Beyond Naim Muso2 and Sonos Play1?

[JoeSoap]

Further to a thread I started yesterday in the general HiFi section - I like the sound of the Naim Muso2 but the sound to my ears never leaves the box and has no soundtage to speak of, very two dimensional. My Sonos Play1 pair do present a very nice three dimensional stereo sound stage but the sound isn't as satisfying to me as from the Naim Muso2. So, I want the Muso2 sound with the stereo soundstage of the Play1 pair.

The obvious (to me) upgrade is to a Uniti Atom streamer. All in one system, just add speakers. But my budget of between £2500 and say £2800 may not stretch to good enough speakers?

So, my question to this section of the forum is - What might be an alternative streamer to the Atom (£2300) at a slightly lower price point but still give the kind of quality sound plus a stereo soundstage? Either a one box or multiple box system is fine. I only stream music, no other music sources are considered. Thanks.

 

[Messiah]

One option (with enough change for decent stands):

KEF LS50 Wireless II review

What Hi-Fi? Awards 2023 winner. An innovative and entertaining sequel

www.whathifi.com

 

[Al ears]

One option (with enough change for decent stands):

KEF LS50 Wireless II review

What Hi-Fi? Awards 2023 winner. An innovative and entertaining sequel

www.whathifi.com

I feel you could be right. The only thing that might give a decent soundstage is positioning of the speakers and you cannot adjust this with a box that has them built in.

 

[Messiah]

I feel you could be right. The only thing that might give a decent soundstage is positioning of the speakers and you cannot adjust this with a box that has them built in.

Exactly.

My mate has a Muso (1) and whilst it sounds good for what it is, there is no getting away from the limitations of the design.

 

[JoeSoap]

I feel you could be right. The only thing that might give a decent soundstage is positioning of the speakers and you cannot adjust this with a box that has them built in.

Spot on. If I could detach the speakers from the Muso2, I am 99% sure I would be a lot happier with it. But alas, I can't and Naim craftily don't provide a way of sending the sound anywhere else outside the Muso2 box. Understandable I might add. They want people like me to buy a more expensive streamer off them.

 

[JoeSoap]

Exactly.

My mate has a Muso (1) and whilst it sounds good for what it is, there is no getting away from the limitations of the design.

Exactly. So I'm looking beyond the Muso2 now. The Muso2 will be used as a soundbar for the TV.

 

[JoeSoap]

One option (with enough change for decent stands):

KEF LS50 Wireless II review

What Hi-Fi? Awards 2023 winner. An innovative and entertaining sequel

www.whathifi.com

Thanks. Let me test my understanding here. I would chromecast my Apple Music stream directly to those KEF speakers. I really wasn't aware of that. Kind of like I do with my Sonos Play1s?

Edited to say - I need to have a listen, but those KEF active speakers might be just what I'm looking for. Thanks for suggesting them.

 

[skinnypuppy71]

I would also add the brilliant Acoustic Energy AE1 active speakers into the mix.....(Walnut are gorgeous)just add the lovely matching stands and a streamer of your choice,
I'm a firm believer in keeping the active speaker and streaming section separated as streaming technology moves on so quickly these days....and you might feel left behind in a year or two if the streaming is on-board the speakers. Another thing, good old class A/B amplification has been around a while, which the Ae1's are...I love mine and have recently moved them from my summer house into the living room with the Brooklyn bridge for a wee while...the primaluna and Neats are now in the summer house with the Wiim ultra....and that makes a great partner for the Acoustic Energy ae1.

AE1 Active

Taking full advantage of Acoustic Energy’s considerable experience in the field of active speakers, the AE1 Active is designed to deliver convenience without trading performance.

www.acoustic-energy.co.uk

 

[Messiah]

Good shout. The AE actives are superb.

 

[JoeSoap]

I would also add the brilliant Acoustic Energy AE1 active speakers into the mix.....(Walnut are gorgeous)just add the lovely matching stands and a streamer of your choice,
I'm a firm believer in keeping the active speaker and streaming section separated as streaming technology moves on so quickly these days....and you might feel left behind in a year or two if the streaming is on-board the speakers. Another thing, good old class A/B amplification has been around a while, which the Ae1's are...I love mine and have recently moved them from my summer house into the living room with the Brooklyn bridge for a wee while...the primaluna and Neats are now in the summer house with the Wiim ultra....and that makes a great partner for the Acoustic Energy ae1.

AE1 Active

Taking full advantage of Acoustic Energy’s considerable experience in the field of active speakers, the AE1 Active is designed to deliver convenience without trading performance.

www.acoustic-energy.co.uk

Thank you for the suggestion. I hadn't considered active speakers at all. At around £1000 that leaves around £1500-ish for a pre-amp and streamer. That isn't Naim streamer or pre-amp money. There's a lot more for me to look into regarding a streamer than I had anticipated. At least it's interesting learning about modern HiFi equipment. Something I haven't really thought about for at least a couple of decades.

 

[skinnypuppy71]

Thank you for the suggestion. I hadn't considered active speakers at all. At around £1000 that leaves around £1500-ish for a pre-amp and streamer. That isn't Naim streamer or pre-amp money. There's a lot more for me to look into regarding a streamer than I had anticipated. At least it's interesting learning about modern HiFi equipment. Something I haven't really thought about for at least a couple of decades.

Many streamers come with pre-amp functionality these days....both my Wiim ultra and Brooklyn bridge are able to control the volume, just set the speakers to max and let the streamer take care of volume duties.

 

[JoeSoap]

Many streamers come with pre-amp functionality these days....both my Wiim ultra and Brooklyn bridge are able to control the volume, just set the speakers to max and let the streamer take care of volume duties.

Yes, I think I understand now. I use chromecast to play Apple Music on the Muso2 and there's a volume control in the Apple Music app. There's also a volume control in the Google Home app but I tend to adjust volume in the Apple Music app. So, if for example like you, I used a WiiM streamer to feed the AE1 active speakers, I would use the Apple Music app volume control via chromecast. Exactly the way I do now with the Muso2. No need to buy a pre-amp as I don't have any other music sources to connect. Thanks.

 

[Dave_]

I'm a firm believer in keeping the active speaker and streaming section separated as streaming technology moves on so quickly these days....and you might feel left behind in a year or two if the streaming is on-board the speakers.

Chromecast, Spotify/Tidal Connect, Airplay, UPnP and BT etc have all been around donkeys now, but the KEFs also have multiple inputs should you need or wish to add a streamer in the future... So it's a non issue.

 

[Al ears]

Chromecast, Spotify/Tidal Connect, Airplay, UPnP and BT etc have all been around donkeys now, but the KEFs also have multiple inputs should you need or wish to add a streamer in the future... So it's a non issue.

True, unless you need something like Qobuz or Roon that not all devices cater for.
I'm a great one for not piling all of your eggs in an undersized basket.......

 

[skinnypuppy71]

A bit more information on the ae1's from this review.

AE1 Active Blows Us Away | The Ear

When I unboxed the AE1 Actives I was stuck by the immaculate quality of the fit and finish of the enclosures.

the-ear.net

 

[Dave_]

True, unless you need something like Qobuz or Roon that not all devices cater for.
I'm a great one for not piling all of your eggs in an undersized basket.......

Qobuz supports Chromecast, and for those into overhyped, overpriced bloat the KEFs support Roon.

I'd rather keep it simple and do it all in "one box" rather than have my living space(s) resembling a HiFi dealers these days...