Swedish room correction and digital audio company, Dirac and Bluesound Node (read the review), makers of high fidelity multi-room streaming devices, just announced a collaboration to integrate Dirac’s award-winning Dirac Live Room Correction solution into select Bluesound device like the BlueSound Power Node Edge.
According to Fredric Tapper, Dirac’s VP of Home & Pro Audio, this first-time collaboration with Bluesound represents a significant milestone for the company as it continues to strengthen its position as the industry’s leading provider of digital room correction technologies – both in the high-end home theater market and now in the multi-room wireless streaming market.
“The ways in which consumers listen to music at home are changing; while dedicated listening rooms were once the norm, the whole house is now the listening space – the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, basements, and more,” stated Tapper. “However, this expanded definition of listening space has created new challenges in terms of high-fidelity audio reproduction, as open-air spaces with dynamic room sizes and dimensions can significantly impact sound quality. This industry-first collaboration with Bluesound resolves these challenges by delivering high-fidelity audio across any room, or any listening space, irrespective of its complexities.”
Powered by patented technologies, Dirac Live is the market-leading room correction solution. It automatically addresses common acoustic challenges that all home audio systems have, but hardware alone can’t address – or takes too much time, expertise, or cost to do so.
The software is unique in that it corrects for both the magnitude and phase of the entire sound system including the room itself – resulting in more transparent, balanced sound, tighter bass, improved staging, and enhanced clarity.
“At Bluesound, we fundamentally believe that consumers shouldn’t have to sacrifice audio quality for the convenience of streaming – and multiroom streamed audio doesn’t have to come at the expense of high-fidelity sound reproduction,” stated Matt Simmonds, Product Manager, Bluesound. “HiFi runs deep in our DNA, which is why we’re so excited to be collaborating with Dirac – a company that shares our commitment to audio innovation and the pursuit of perfected sound. These Dirac Ready Bluesound devices will set new performance standards in the multiroom WIFI-based streamed audio market.”
Future Bluesound devices will come ready to handle Dirac Live once a Dirac Live license is purchased through the Dirac website. Backwards compatibility to existing Bluesound devices is also being studied and roll out plans for eligible models will be shared at a later date. A calibration kit will be made available for sale on the Bluesound.com website when the first enabled Bluesound player becomes available.
The History of Bluesound/Lenbrook
Bluesound is a Canadian brand that specializes in wireless audio products designed for high-resolution music streaming. It operates under Lenbrook International, a company based in Pickering, Ontario. Lenbrook was founded in 1978 and originally served as a distributor of consumer electronics and communications gear. Over time, the company expanded its focus to include ownership and development of its own brands, notably NAD Electronics and PSB Speakers. These brands, both with strong reputations in the high-fidelity audio space, provided the foundation for Lenbrook’s future ventures in digital audio technology.
Bluesound was launched by Lenbrook in 2013 to meet the growing demand for digital audio playback that preserved audio quality while offering wireless convenience. At that time, most multi-room systems on the market were not geared toward audiophile listeners, focusing more on usability than performance. Bluesound was created to bridge that gap, using the technical resources and product design experience of NAD and PSB to support development.
A key part of Bluesound’s success has been the development of BluOS, its proprietary operating system and control platform. Built by Lenbrook’s in-house software team, BluOS manages playback, connectivity, and integration with a variety of music services and audio formats. It supports high-resolution audio, including FLAC and MQA, and offers compatibility with dozens of music streaming platforms such as Qobuz, TIDAL, Amazon Music, Spotify, and Deezer. BluOS also enables multi-room playback, allowing users to stream synchronized audio across multiple devices in different rooms.
One of BluOS’s strengths is its tight integration with other platforms. Bluesound components are Roon Ready, allowing users to incorporate them into a Roon-based system while still taking advantage of BluOS features. BluOS also includes native support for features not always available in other Roon-certified products, making it particularly attractive for users who rely on both Roon and streaming services. The system is compatible with AirPlay 2, and it integrates with major home automation systems such as Control4 and Crestron, making it viable in both consumer and custom-installation environments.
Bluesound’s product range includes the Node music streamer, Powernode streaming amplifier, Pulse wireless speakers, and the Vault music server, which includes CD ripping and local storage. These products have been designed to work either as standalone solutions or as part of a broader whole-home audio system. Users can combine multiple Bluesound devices for synchronized playback or mix them with NAD or DALI components that also use BluOS, thanks to Lenbrook’s cross-brand implementation of the software.
A more recent addition to Bluesound’s capabilities is support for DIRAC room correction technology, available on select models such as the Bluesound Powernode and some NAD products. DIRAC is a third-party digital signal processing tool used to analyze and correct the acoustic behavior of a room. By adjusting frequency response and timing, DIRAC helps reduce the negative impact of room acoustics on playback, creating a more accurate listening environment. This type of correction is usually found in higher-end AV products, and its inclusion in Bluesound components reflects Lenbrook’s attention to system optimization and sound quality.
Lenbrook’s investment in software and hardware integration has allowed the company to respond effectively to changes in how people listen to music. By owning and developing its own control platform, Lenbrook can push regular firmware and software updates that introduce new features and improve performance without requiring users to purchase new hardware. This approach has helped maintain Bluesound’s relevance in a fast-moving audio market.
Today, Bluesound is recognized as one of the few streaming-focused audio brands that balances performance, platform depth, and ease of use. Its emphasis on open integrations, frequent updates, and support for high-resolution formats has helped it establish a place in both enthusiast and installer markets. Lenbrook continues to distribute its products globally and has expanded the reach of BluOS through licensing agreements and brand partnerships.
