NAI M MU-SO QB
Naim re def ine d wire less audio with its gobs macking Mu-So spe aker , but can the smaller , more affor dable Mu-So Qb live up to the achievements of its illustr ious pre decessor ?
All the majesty of the Naim Mu-so but in a more compact unit – can it really be true?
In the world of wireless speakers, the Naim Mu-so reigns supreme. This high-end, highperformance music system redefined what we should expect from wireless audio, weaving those Wi-Fi waves into pure audio gold.
But we’re the first to admit that the Mu-so is a bit too big and expensive for every room and budget. As a result, Naim has launched the Mu-so Qb, a more compact and affordable version that squeezes everything into a cube-shaped cabinet while staying true to the sonic principles of the original Mu-so.
Of course, you can’t just shove the old Mu-so into a vice and hope for the best – this cubic version required fresh engineering solutions, including a new polycarbonate chassis and a revamped bass system, given that the ported design of the original Mu-so simply wouldn’t fly with the Qb’s smaller footprint.
The point is that the Mu-so Qb isn’t a simple case of downsizing – it’s been painstakingly engineered from the ground up to get every component working perfectly within the new cubed cabinet.
Chip off the old block
The Qb shares its design DNA with the original Mu-so, and the genetic similarities aren’t hard to spot. The cabinet sits on the same stunning, illuminated acrylic base, which not only makes the Qb look like it’s levitating but also provides a sturdy, vibrationproof foundation – crucial for any audio product to perform at its best.
You’ll also find the same anodised heatsink on the back for keeping components cool – a feature that’s both pretty and practical – while the brushed-aluminium lid makes an equally welcome reappearance.
Meanwhile, the drivers are covered by a three-sided, hinged fabric grille that bears the same rippled motif as the original Mu-so. It’s black as standard, but you can swap it for optional Burnt Orange, Vibrant Red or Deep Blue grilles. It all adds up to one of the coolest, classiest wireless speakers T3 has clapped eyes on.
But the Mu-so Qb’s pièce de résistance has to be the circular touchscreen interface that’s sunk into the top panel. Little icons light up in the middle, displaying the current source, playback controls, and keys for internet radio and auxiliary inputs. Tap the radio key and it toggles through five presets that you can programme in the Mu-so app.
The Qb boasts the sonic panache of the original Mu-so, but in a more compact package nick odant zis, dep uty editor
These controls are encased in a solid aluminium volume dial that turns with the smoothness of an otter. And as you crank it, the illuminated controls are replaced by an arc of lights that creeps around the edge of the display to indicate the volume level.
The set of rear sockets includes USB and Ethernet ports, an optical digital input and a 3.5mm mini-jack input. So whether you want to hook up an iPod, a CD deck or a TV, this Naim has you covered.
But of greater importance is the Qb’s built-in Wi-Fi connection, which enables you to stream music via UPnP, AirPlay, Spotify Connect, TIDAL and internet radio. You can stream Hi-Res WAV, FLAC and AIFF files up to 48kHz/24-bit over a wireless network – higher sample rates require an Ethernet connection.
And naturally, the Qb can be used as part of a multi-room system with up to four other Mu-sos, or networked Naim products such as the Uniti series. Wi-Fi is backed up by apt-X Bluetooth for a quicker and easier music-streaming method.
Take control
Set-up and playback are controlled by a dedicated Naim app for Android and iOS devices. Fire it up, tap the cross at the bottom to add a new Mu-so, and the set-up process begins.
Be prepared for a bit of hassle if the light on the back is flashing the wrong colour – T3 had to press the reset button with a pin a couple of times.
Once you’ve temporarily connected your phone to the Qb as a hotspot, and tapped in your Wi-Fi password, you’re good to go. The speaker appears in a list of ‘Rooms’, where you can rename speakers to make them easier to identify, and group them together for multi-room playback. Tapping a speaker brings up a list of inputs and Web radio presets, each represented by a white icon. The basic white-on-black presentation is lacklustre, but you can change the background colour to match your grille.
We can’t argue with the speaker’s slickness, though. After selecting UPnP and exploring T3’ s PCs and NAS drives, it loaded more than 900 albums instantly and didn’t hesitate as we swiped down to ‘Z’. It’s easy to switch inputs or radio stations, and the set-up menu includes two EQ settings that cater for placement close to or away from the edge of the room.
The Now Playing screen puts all the key controls at your fingertips, such as
volume, track skip and the play queue. Niggles are minor – you can’t skip to the middle of a track by tapping its timeline (you can only play the song from start to finish), while the play queue did random things like repeating a track without being asked.
Stunn ing sound
Matching the original Mu-so’s performance from a smaller cubic cabinet is no mean feat, but Naim has come mighty close thanks to some clever engineering.
Five drivers are mounted on the front baffle – two 25mm tweeters, a 76mm woofer and two 64mm mid-range drivers – while bass frequencies are boosted by two side-firing, passive bass radiators that respond to the movement of the main woofer. The mid-range drivers and tweeters are angled to achieve a wider spread of sound than the cabinet would naturally allow.
At its core is the same 32-bit digital signal processor as the original Mu-so, which uses its considerable brainpower (150-million instructions per second) to monitor every aspect of the drivers’ performance. Couple that with 300W of amplification, and the Mu-so Qb looks capable of doing some serious sonic damage.
And that it does. What stands out is the sheer scale and volume of the Qb’s sound. It’s enormous. It drums up an unfathomable amount of bass, but that’s only part of the story; there’s a level of authority and bravado across the frequency range that makes everything sound bigger and more dynamic than you have any right to expect from a speaker this small.
It’s a real party animal, too. You can crank it up loud without fear of distortion, chuffing or cabinet rattle.
But let’s get back to that bass. Naim’s woofer and twin-radiator combo delivers bass with punch and power, underpinning music with a solid foundation. Kick drums bounce and thump energetically but with tight control, never once sounding boomy. The bass also seeps into voices and piano chords, lending irresistible warmth and body without getting too stodgy. Fans of a leaner sound might find it a little thick as the volume dial creeps higher, particularly when playing bass-driven genres, but even then it’s not a major problem.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Qb lavishes you with luxurious treble that lends height and clarity to the sound. It teases out small details like the lightly brushed snare shuffling in the background of Miles Davis’s
Blue In Green and the feathery edge of John Coltrane’s sax. It’s gorgeous.
Vocals are also expressed with ample detail and texture, while timing is bang on the money. Rhythms are accurate and propulsive; the dynamic snap of drums sweeps you along.
On the downside, the Qb lacks the absolute insight and full-bodied mid-range of decent dedicated standmounts. And despite the best efforts of the angled drivers, Qb can’t quite match the wide stereo spread and immersive imaging of the bigger Mu-so – the soundstage seems more contained, which is perhaps inevitable.
But these are drops of negativity in an ocean of positives. In all other respects, the Mu-so Qb is a remarkable wireless speaker, taking everything
T3 loves about the original Mu-so and miraculously squeezing it into a smaller and more affordable package.