Hello all. I am a proud owner of a muso v1, since I went into JL for a Sonos and luckily they had none in stock so walked out with the muso which I love. Best lucky choice ever. I am now hooked on the clarity but I have some extra savings and I’m getting greedy now that I have discovered hiding sound, and I would like a similar quality of sound for my HD tracks on my iPad but in a wider environment. I see that some on these forums have recommended a pair of KEF LSx at 1k for low budget, and that may possibly do both the streaming and separation that I’m looking for, but really, I would like to stay with Naim sound quality if that makes sense. I don’t know if it’s the quality of the Muso unit and electronics or processor itself that does the quality streaming or the speakers within the Muso, all I know is I like it very much but wish to recreate this new found clarity but on a wider scale. I can’t afford £5k+ for a new Uniti plus 2 lowest priced Naim speakers, but I could go up to £2k+, (or even £2.5k+ if I’m forced to sell my muso but which I currently also use as a soundbar for the telly although with no hdmi like v2 I manually have to turn it off and on). My wish list would really be 2 x muso but proper stereo separation and this would have been ideal but I know that’s not possible. Any ideas? I’m so far unsure what’s best, is it the speakers or the unit that I need to invest in more? So far I’m leaning towards perhaps a second hand Naim Uniti Atom (can get one for around 1.2k) just to get my streaming from my iPad, and then 2 new speakers or second hand one, but I have no idea which ones though. Will any speakers at £500-£700 in this price range actually sound as clear as the muso currently does if it’s connected to a Uniti or is it unrealistic? Is it the speakers that’s more important or the machine/processor that controls the speakers or both that will create the clarity I’m looking for. On my Muso, I listen to classic tunes, as well as songs with clear vocals on a sofa 5 metres in front of the muso (muso is 10cm from wall on table under telly) so sound is wide but not wide enough. One of my big annoyances with sound before my Muso days, is I used to get annoyed by the hissing when some singers say or sing their ‘S’ letter’s, but Muso deals with my idiocracy very well. However, I also want to retain the clear separation of instruments but even more so now. My new setup doesn’t have to be overly loud or too bassy, as the room is around 4 meter wide my 6 meters long, so really I’m just looking for ‘clear and wide where I can stick 2 speakers on either floor speaker shelves or on 2 wall shelves on the left and right side of the room. I have no preference. Is getting a cheaper streamer but with Naim speakers such as the s400 (second hand on eBay at around 1.4K) the way to go, or is a Naim unity but with non Naim speakers the best way to go to upgrade my love of clear instruments sound wider? Should I get both the unit and s400 second hand or is that too risky, and even if I get lucky and they both work perfectly, will that do what I want best for 2.5k ish? Any suggestions?
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Welcome.
The original KEF LS50 can be picked up within your speaker budget now that the new version is out. My brother has them and they were excellent even at their original price. Members here have confirmed they match well with the Atom, just search this forum.
In the future you might then want to save up for a pair of stands if you can’t stretch that far now.
I’d have said an Atom should give you just what you’re looking for. Speakers? I use Neat Iotas which go well with an Atom and should be available for around or slightly above your price range. They are said to work well on shelves. A bit cheaper are Dynaudio Emit 20s which I’ve also heard making enjoyable music with an Atom. Alternatively you might consider second hand speakers which can often offer some real bargains.
Roger
You can get an Atom plus Focal Chora 806 speakers plus NAC A5 cable bundle from several retailers at the moment for £2599, a considerable saving on the products if bought separately.
Google search ‘naim focal bundle’
That’s an excellent suggestion.
My friend, you want an Atom. And Focal Chora 806 or 816. I lucked out and bought my 816s on a 2 for the price of one special. But even that special was $4150 US. But that is what you want. Maybe other speakers (tho I love mine, they are made to excel with Naim you know) but definitely the Atom. And it works seamlessly with the Mu-so. I have the Mu-so Qb V1, and the Atom with it is really cool.
I have the Atom and 816s. Pretty stunning. And as for Naim speakers, doesn’t Focal make the Mu-so speakers now? My dealer had the 806s 2 for the price of 1 in January when I bought these as such.
The Mu-so 2nd Generation family features Focal-optimised speaker drivers, yes (but is manufactured by Naim).
I’ve always thought it was a missed opportunity not to allow Muso’s (especially the QB) to be placed into a stereo pair like Sonos and others allow. i.e. each speaker delivers one channel.
Apparently you can fudge this using DSP in Roon but I haven’t tried it.
I reckon it would sound surprisingly good!
Agree
So the drivers aren’t made or designed by Focal? Can you explain what ‘optimised’ means in this context?
Seems an interesting decision considering the partnership that Naim would not use Focal to design and manufacture the driver.
The speaker-drivers are designed and optimised by Focal, using Focal-patented technology. They’re then manufactured by Naim - along with the rest of the Mu-so. It’s all rather a moot point as we’re all the same group, but it’s key for people to understand that the 40+ years of Focal driver expertise features in the Mu-so 2nd Generation family - one of the many R&D benefits we get from working together.
Thanks for explaining. I agree that this is important for people to understand that each partner is being used for their strength. So good to hear that’s indeed the case.
I would argue that if you would say Focal designed instead of optimised that would get the point across better. "Optimised"can come across a bit like evasive marketing speak 
I.e. could also be interpreted as Focal only having a look in at the end.
Lets hope their driver expertise also equates to reliability, unlike my Focal Utopia headphones where the driver failed after only 3 months. But on the a positive note they know it’s a problem and they put the warrantee up to 5 years.
Does this mean that Mu-so are now manufactured in Salisbury ?
Cheers
Don
No, they are still manufactured in China - the only Naim products that are - but 100% to our design and manufacturing guidelines, with close quality control. There is nothing ‘off-the-shelf’ about them.
I know Focal also does some manufacturing in China (cabinets only?). Do the group have their own facility there, like Bowers & Wikins, or is the manufacturing outsourced to a third party?
I bought a unitiqute and neat iota’s used for £1000 and they sounds mighty fine and a big step up from my muso. Sure it’s not the latest tech but it sounds great on tidal / saved files.
Maybe worth exploring.
Gary
This was suggested in the New Features thread. Anyone with suggestions for improvements in any of Naim’s products please do have a look through and add them there. It’s useful as Naim have advised they monitor this tread (just in case we beat them to the mark 
).