Naim Muso vs...

[Timbot]

I think I'm going to have to increase the WAF (wife approval factor) of the system in the sitting room. At the moment we have a NAD D3020 plugged into some fairly aged Kef Q35.2 floorstanders and a Wharfedale Diamond SW150 sub. The floorstanders are in apple wood which was slightly dubious when new in 2001 when I bought them and hasn't improved with age. Sound wise it is quite a warm sounding system which we like. Listening is mainly the TV via optical. We also have a Synology NAS which I hope to use for streaming CDs ripped as FLAC and ALAC. Convenience is probably more relevant than out and out performance at the moment as we currently listen to very little music as it's not easy to faff about and put music on.

Mrs Timbot would like to get rid of the floorstanders. Standmounters don't get many WAF points more and are also not ideal with a 17 month old whole seems to enjoy trying to scale any item within reach.

An option which has been mooted is a Naim Muso 1st gen. There are some champagne gold models still available new from John Lewis as well as some refurbished models from there and other suppliers. A Muso Qb could then also be added to the kitchen.

I hope to go and listen to a Muso in the next few weeks but wonder about peoples thoughts of how it compares to a budget hifi system similar to what I have. Would it be comparable? Worse? Surprisingly better? Any thoughts gratefully received.

 

[inias]

Don't have any comparisons for your set up , but from personal experience, the Naim Mu-so 1st gen will be close enough but not quite as musical and refined as a hifi separates set up of comparable cost input. Although, it would have all the convenience of a one box system.

 

[davidf]

Give the Bowers & Wilkins Wedge a listen - sounded more like a pair of speakers, and better than a Muso to my ears.

 

[Jimboo]

The qb is a lovely looking thing and the build is fantastic. I have owned one for two years but it doesn't fill the room the way my friends muso does. It has a slight boxy mono sound. I would go for it's bigger brother. I would recommend one of the KEF ls/x range but if streaming is high on your agenda then stick with the naim. I gave up trying to stream angel Olsen this morning as their are still major app issues.

 

[chris661]

The major thing you'll be sacrificing here is stereo imaging. The Muso can sound decent (when properly set up), and stays pretty clean when you turn it up, too.

People seem to have problems with streamers and their various apps. If I was in your position, I'd think carefully about usability. My current stereo is easy to use, which means it gets used often. My previous stereo involved active crossovers and a big pile of amplifiers, and I was the only one that could use it - about once a week, when I could be bothered to set it all up.

Chris

 

[Deleted member 2457]

I don’t think the Naim Muso Is very good I returned mine and my B&W Zeppelin now have a Bose Wave 4 system and it goes louder and better than the Muso.

 

[bigboss]

When I compared Main Muso 1st generation to Sonos Play 5, Sonos sounded significantly better. Make sure you compare before purchase.

 

[tino]

How about a couple of Elipson Planet Ms. Metal grilles so your 17 month old can't poke them and damage them. You can mount them on a wall, hang them from a ceiling or just put them on a table top. Alternatively as other people have mentioned a stereo pair of a good wireless speaker e.g. Denon Heos, Dynaudio Music, Sonos, Technics SC30 or SC50 may be better than a single Muso.

 

[Timbot]

Thanks all. Off to listen to a Muso today and some other options as stated above. I think ease of use is higher up the agenda than I'd notionally like but then that's why we never listen to music at the moment.
I wouldn't get away with the Elipsons. It's going to have to be a one box system at the moment but there is always the option to add in a "proper" system further down the line I guess.

 

[tino]

If you don't want to spend big, but still get a decent sound, take a look at the Samsung VL350 / 351 ... a pair of these will be quite good and if you have a modern Samsung TV will hook up wirelessly to that. You can get them now for £65 new ... they used to be £399.

 

[Nelis87]

Did you listen to the Muso yet? What's your opinion sound wise?

 

[Tonestar1]

I think I'm going to have to increase the WAF (wife approval factor) of the system in the sitting room. At the moment we have a NAD D3020 plugged into some fairly aged Kef Q35.2 floorstanders and a Wharfedale Diamond SW150 sub. The floorstanders are in apple wood which was slightly dubious when new in 2001 when I bought them and hasn't improved with age. Sound wise it is quite a warm sounding system which we like. Listening is mainly the TV via optical. We also have a Synology NAS which I hope to use for streaming CDs ripped as FLAC and ALAC. Convenience is probably more relevant than out and out performance at the moment as we currently listen to very little music as it's not easy to faff about and put music on.

Mrs Timbot would like to get rid of the floorstanders. Standmounters don't get many WAF points more and are also not ideal with a 17 month old whole seems to enjoy trying to scale any item within reach.

An option which has been mooted is a Naim Muso 1st gen. There are some champagne gold models still available new from John Lewis as well as some refurbished models from there and other suppliers. A Muso Qb could then also be added to the kitchen.

I hope to go and listen to a Muso in the next few weeks but wonder about peoples thoughts of how it compares to a budget hifi system similar to what I have. Would it be comparable? Worse? Surprisingly better? Any thoughts gratefully received.

After reading your requirements would a soundbar not be a better fit to your needs? You could get something at the top end of the market. It would easily trump the muso for tv and film usage, which is your primary use anyway. It would also give better stereo separation, though may be of slightly lower quality. Most of the big manufacturers have there own multi room eco system so you could connect a smaller speaker in the kitchen. Sonos, B&W, Bluesound to name a few that should be investigated.

 

[Timbot]

Hi all,
So the Naim Muso 1st gen...
I was impressed with the unit, though to be honest I was actually impressed more with the sound from the Muso Qb from what I heard of them both. The Muso and the Muso Qb both look the part (see original post about WAF) and sound good. Didn't get chance to listen to much else due to time constraints so will have to pop back (we live fairly near Peter Tyson which is handy).
B&W Wedge- no way I'd get away with the looks of it with Mrs T so didn't listen to it.
Sonos- my brother has some Play 5s and some Play 1s. I like the sound of these but thought there wa

 

[Tonestar1]

I meant the B&W formation soundbar under the telly one and one of their cheaper speakers in the kitchen. That wedge is a lot of cash

 

[Timbot]

Hi all,
Hadn't realised I'd posted my previous reply- it disappeared and thought I'd caught the back button. I obviously caught the post button, hence tailing off half way through the sentence.

Went to listen to the Muso the other day. I did like the sound, probably more so of the Qb than the main unit if I'm being honest. I'd say it was slightly warm of neutral which suite me better than a leaner sound.

I am familiar with the Sonos as my brother has some Play 5s, Play 1s and a connect amp. I do like the sound and convenience of the Sonos but think I preferred the sound of the Naims.

Peter Tyson had a manufacturer refurbished Muso Qb mk1 on Black Friday offer for £399 rather than £450 so I've taken a punt on this for the kitchen. Seems a good bit of kit for the money. I'll look at the big Muso for the sitting room at a later date once I've had a good play with the Qb!

 

[Mugen]

Peter Tyson had a manufacturer refurbished Muso Qb mk1 on Black Friday offer for £399 rather than £450 so I've taken a punt on this for the kitchen. Seems a good bit of kit for the money. I'll look at the big Muso for the sitting room at a later date once I've had a good play with the Qb!

Interesting. I’m planning to switch from HEOS setup. I’m also currently torn between naim, mainly Qb and Sonos line. My starting point is bedroom. For price wise, Play 5 pairs can be purchased same or even little less than Qb gen 2. Sonos one pairs can be purchased refurbished Qb gen 1 price range. I can collect Sonos quicker as cost is much cheaper. Muso gen one is even option.

For software versatility, Sonos wins here as it has built in Alexa, amazon HD support but one main trade off is lack of high res support. But I keep reading great review about Naim MuSo line. Even first generation products got airplay 2 support. Physically, they look better than Sonos.

 

[Timbot]

Interesting. I’m planning to switch from HEOS setup. I’m also currently torn between naim, mainly Qb and Sonos line. My starting point is bedroom. For price wise, Play 5 pairs can be purchased same or even little less than Qb gen 2. Sonos one pairs can be purchased refurbished Qb gen 1 price range. I can collect Sonos quicker as cost is much cheaper. Muso gen one is even option.

For software versatility, Sonos wins here as it has built in Alexa, amazon HD support but one main trade off is lack of high res support. But I keep reading great review about Naim MuSo line. Even first generation products got airplay 2 support. Physically, they look better than Sonos.

The Qb is very well settled in the kitchen now and my wife (and I!) love how it looks. It's a really nice piece of kit IMO and I like it so much I've grabbed a Muso 1 for the front room. The Muso is a much cleaner sound and a bit more analytical than the Qb but the Qb is more of a fun sound with a bit more bottom end emphasis. That could, of course, be due to the positioning though. The app works pretty well with the odd glitch every now and then (but nothing major). This is mainly with "party mode" with both playing the same from Spotify.
I've plugged mine in via home plugs, mainly as the Qb is next to the microwave which seems to work on the same frequency as the wifi so every time you nuked anything in the microwave the signal dropped out.

The Muso 1 and the Muso Qb 1 are still on offer at Peter Tyson's for £549 and £399 respectively manufacturer refurbed and with a 2yr manufacturer warranty.

No Alexa support unfortunately but that's not important to me at the moment.

I have a high res copy of Fleetwood Mac Rumours and this sounds excellent through the 2 systems. Not got anything else high res but CD quality and Spotify Premium compressed also sound good. The option of stereo pair with Sonos is quite a tempting proposition though so can see why they could be appealing.

 

[Mugen]

The Qb is very well settled in the kitchen now and my wife (and I!) love how it looks. It's a really nice piece of kit IMO and I like it so much I've grabbed a Muso 1 for the front room. The Muso is a much cleaner sound and a bit more analytical than the Qb but the Qb is more of a fun sound with a bit more bottom end emphasis. That could, of course, be due to the positioning though. The app works pretty well with the odd glitch every now and then (but nothing major). This is mainly with "party mode" with both playing the same from Spotify.
I've plugged mine in via home plugs, mainly as the Qb is next to the microwave which seems to work on the same frequency as the wifi so every time you nuked anything in the microwave the signal dropped out.

The Muso 1 and the Muso Qb 1 are still on offer at Peter Tyson's for £549 and £399 respectively manufacturer refurbed and with a 2yr manufacturer warranty.

No Alexa support unfortunately but that's not important to me at the moment.

I have a high res copy of Fleetwood Mac Rumours and this sounds excellent through the 2 systems. Not got anything else high res but CD quality and Spotify Premium compressed also sound good. The option of stereo pair with Sonos is quite a tempting proposition though so can see why they could be appealing.

Great. Thank you for detailed reply. That's pretty helpful. I live in US but has similar price here with refurbished version as well.

As for Alexa, I was thinking to use bluetooth connection. From what I read, it sounds like after pairing, Muso will switch automatically up on detecting the stream from bluetooth source. If so, this should be great, full featured Alexa unlike built in but limited Alexa on Sonos One.