Naim Muso Qb or Sonos?

[Kris1976]

Hello- i am a Hifi amateur but frequently read the Whathifi reviews. I have an older house with no possibility to use cabled speakers, and my wife wants something fairly discrete- I am therefore looking for wireless speakers for 3 rooms (not wall mounted), occasionally also to use outside on the terrace. Primary use will be Spotify, maybe occasionally other sources. Both Sonos and the Naim Muso Qb have great reviews. Any advice on which to go for? I like the look of the Naim Qb and assume sound quality is at least the same as the Sonos? Also i read that stereo use of the Qb speakers will likely be a future improvement that will only require a software update... Any other elements to keep in mind, or general opinions/thoughts?

thanks!

 

[andyjm]

Hello- i am a Hifi amateur but frequently read the Whathifi reviews. I have an older house with no possibility to use cabled speakers, and my wife wants something fairly discrete- I am therefore looking for wireless speakers for 3 rooms (not wall mounted), occasionally also to use outside on the terrace. Primary use will be Spotify, maybe occasionally other sources. Both Sonos and the Naim Muso Qb have great reviews. Any advice on which to go for? I like the look of the Naim Qb and assume sound quality is at least the same as the Sonos? Also i read that stereo use of the Qb speakers will likely be a future improvement that will only require a software update... Any other elements to keep in mind, or general opinions/thoughts?

thanks!

Its not clear cut. Pros and cons -

Sonos have been at this for ages, Naim are new kids on the block. The Sonos WiFi 'Mesh' network is more forgiving of difficult signal environments than standard WiFi (you mention your house is 'older' - brick / stone or block walls?). Sonos support is second to none, and has a well deserved reputution for excellence.

Flipside is Naim are HiFi royalty, and the original Muso sounded very impressive (haven't heard the Qb).

I was a squeezebox guy, but gave in when Logitech dropped squeeze and I moved to Sonos. I have a fancy Krell / Martin Logan listening room, and spend 95% of my time listening on the various Sonos units I have around the house (Play1s, 3s, 5s, connect, connect amp) which I find perfectly acceptable. I use the listening room less and less.

Most important issue for my wife is that the system is reliable, which Sonos is.

Guess it depends what matters most to you.

 

[jjbomber]

Any other elements to keep in mind?

What they sound like is the most important element. Try and listen to both systems.

 

[nopiano]

I think you'll have far more versatility with Sonos. A qb in one room may be fine, and you could get another one or two and network them, but they are sold more as standalone items. The larger Naim will be better in a living room, but I think the stereo from two Play 1 speakers might be preferable and more discreet.

 

[super]

I have the naim Qb's big brother the muso and i am very pleased with it and as i understand the Qb is not a million miles behind it. But ideally you should demo them both for you to decide and i'm sure someone like John Lewis will have them both.

 

[tino]

I have the Sonos Play:1 and am impressed with it. I heard the larger Muso in John Lewis and wasn't blown away as the hype might lead you to believe. There are several multi-room / wireless speaker systems from different manufacturers. Sometimes it's as much about the ease of control and functionality as the sound quality, so make sure you spend time using the control applications on a phone or tablet. Cost is a factor ... Having lots of speakers dotted around the house can get quite expensive if buying Sonos, Naim Muso, so other more affordable alternatives might be worth considering.

 

[tino]

I think you'll have far more versatility with Sonos. A qb in one room may be fine, and you could get another one or two and network them, but they are sold more as standalone items. The larger Naim will be better in a living room, but I think the stereo from two Play 1 speakers might be preferable and more discreet.

+1

 

[tino]

Any other elements to keep in mind?

What they sound like is the most important element. Try and listen to both systems.

Ease of use is just as important. Great sounding wireless systems can be let down by hopeless or flaky control software and lack of services.

 

[andyjm]

Just to add to my earlier comment, reliability should be a #1 concern. I lost count of the times my wife gave me the 'that squeezebox never works...' lecture. The best sound quality in the world is of no use if the damn thing keeps dropping out, wont play, wont work with the latest router your have bought, packs up when you boot up your laptop (and so on...).

Sonos don't get it right all the time, but their support generally gets the things to work. They also have the multi-room thing figured out ( I have 8 Sonos on a complex network and it now works fine).

To be honest, if you want ultimate sound quality, you shouldn't be looking at an all in one network streamer / speaker. Even the higher end Naim offerings are not going to compete with a separates system, primarily because of the compromises made with size, enclosure design and where you place it in your room.

If you really want the best sound, then it is two separate speakers, on stands, equidistant from your listening position - everything else is a compromise of one sort or another.

 

[The_Lhc]

Just to add to my earlier comment, reliability should be a #1 concern.  I lost count of the times my wife gave me the 'that squeezebox never works...' lecture.  The best sound quality in the world is of no use if the damn thing keeps dropping out, wont play, wont work with the latest router your have bought, packs up when you boot up your laptop (and so on...).

Sonos don't get it right all the time, but their support generally gets the things to work. They also have the multi-room thing figured out ( I have 8 Sonos on a complex network and it now works fine).

To be honest, if you want ultimate sound quality, you shouldn't be looking at an all in one network streamer / speaker.  Even the higher end Naim offerings are not going to compete with a separates system, primarily because of the compromises made with size, enclosure design and where you place it in your room.

If you really want the best sound, then it is two separate speakers, on stands, equidistant from your listening position - everything else is a compromise of one sort or another. 

Agreed but there's nothing to stop you putting a stereo pair of Sonos speakers on stands in the correct locations, so positioning shouldn't be an issue.

 

[jjbomber]

To be honest, if you want ultimate sound quality,

To be honest, he said he wants wireless speakers!!!

Best sound quality would probably be the Bluesound system. These stream in hi res. The brand have a good pedigree, in that they are mainly ex-Nad engineers. The 'keep the wife happy' choice may well be Bose. So that's 4 to audition in total.

 

[MrReaper182]

I'll say Sonos because it's mor upgradeable and it's also more designed for multi room use.

 

[Squidders]

I have a Naim streamer as my primary system, I have it wired so I can stream HD music.

I also have a few Sonos Play 1's - bedroom and kitchen.

A few things bother me about this setup.

1. Sonos don't make a streamer that can play back my HD music so to be able to listen to the same HD album on both systems, I have had to encode it down to CD quality - This leaves me with annoying duplicates when browsing on the Naim.

2. Sonos don't make anything close to sounding as good as my Naim / PMC setup.

3. Two apps on my devices to control music... No it isn't a big deal but it's still annoying.

A few things bother me about any upgrade plans I have.

1. The Naim Muso I listened to did not sound as good as two Sonos Play 1 speakers with a good distance between them.

2. The Naim Muso or Qb only stream HD music when wired, wireless won't do it apparently... no chance a high-end british company will put wireless ac in a product so we can stream whatever we like... Hell no, that would be far too nice of them.

In a perfect world, one of two things happen - Naim slash the price of the Qb and include wireless ac so it can stream HD music... They also start selling a 7.1 channel, all-in-one system that streams like the SuperUniti.

or...

Sonos make a 7.1 channel HD music streamer that sounds awesome with Naim amplification for the front pair and can deal with a proper centre channel, not just a sound bar.

Hey - I can dream!

 

[lpv]

guys, looks like the OP have no interest in this thread.. asked the question and gone.. or maybe his keyboard is malfunctioning..

 

[The_Lhc]

I've never heard the Naim but someone just joined the Sonos forum to post their observations:
https://en.community.sonos.com/wireless-speakers-228992/bought-the-play-5-gen2-the-naim-mu-so-qb-one-them-went-back-not-the-play5--6736348

It's rather long (I didn't bother reading it all!) but the thread title probably gives it away.

 

[lpv]

sonos connect is a great device ( for those who pay for music streaming) if used with ' non sonos' boom box style speakers..

 

[lpv]

edit

 

[jjbomber]

I've never heard the Naim but someone just joined the Sonos forum to post their observations: https://en.community.sonos.com/wireless-speakers-228992/bought-the-play-...

It's rather long (I didn't bother reading it all!) but the thread title probably gives it away.

So the Sonos forum prefers the Sonos. Next up the Naim forum will prefer the Naim, followed by the Bose forum prefering the Bose and the Bluesound forum will prefer Bluesound. They are all correct; only the OP can decide what is best for him. Given that he has disappeared to Panama to check his cash is OK, it doesn't matter anyway.

 

[The_Lhc]

sonos connect is a great device ( for those who pay for music streaming) if used with ' non sonos' boom box style speakers.. 

 

That makes no sense whatsoever, it's a great device used with any amp and speakers and the Sonos speakers are great themselves without needing a connect to function.

I really have no idea what your post is supposed to be saying.

 

[The_Lhc]

I've never heard the Naim but someone just joined the Sonos forum to post their observations: https://en.community.sonos.com/wireless-speakers-228992/bought-the-play-...

It's rather long (I didn't bother reading it all!) but the thread title probably gives it away.

So the Sonos forum prefers the Sonos. Next up the Naim forum will prefer the Naim, followed by the Bose forum prefering the Bose and the Bluesound forum will prefer Bluesound. They are all correct; only the OP can decide what is best for him. Given that he has disappeared to Panama to check his cash is OK, it doesn't matter anyway.

No, if you actually bother to read it the poster was not a member of the forum and not a Sonos owner before he bought the play:5 and the qubo. He signed up specifically to give his opinion of the two devices.

 

[lpv]

sonos connect is a great device ( for those who pay for music streaming) if used with ' non sonos' boom box style speakers..

That makes no sense whatsoever, it's a great device used with any amp and speakers and the Sonos speakers are great themselves without needing a connect to function.

I really have no idea what your post is supposed to be saying.

I know it doesn't make any sense, that's why I've deleted this post, well I was sure I did that... anyway, I think connect is a great device when partnered with separates or actives.. but I don't think sonos speakers are that great.. OP can do much better to buy connect and some actives, massive jump in sound quality from sonos speakers.. also remember: wireless speakers still need mains.. actives need one more cable.. but if that one more cable is a deal breaker than nothing beats battery powered bluetooth, portable b&o.

 

[The_Lhc]

sonos connect is a great device ( for those who pay for music streaming) if used with ' non sonos' boom box style speakers..

That makes no sense whatsoever, it's a great device used with any amp and speakers and the Sonos speakers are great themselves without needing a connect to function.

I really have no idea what your post is supposed to be saying.

I know it doesn't make any sense, that's why I've deleted this post, well I was sure I did that...

Haha, fair enough!

anyway, I think connect is a great device when partnered with separates or actives.. but I don't think sonos speakers are that great.. OP can do much better to buy connect and some actives, massive jump in sound quality from sonos speakers..

Depends how much he wants to spend though, a pair of Play:5s (which are also active speakers of course) is less than a grand. Given you don't then need to buy a source I'd give them a very good chance of holding their own against a £700 pair of actives (which is a grand minus the cost of the Sonos Connect and an optical cable).

also remember: wireless speakers still need mains.. actives need one more cable.. but if that one more cable is a deal breaker than nothing beats battery powered bluetooth, portable b&o.

Really? Bluetooth? You won't find many people that think Bluetooth provides better sound quality than wireless, never mind a wired streamer (which is also an option of course).

 

[lpv]

Yamaha NXN500 at £600 and sonos connect not needed

 

[The_Lhc]

Yamaha's website seems to suggest those are powered, rather than active, speakers. I would very strongly doubt they'd sound as good as a pair of Play:5s.

 

[lpv]

Really? Bluetooth? You won't find many people that think Bluetooth provides better sound quality than wireless, never mind a wired streamer (which is also an option of course).

I think too many cables might be a problem for OP so if one more between any actives and sonnos connect is 1 too much then nothing beats portable bluetooth boomboxes. No, I don't think bluetooth is any good and in fact I wouldn't recommend anyone to use one.. however Airplay is vastly superior and highly recommended.