CES 2015

Naim’s Magical Mu-so

Herb Reichert  |  Jan 12, 2015

Every CES show reporter I bumped into would start the conversation with, "So, Herb what have you seen that you liked?" Or, "What's the coolest new product?" The second I walked it the Naim room, I knew the answer to both questions. Their new Mu-so wireless loudspeaker ($1500) is so cool and so hot—it froze my gaze and warmed my innards with its totally deluxe sound.

The Mu-so's beautifully proportioned brushed aluminum cabinet, its full rear-spanning heatsink, its slender mirrored base, and its sculpted 3D grill (which comes in several colors) push it immediately to the top rank of present-day industrial design. The crowning glory of the design is the Mu-so's illuminated circular volume control/touchscreen programming interface. It comes with a remote, but I doubt anyone will use it.

Hidden behind the Mu-so's bas-relief grille are two three-way loudspeakers. Each of the six drivers is powered by its own discrete 75W, class-D power amp. That's 450W total! Besides optical (24-bit/96kHz), USB, and 3.5mm analog ports, the Mu-so features aptX Bluetooth, Airplay, UPnP, Spotify Connect, and thousands of internet radio stations.

COMMENTS
iosiP's picture
Submitted by iosiP on January 12, 2015 - 7:24am

I see a wooden box on a pedestal?!

xsipower's picture
Submitted by xsipower on January 12, 2015 - 8:46am

What looks like wood is a speaker grill. The grill comes in black as well. Competing with BOSE I guess.

xsipower

Glotz's picture
Submitted by Glotz on January 12, 2015 - 9:21am

I love their approach on this application. A little Devaliet, but their own take on it.

spacehound's picture
Submitted by spacehound on January 13, 2015 - 4:36am

Not exactly. Naim is a serious and respected audio company whos 'High End' equipment cannot be bettered (but maybe equalled). This is an attempt, which from UK sales so far and with new non-'HiFi' outlets signed up, seems to be successful, to gain a position in the lower priced non-specialist market.

It is not a complete joke like Bose.

And unlike Devaliet, which has been mentioned, its design is not copied from Wal-Mart bathroom scales.

struts's picture
Submitted by struts on January 15, 2015 - 9:09am

I think you contradicted yourself there slightly, spacehound. As you point out, this is a move into a new market segment for Naim. It would appear that they are targeting consumers looking for convenience, good looks and good sound. Buyers in this "non specialist" market are exactly the sort of people who might have considered products like Sonos and Bose (regardless of whether you consider it a complete joke) or B&O and maybe even Devialet (whatever bathroom products their designs might conjure up in your mind) depending on the price level they are shopping at. However they have a brand that is little known outside the audiophile community, so they will have to adjust their marketing and distribution strategy pretty radically (as I'm sure they are doing) to compete. I wish them well.

zbladejr's picture
Submitted by zbladejr on January 16, 2015 - 6:10am

I searched images on Google and good news, now understand what the product looks like (though not sounds like). First, it's very big! Second, at $1,500 it's quite expensive. Third, the look is very nice but I wonder if the combo of the three factors works. Even if the sound is nice, this is an expensive lifestyle product....I look forward to heavy discounting about 24 months from now by whatever retailer takes this on in the US and eventually needs to clear inventory. A number of products at Best Buy Magnolia come to mind from last three years.

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