Stuff - UK (2020-11)

AUDIO GUIDE

Happy place
Trueplay tech
measures your Sonos
speaker’s position in
the room and adjusts
the audio output
accordingly.

ALL THE CASH

Naim

A range as modest in number

(there are two models) as it is

ambitious in price (the Mu-so

Qb2 is £749, the Mu-so 2

a whopping £1299), Naim’s

all-in-one Mu-so system has

done more than any other to

validate the idea of wireless

multiroom speakers as a

source of true hi-fi audio.

It’s done so by sounding

authentically great and being

a pleasure to use: the huge

illuminated control wheel is

a delight to operate. Naim’s

speakers are simple to

arrange into a multiroom

setup despite a somewhat

flaky app, and the plentiful

connectivity options won’t

leave you wanting either.

from £749 / naimaudio.com

SOME CASH

Bowers & Wilkins

Bowers & Wilkins had a long,

hard think about things, but

the wait for its multiroom

Formation range has been

worth it. From the small,

ordinary-looking Flex to the

not-ordinary-at-all Wedge,

plus a big, imposing stereo

pair in the shape of the Duo

and home cinema options

too (see if you can guess

what the ‘Bar’ and ‘Bass’

are), it’s a good-looking

range created in Britain. And

because Formation sits on its

own wireless mesh network

rather than on your Wi-Fi,

synchronisation is fast: music

can follow you from room to

room absolutely seamlessly.

from £399 /

bowerswilkins.com

LESS CASH

Marshall

All the other systems here

want to fit in with your interior

decor, but not the Marshall

range... well, not unless your

home looks like a Download

Festival moshpit. That’s kind

of the point, though, because

the Marshall line is packed

with assertive-looking

speakers, even the little ones,

that all carry one of the most

iconic logos in the world of

music. Big, bold styling with

big, bold sound is achievable

in every room and easily

thanks to the nicely designed

control app. No, they don’t go

up to 11, but the big Stanmore

and Woburn models don’t

half sound like it.

from £149 /

marshallheadphones.com

NOW ADD THIS

Apple iPad Mini

Not all smart displays

support the Sonos app,

so if you’re looking for a

dedicated tablet to control

your multiroom setup,

Apple’s smallest slate is

more than up to the task.

As well as Sonos being

optimised for iPadOS, the

operating system fully

supports Trueplay tuning

and, of course, AirPlay 2

connectivity.

from £399 / apple.com

NINE INCH

NAILS THE

DOWNWARD

SPIRAL

Released in 1994

but now available

remastered in a

‘definitive edition’,

NIN’s second studio

album blends metal,

ambient, industrial

and techno; it’s one

of the 1990s’ most

influential records.

SLINT

SPIDERLAND

When Spiderland

was released in 1991,

it sounded so far

removed from

anything else that

reviewers called it

post-rock. It’s so

sparse you can hear

the space in the

studio. The remaster

feels, if it’s possible,

even more haunting.

RAGE AGAINST

THE MACHINE

RAGE AGAINST

THE MACHINE

While most rap metal

bands were angry at

their parents, Rage’s

debut directed its

fury against the

Western world. Zack

de la Rocha’s angry

vocals and Tom

Morello’s squealing

guitars still cut deep.

ISIS

PANOPTICON

This sounds like it

was found pressed

into the fossilised

remains of a

supersaurus. It’s

shudderingly heavy,

with frontman Aaron

Turner’s vocals

buried deep in the

middle like he’s

bellowing from a

collapsing sinkhole.

ALTERNATIVELY

NOW HEAR THIS REBELLIOUS ROCK

WIN!

p27