T3 - UK (2022-01)

56 T 3 JANUARY 2022

State of the art

NAIM MU-SO QB ( 2 ND GEN)

NAIM MU-SO

QB (2ND GEN)

PRODUCT 02 :

These speakers achieve layer after layer of warm and detailed audio – bass,

mid-range andtreble are all verypleasing to the ear

he Naim Mu-so Qb (2nd Gen) is the smaller

sibling ofthe Naim Mu-so(2nd Gen)– but

while that speaker willtake a whole shelf to

itself, thecube-likeMu-soQb measures

210x218x212mm. at may be bigger than the likesof the

AmazonEcho, but it’smuch more compact than pretty

much anything else that delivers 300Wof audio power,

and will fit on a desk easily, or on top of a chest of drawers.

e Mu-so Qb 2 features AirPlay, Chromecast and

Spotify Connect wireless streaming,and supports Roon,

Qobuz and TIDAL –plus it has Bluetooth built-in for

playing easilyfrom anything else. It also hasa 3.5mm

jack, optical inputand USB port. Anything you play on it

sounds just fantastic– from classicarrangements to

banging drum’n’ bass, the Mu-so Qb 2 has thegears to

makeyourmusic sound full, precise and rhythmic.

Squeezed into the Mu-So Qb2’sframe is a three-way

system, consisting of five drivers: a bass driver facing

forwards, and then a left-firing tweeter and mid-range

combo,and a right-firing set of the same. eseare

powered by 300 watts of amplification, and you’llwonder

where the hell Naimmanaged to store all of this.

e designis premiumand impeccably made, although

severalyears on the from the original Mu-soQb’s launch,

the soft undulatingwavesof the grilleand clear base don’t

feel like cutting-edge design. However, the large volume

dial on top is tactile and satisfying to turn.

Despitefeaturing angled drivers, you shouldn’t expect

a realstereo effect from the Qb 2 – what these achieveis

spreading the sound around the room evenly and with

clarity, but the sound still comes from a single point.It’s

robust and weighty in the bass without ever feeling flabby

and it’s structured in the mid-range ina way that lets

everyinstrument pop through themix, while

maintaining the musicality. Meanwhile, the treble is airy

and clear,dancing out of the lower ranges without getting

brightor harsh to achieve it.

is is a high-end hi-fi system squeezed bymad

scientists into a cube that could fit into a livingroom... but

that has the sound quality to fill a ballroom ifneeded. e

audio qualityis magnificent, the streaming and file

supportis near-perfect, and it evenhas a greatbig volume

knob toplay with.ere are bigger one-box speakers that

can beat it forsound quality, but at this size,it’s peerless.

A triumph of elite sound quality at a size

you can fit in any room

T

What these achieve is

spreading thesound

around theroomevenly