Disappointed!

Thanks for all the reply’s
I have tried Bluetooth as well but will give Tidal a go. Pumped up the volume tonight and tried it closer to the wall, could definitely hear the difference in bass.
Trying different types of music and volumes, perhaps it’s just going to take me a while to get used to it!!

I was disappointed with my Muso as well a few years back. I returned it to the store and came home with a ND5 XS > NAIT XS 2 and after trying out some speakers it settled in perfectly with a pair of ProAc D2’s.

…a wee bit more expensive but it turned out to be what I really wanted/needed all along.

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I can only comment on my own personal experience of using and running in a Muso Mk2. The subject of this thread. Hopefully all users of this component who contribute will build a composite picture based on real experiences, which may or may not be helpful to the OP and anyone else searching on the same term(s).

MyMk1 Musos and QBs required zero running in. Nothing. Just like my old NDS. The Muso Mk2 I purchased definitely needed running in, just like my CD5, factory refurbished Olive HiCap, CDX2, HDX, HDX-SSD, XPS2, 555PS, 555PS-DRs, 252, 300, 552, 552-DR, 500, 500DR and ND555., however undesirable and illogical this may seem, Naim has a reputation in this regard.

My SL full loom sounded so awful that I was going to send it back. How could something costing this much money sound so bad? It must have been broken. It wasn’t. Some fellow forum members had similar experiences. Others who’s opinions I have grown to respect reported excellent results from new and no improvement over time. I know these people aren’t deaf.

So go figure. Or alternatively, accept the myriad of variables at work and hope you only ever get the favourable ones. Source quality is the obvious other area of investigation at this stage but I wouldn’t rule out running in for two months. If it is a running in effect, it might might not take anything like that long to resolve.

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Absolutely strange. I have a Muso Qbe v1 and it sounds great - even with low res Spotify as the source. I doubt Naim v2 Muso has somehow reduced sound quality. I never optimized mine for position in any way. The only issue is that i can never listen to it…my college son who is stuck at home due to covid basically has monopolized it now.

Go to you tube and run a frequency sweep to see if there is any Frequency range missing. Might be a disconnected driver.

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The muso 2 shouldn’t sound worst than Alexa without any run-in. When your dealer is open or a dealer is open, pay a visit and listen at the store to see how it sounds like there, just to make sure it is sounding like it supposed to and it is not that you disagree with that sound signature.

Failing that, then as per @litemotiv or @Mark84 said, perhaps the unit is defective.

While Spotify is sonically inferior to Tidal, it does have its place and hence I have yet to unsubscribe and I assume I am not the only one. It still has larger library, better software, better integration and better multi language support.

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“Run in time”…This is complete nonsense! A muso should sound superb straight out of the box. If it doesn’t then there is likely to be defect issue with it. I’d return it any ask for a replacement.

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Apart from everything else, I would repeat here my advice to try optimising its location; don’t forget it’s a speaker and so room and acoustics all come into play. Place it in a natural null point and it’ll sound like it has no bass. I found that with the original Mu-So, positioning could make or break the performance. In particular pay close attention to the distance from the rear wall and play with the distance optimisation in the App. Also if it’s sat on a shelf or cabinet then if it’s too far back from the edge that can have a profound effect. Also a hollow cabinet can impair bass performance, so it’s not just a case of plonk it down anywhere and it sound awesome. It’s a proper bit of hifi kit so needs some care and attention on placement.

Of course, if you’ve already done all that and it still sounds like a bag of spanners, then there’s obviously something amiss with your unit, in which case get on the retailer and let them know.

Each to their own opinions. Mine seemed to smooth out a bit over some weeks. It really is an astonishing product. SW hickups have disappeared too. :roll_eyes:

Can you put something hi-res on a usb and try that?

I’ve had numerous Naim products from the mid 80’s ranging from the original Nait (mk 1) to now a Linn/Naim six pack. I liked the “forward” sound of the Naims, but if i had to be critical it can lean towards the “bright” side sometimes in sound. So when i got my Muso 1 you wouldn’t be surprised that i found the sound to have a boomy bass and somewhat dull sound and lacking that top end i was used. But as time passed i did get accustomed to that sound and pleased with it.

I have two mk2 Muso Qbs and out of the box they were totally rubbish. But just 48hrs made a massive difference. I found they really rounded out after a couple days. They are superb.

On top of that, Muso hate being on a table or something away from the edge. Doing so causes most of what you get to be reflected out of phase off the surface in front of the speaker. They really sound so much better firing into open air.

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I have to admit it does sound better on the front edge of the unit, perhaps I’m get used to it now!! I will try putting some stuff on a USB stick to see how that goes, I did try plugging my iPhone and iPod into the USB but it didn’t recognise either of them!!

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Indeed. It wants you to stream from an iPhone via Apple Air Play.

Ah I see. Thanks

Do you have a main system too?

I do feel for you, having spent so much and not being happy, especially at a time when we need music and when shops are shut.

All good suggestions above. I’d add one thing just to eliminate the possibility that you’re listening to poorly recorded tracks.

Have a listen to a simple piece of music that’s well recorded, with a good base line and a clear female voice - Norah Jones’ The Long Way Home is a good starting point. Turn it up and even on a new Naim product Norah should be present and the simple bass line should be easy to follow. Likewise with The Delines Holly the Hustle.

It’s so easy to assume perceived faults are with the hardware that it’s worth having a few standby tracks to test equipment. That said you are right to expect a much stronger performance out of the box, it may well get better but if it sounds as bad as you suggest a Naim dealer should be happy to help.

Mu So 2

Should sound good out of the box, and the positioning in your picture seems fine to me.

Have you checked that all the speakers are working? You should be able to take the grille off and either see them moving, or put your hand close to them and feel the air movement (or your ear to listen). I have a Qb v1 and I’m listening now with the grille off and can see and hear them all work.

Can’t see or feel the tweeters moving but would you be able too??