | - | - |
| Room Correction System | Dirac Live by update (May 2026); licence and calibration kit sold separately | - | - |
| Tone Controls | - | | - |
| Handheld Remote | | | |
| Height | 70.0mm | 100.0mm | 97.0mm |
| Width | 220.0mm | 435.0mm | 220.0mm |
| Depth | 190.0mm | 400.0mm | 296.0mm |
| Weight | 1.90kg | 8.90kg | 4.82kg |
| MSRP | 1299 USD | 1299 USD | 1999 USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo |
Readers already compare these. Since we started counting in August, BluOS amplifiers have appeared in 8.6 percent of all the amplifier comparisons opened here, though they are only 6 percent of the 308 stereo amplifiers we list. The most opened BluOS pair is the M10 V2 against the M10 V3. It sits inside the top 1 percent of about 4,800 amplifier pairs.
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | |  |  |
| Model | NAD M10 V3 | NAD Masters Series M33 V2 |
| Type | Integrated Amplifier | Integrated Amplifier |
| Amplifier Class | Class D | Class D |
| Power into 8 ohms | 100 watts | 200 watts |
| Power into 4 ohms | 100 watts | 380 watts |
| Minimum Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
| THD | 0.03% | 0.003% |
| Signal to Noise Ratio | 90 | 120 |
| Frequency Bandwidth | 20 Hz-20 kHz | 20 Hz-20 kHz |
| Damping Factor | 190 | - |
| Built-in DAC | | |
| DAC | ESS Sabre ES9039 | ESS ES9039PRO |
| Max Bit Depth | 24 | 24 |
| Max Sample Rate | 192 | 192 |
| Phono Input | | |
| Phono Type | - | MM,MC |
| Optical Digital Inputs | 1 | 2 |
| Coaxial Digital Inputs | 1 | 2 |
| USB Input | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI Input | 1 | 1 |
| HDMI ARC | - | eARC |
| XLR Input | - | 1 |
| Preamp Outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Subwoofer Output | 2 | Dual |
| Headphone Output | No | 1/4 |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11ac | 802.11ac |
| AirPlay 2 | | |
| Chromecast built-in | - | |
| Roon | Ready | Ready |
| BluOS | | |
| HEOS | | |
| Room Correction | - | Dirac Live |
| Room Correction System | - | Dirac Live Limited Bandwidth (to 500 Hz) included; full range and Bass Control are paid |
| Tone Controls | - | |
| Handheld Remote | | |
| Height | 101.0mm | 133.4mm |
| Width | 218.0mm | 435.0mm |
| Depth | 278.0mm | 447.7mm |
| Weight | 5.00kg | 9.71kg |
| MSRP | 3199 USD | 7399 USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo |
The catch: it may not be lossless yet
Apple Music streams lossless audio, and hi-res up to 24-bit/192 kHz, on its own apps. Bluesound has not said which of those you get on BluOS. Its announcement talks about “100 million songs” and multi-room. It says nothing about resolution.
eCoustics reports that early owners see the stream shown as AAC at about 256 kbps in the BluOS app. Those are user reports, not measurements. But if they are right, the sound is no better than what AirPlay 2 from a phone already gave you. What you gain is convenience: the amplifier plays on its own and your phone is free.
That matters most at the top of the list. If you are buying a $7,399 M33 V2 because you want hi-res Apple Music, wait until Bluesound says what it streams. If you use TIDAL or Qobuz, nothing changes for you. Both already stream lossless and hi-res on BluOS.
This update is about convenience, not sound quality. Until Bluesound says what Apple Music streams at, do not pay extra for a BluOS amplifier to get hi-res Apple Music.
Bluesound POWERNODE Edge, 849 dollars and 40 watts a channel, the cheapest BluOS amplifier we list
Who is not on the list
Bluesound has not published a list of supported models. I marked Apple Music as supported on 15 of our 18 rows. These are the Bluesound players and the NADs with BluOS built in or the current BluOS-D card.
I left three unmarked. The C 368 BluOS-2i and C 388 BluOS-2i use NAD’s older BluOS card. The Roksan Attessa runs BluOS, but Roksan is not one of the brands Bluesound named. If you own one, open the BluOS app after updating and look for Apple Music under Music Services. If it is there, it works.
BluOS is also inside other things we list. The update covers the NAD T 778 AV receiver, the Bluesound PULSE CINEMA and PULSE CINEMA MINI soundbars, and the PSB iQ1 and iQ2 powered speakers.
Bluesound POWERNODE N331 Key Specs
- 100W into 8 ohms (Class D)
- Integrated Amplifier
- 0.005% THD
- Signal to Noise Ratio: 102dB
- Built-in DAC
- Max Bit Depth: 24
- Max Sample Rate: 192
- eARC HDMI Input
- 1 Subwoofer Output
- 6.35mm Headphone Output
- Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi
- BluOS
- Ready Roon Ready
- Room Correction
- Weight: 1.90 kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 70.0 x 220.0 x 190.0 mm
- Read the Review
Questions answered
Does my BluOS amplifier get Apple Music?
If it is a current Bluesound player, yes. Bluesound says Apple Music works on “any Bluesound Player”. For NAD, PSB, DALI, Cyrus and Monitor Audio it says “compatible” devices, with no list. Update BluOS, then look for Apple Music under Music Services in the BluOS Controller app.
Does it cost anything?
The update is free. You need your own Apple Music subscription, which is $12 a month in the US at the moment.
Is Apple Music on BluOS lossless?
Not confirmed. Bluesound has not said what resolution it streams. Early owners report AAC at about 256 kbps, which is the same quality AirPlay 2 gives you. TIDAL and Qobuz on BluOS are lossless.
What is the cheapest BluOS amplifier?
Of the 18 we list, the Bluesound POWERNODE Edge at $849, with 40 watts a channel. The cheapest per watt is the POWERNODE N331 at $1,299 for 100 watts a channel.
Do I still need AirPlay 2?
No, but it is still there. Apple Music in the BluOS app means the amplifier streams on its own. AirPlay 2 still works if you want to send audio from an iPhone, iPad or Mac.
So here is my question. If you use Apple Music, would the AAC stream be good enough for you on a $1,299 POWERNODE, or would you only switch from AirPlay once Bluesound confirms it is lossless?