Today Naim launched Mu-so Qb at CES 2016 (Suite 30-233 Venetian Hotel Las Vegas) a more compact wireless loudspeaker system.  Naim’s origina Mu-so wireless music system combined Naim’s normal priorities of sound quality with dramatic but understated design and ease of use. Mu-so Qb takes these attributes and delivers them in a compact structure that is easy to accommodate in most rooms.

“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 will be on demo and on sale in shops early March 2016, MSRP £595 Inc. VAT. ($999.95 ex. tax)

One of the biggest design challenges with the Mu-so Qb wireless loudspeaker system was to configure the individual speakers within the smaller cabinet. It presents an arrangement of five drivers, offset and angled perfectly to create an ideal left-right dispersion. Mu-so Qb uses tweeters with microfibre domes, while its mid-range drivers have rare earth magnets and copper capped poles for even greater linearity. 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 a long bass port. Instead, two tuned pistonic bass-radiators work alongside a custom-made woofer that’s driven by a 100W amplifier. 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. 

Streaming

Connect the Naim Mu-so Qb to a home Wi-Fi network to open up a world of music. Wirelessly stream downloaded music in high-resolution via UPnP™ or browse and play millions of songs through Spotify Connect, TIDAL, Internet Radio or Airplay. 

Connectivity

Mu-so Qb also features high quality Bluetooth (aptX) connectivity, a USB input for playback from USB sticks or connection of smartphones, tablets or MP3 players enabling charging and playback, in addition a rear 3.5mm analogue input and a digital input can be used for TVs, CD players, turntables set-top boxes and games consoles.

Multiroom

Mu-so Qb can be used between five rooms in the home, creating a system that is truly integrated and offers synchonised 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. 

At the heart of Mu-so Qb is a 32-bit digital signal processor – the same component used in the original Mu-so system. The DSP controls the flow of music information to each individual drive unit and, with intricate computer analytics, was finely tuned to perform perfectly within the smaller cabinet space.

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 structural top and heatsink is used, as well as the acrylic base, all of which dampen unwanted vibration, stiffen and strengthen the structure of Mu-so Qb even further.