The Mu-so line sees beloved and revered British hi-fi expert Naim venturing into the wireless speaker market, combining its expertise in streaming, amplification and speaker technology to deliver its legendary musical performance. Perfect for those looking for a versatile all-in-one unit. The Mu-so range currently features two models: the sleek and powerful Mu-so and it’s smaller yet equally punchy sibling, the Mu-so Qb.
Before you even turn either unit on, their eye-catching design takes centre stage with both units sharing some key design features. Sitting prominently on the anodised aluminium top plate is a single volume knob which houses a patent-pending touch screen interface, which controls the unit’s parameters and connection options. Both the Mu-so and the Qb feature extruded aluminium heat sinks to maximise thermal performance, and both sit on a premium backlit acrylic base. The Mu-so, with it’s slick yet stealthy rectangular shape makes a perfect centrepiece for any space, whilst the cube shaped Qb is designed with a smaller footprint, ideal for situations where you require big sound the takes up minimal shelf space.
One of the most exciting features of the Mu-so range that sometimes gets too little attention is the ability to pair the Mu-so to subsequent Qb units, allowing you to have legendary Naim all around your house. The Mu-so can be paired with up to five Qbs, so current Mu-so owners can experience incredible sound seamlessly between, say, a main room and a smaller space such as a kitchen or bedroom. Likewise, Qb owners looking to expand on their listening experience will be happy to know their current units will still get lots of use. Naim’s tablet and smartphone app make pairing and controlling multiple Mu-so products a total breeze.
Removing the grilles from both the Mu-so and the Qb, one can easily see the genius design work that has gone into the creation of these incredible units. Much of the engineering and technology found in the Mu-so line comes as a direct result of Naim’s partnership with Bentley Motors, where Naim engineers worked to provide the ultimate audio system for some of the world’s most luxurious cars, learning to maximise audio quality within a minimal space. The full-sized Mu-so outputs an incredible 450 watts total, spread over six individual drivers, each powered by their own 75 watt stereo amplifier. Sound exits the unit by way of some highly advanced porting, creating a massive sound that challenges – and in many cases, conquers – a full high end hi-fi separates system with big floor standing speakers.
The smaller and more portable Qb is no less incredible, boasting a 300-watt total output, with the subwoofer driven by it’s own dedicated 100-watt amplifier, with the drivers and tweeters powered by dedicated 50 watt amplifiers, all inside a rigid glass-polymer housing, chosen for it’s dampening qualities. Having thoroughly tested both of these units myself –falling in love with both of them in the process – I can confidently say that both units sound spectacular, and those who are limited for space can rest easy knowing they won’t be sacrificing audio quality for a reduced footprint in selecting the Qb. Both models feature the same fantastic 32-bit digital signal processor, ensuring near-perfect digital-to-analogue conversion.
The Mu-so range offers an array of connection options. Bluetooth connectivity gives you access to all your favourite streaming services, like Spotify, Deezer, and TIDAL, with Apple Airplay supported as well, as is Internet radio. Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity enables you to play music from your wireless network and NAS drives, and the optical connection means you can get the most out of your film and TV programmes.
As is the case with any piece of hi-fi kit, your ears will tell you what words can’t, (they’ll have a lot to say after experiencing Naim’s Mu-so range). Pop-in to your nearest Richer Sounds and experience the Naim Mu-so range for yourself today.
If you’d like to find out more, then why not check out our Naim Mu-so and Mu-so Qb video here. Alternatively click the following links to view the product details online: Mu-so / Mu-so Qb.
