Using a Mu-So 2nd gen and 2 x Qb 2nd gen - Naim web site says “All inputs apart from AirPlay, Roon and Chromecast can be used with multiroom” however if i am using external input like Analogue input or HDMI or bluetooth I don’t get the multiroom boxes next to the volume bar in the app. It shows up when using Spotify and Internet radio and works fine but not when im using an external input. Is this something common or should i return all the kit to the supplier?
The website isn’t correct. The analogue input cannot be multiroomed, for a start. Pretty sure it’s the same for the optical input.
Well that’s not good. Most sales sites promote Naim multiroom features and even Naim themselves say it can. Guess I should have gone Sonos as they definitely support multiroom from analogue. Seems even on blue tooth input the multiroom disappears so if it’s not internet radio or Spotify I want to share it’s not going to work. On other sites people say the gen2 should support this … logged a support email with Naim and if they also say “no it can’t” they can have all 3 units back
If that’s the case it’s pretty serious, as people could make expensive buying decisions based on wrong information. Perhaps @Richard.Dane could let Naim know.
2 Likes
I’ve emailed and asked for it to be looked into.
I’ve just checked on mine, and it’s indeed not possible to multiroom the analogue input. On my Uniti it is. I mostly use Tidal Connect for which it works fine.
I understand for the NC where they don’t want to do the ADC-DAC conversion for the analogue signal, but on the Mu-so I wouldn’t think that to be much of an issue? Certainly less so than on the Uniti.
I can’t even think of a reason to not allow multiroom for bluetooth, as they strangely even got rid of any decent codecs for the 2nd gen only supporting low quality ones. So quality can’t be the problem.
For HDMI I think one reason could be that multiroom adds a delay, so if used for a TV it will no longer be in sync with the picture. But then again, (watching) TV is unlikely to be the only source people use with HDMI.
1 Like
I don’t understand the multiroom thing at all. The only way I can get it to work is through airplay. I just bought a QB2 and am extremely happy with it. Now I have a Naim system already, streamer and amp, but in the app they show up as two independent entities. I would like to have all the radio station I have on the system on the qb2 as well, is there a way to sync that? And is there a way to play radiostations from the Naim app in sync on both the system and the qb2?
Thanks for your help
It’s easy. You set something going on one streamer. That is known as the master. You go to the now playing screen in your phone and on the bottom right there is an icon with four squares. You tap that then you get a menu with all the available units for multiroom. Select the one(s) you want and you can already adjust volume levels. Then you you can close the multiroom screen by tapping close. The slaves will now be playing whatever you had playing on the master.
You can leave multiroom with a slave just by selecting another input. If you leave multiroom in the master then everything stops.
I could live with it if it was only HDMI excluded as I can understand there would be a delay. On my old Bose Sound bar when creating groups you had to chose if you wanted then to sync hdmi input with the tv and delay the group a bit or sync the group. So far I find the multiroom disappears on all external inputs including Bluetooth so unless it’s an internet radio or Spotify the little boxes are missing next to the volume slider. I don’t have any media server set up to try that option. Sadly looks like the Multiroom is very limited.
1 Like
It also works for any streaming input like Tidal and for local streaming from a UnitiCore or upnp software in a NAS or a PC.
And an even easier alternative method to initiate the QB2 joining a playing master is to tap the Multiroom icon on the top Volume dial….no App required!
SC
I didn’t know that, not having a Qb2 myself! How do you select what you want to multiroom to?
You don’t…! Though I’ve only tried it when a single ‘master’ is playing….I believe it’s just the Gen2 Mu-so models that have the icon on the dial and can do it….
I must get round to trying what happens when you have two (or more) separate sources already playing….as you say, how does it choose which to join…?!
SC
Sadly when the input is analogue , digital , Bluetooth the 4 squares do not appear next to the volume slider but yes that works in Spotify or on internet radio
Found that button. Works when internet radio is playing on the my-so abd the QB joins in nicely but when the mu-so is doing Bluetooth or analogue it just flashes and then nothing happens
I know the Volume Dial Icon works for iRadio and UPnP as that’s what I use…As far as I know, it should work for all digital based sources as per the Multiroom spec….
As discussed earlier in this thread, Analogue based sources won’t work with Multiroom, nor will Bluetooth, strangely…AirPlay doesn’t either – though of course this can be Multiroom’d via the AirPlay source/control…
None of which is helped by the inaccurate Naim manuals, which I think are often put together by a completely remote outfit based on Mars……
SC
1 Like
I’m not surprised, it’s hardly documented…! Whoever does the manuals is certainly not from this planet…
There’s diagrams in the printed QS Guide, though zero explanation of what the function does and how to use – yes those of us using Naim for years can join the dots so to speak, but for new users to the brand and Mu-so units…?
And yet another method to initiate Multiroom on the Mu-sos is via the Remote Control…something I forget myself!
SC
OK so Richer sounds have now confirmed the Mu-So cannot multiroom the analogue, digital, HDMI or Bluetooth inputs !! Not the news i wanted. Option is to return for a refund and look at other manufacturers !! Why oh why do they advertise it as “One box does it all” “Multiroom made easy” & “Inputs to make the Mu-so your music hub”
Funny thing is I have now found a work around on how to multiroom the Bluetooth that works !! ( does not work on analogue / hdmi though ) - start any internet radio station on the Mu-So then multiroom it to my 2 x QB devices and check all are playing fine. Then I connect my bluetooth enabled turntable to the muso while its still playing the radio and all of a sudden all 3 are outputting my 1 bluetooth feed from a turntable (or my smart phone) . In the app the Muso says its bluetooth but still does not show the 4 square option next to volume, and the QB’s say they are in a muttiroom with “No Device connected” but all 3 are playing from the 1 bluetooth input. You don’t get the group volume option but you get each device sharing one Bluetooth feed and can adjust each individually. Might be a work around for others to consider. Seems stupid that they can all multiroom from bluetooth but the software removes the 4 box icon and overall control.
Fiddly fix but might make me keep this set up as thankfully I have a BT turntable and don’t really want to multiroom the HDMI from my TV.
I have heard of this workaround before, but didn’t recall the details, so congratulations at finding it!
If I remember from a discussion some time (years) ago. the restriction is something to do with Apple certification for Airplay and the workaround is possible because of something they forgot to regulate in the Airplay specification.