Dirac Live Is Coming To Bluesound!

For the last several years, users of many NAD products, such as the M66 streaming preamp and M33 integrated amp, have enjoyed both the powerful room correction technology provided by Dirac Live and the user-friendly music streaming provided by BluOS, the multiroom wireless audio platform first developed for NAD’s sister brand, Bluesound. But Bluesound’s own devices, which are all less expensive than the aforementioned NAD products, have never offered Dirac Live. Given that the wildly popular Bluesound Node sells for just $500, and that the brand’s most expensive offerings are still under a grand, the lack of Dirac Live on Bluesound gear seemed to me like an economic reality that wasn’t likely to change. After all, Dirac Live requires a fair amount of processing power. But as processing power becomes more affordable and easily available to manufacturers, Dirac Live has started to appear on a wider variety of gear. The Swedish company’s pioneering digital audio tech was once only found on expensive, high-end gear, but these days it’s popping up on mid-priced AV receivers from Onkyo and Pioneer, and less expensive NAD integrated amps. And according to a recent announcement from Dirac, select Bluesound products will soon be joining the Dirac Live party.

We don’t yet know which existing devices will be compatible, but we do know that users will need to purchase a microphone accessory kit and a Dirac Live license. Bluesound says that backwards compatibility with existing Bluesound devices is “being studied,” and that the company will share roll-out plans for eligible models at a later date. There are apparently future Bluesound devices already in the works that will come Dirac-ready — users will just need to purchase a downloadable Dirac Live license. Bluesound says that the Dirac calibration kit will be made available for sale on the Bluesound website when the first Dirac-enabled Bluesound player arrives. Fredric Tapper, Dirac’s VP of Home and Pro Audio, says that the collaboration between Dirac and Bluesound represents a significant milestone for Dirac. The company is already an industry leader in digital room correction technologies for high-end home theater and HiFi, but the Bluesound deal brings Dirac Live into the huge multiroom wireless streaming market, and will presumably make it available on products costing less than before.

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. 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.

— Fredric Tapper, Dirac’s VP of Home & Pro Audio

Dirac’s patented technologies automatically address common acoustic challenges that all home audio systems have to some degree. One thing that sets Dirac Live apart from its competitors is the ability to “correct 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,” according to Dirac. Having this technology available in Bluesound products will give the Bluesound ecosystem a significant advantage over more mainstream solutions, like Sonos.

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. 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.

— Matt Simmonds, Product Manager, Bluesound

If you want to be among the first to learn about Dirac Live on Bluesound devices, you can sign up to receive information as it becomes available. Visit dirac.com/live/bluesound.