Be Summoned by the Sound. Introducing Mu-so Qb by Naim
Naim Audio is a world renowned British manufacturer of premium home music systems which are designed to create a deeper and more intense connection between artist and listener.
Since 1973, Naim has delivered sound that surpasses all expectations. In summer 2014, Naim launched Mu-so, an award-winning wireless music system that took the legendary Naim sound to a new audience and swiftly became a global success. Mu-so redefined critical and public opinion of what wireless music could and should sound like. “With Mu-so Qb, we use the same principles that helped form the original Mu-so: no compromise on materials, sound quality or features.” says Naim Audio’s Technical Director, Roy George.
Mu-so Qb shares the same design DNA as Mu-so, all intuitively crafted into a truly compact cabinet, ideal for any living space. Mu-so Qb is alive with contours and features, but with 300 watts of power it’s never restricted by its size.
Mu-so Qb by Naim will launch in March 2016, MSRP £595 inc VAT ($999.95 ex tax).
DESIGN
One of the biggest design challenges with Mu-so Qb wireless system was to configure the individual speakers within the smaller cabinet. To achieve that distinctive Naim sound in a compact unit, Naim engineers had to interrogate every component and adjust speaker angles by the smallest of fractions. It presents an arrangement of five drivers, offset and angled perfectly to create a left-right dispersion discrepancy. Mu-so Qb uses tweeters with microfibre domes, while its mid-range drivers have rare earth magnets and copper capped poles for even greater accuracy. And when it comes to low frequencies, Mu-so Qb has another surprising design feature. Unlike the original Mu-so, there isn’t the space for an expansive bass port. Instead, two pistonic bass radiators work alongside a custom-made woofer that’s driven by a 100W amplifier to create a depth of sound that you would never expect from a system this size. The touchscreen interface on the top of Mu-so Qb is a solid aluminium ring, illuminated to float above the core structure and compliment the seamless volume dial movement.
FEATURES
Connect the Naim Mu-so Qb to your home Wi-Fi network to open up a world of music. Wirelessly stream your downloaded music in high-resolution via UPnPTM or browse and play millions of songs through Spotify Connect, TIDAL, Internet Radio or Airplay, ideal for Apple Music.
Mu-so Qb also features high quality Bluetooth (aptX) connectivity, a USB input for charging and playback of smartphones, tablets and MP3 players, a 3.5mm analogue input and a digital input for TVs, CD players, turntables set-top boxes and games consoles. Mu-so Qb can be used between five rooms in the home, creating a system that is truly integrated and offers beat perfect music in each room or individual music in each room, all controlled by a dedicated Naim app for iOS and Android. Mu-so Qb is also fully compatible with Naim streaming products, including Naim Uniti Series.
SOUND
At the heart of Mu-so Qb is a 32-bit digital signal processor – the same high-spec component used in the original Mu-so system. The DSP controls the flow of music information to each individual speaker and, with intricate computer analytics, was finely tuned to perform perfectly within the smaller cabinet space. The end result is a refined audio experience with no distortion; increased speaker accuracy and an expansive sound at home in any room, large or small, from office to lounge, bedroom to kitchen.
The material chosen for the main cabinet is a 20% glass-reinforced polymer chosen for its extra stiffness and dampening properties. Elsewhere, an anodised aluminium lid and heatsink is used, as well as the acrylic base, both of which dampen unwanted vibration and strengthen the structure of Mu-so Qb even further.
Tags:
