Not so sure about that. I think traditional multi box hifi is likely to suffer from the same demographic challenges as mechanical/hi end watches (I’m a watch nerd too). The target market is contracting, and with age a factor is likely to get increasingly smaller over time.
Naim isn’t the only manufacturer who’s financials tell that story.
Just saw a short report on a system, which has 2 battery powered wireless rears. (For minimal hassle/clutter.)
Nowt, that Focal/Naim again have an A/V processor, they likely could build something around it, together with the multi-room protocol/sync they have for a long time. Or the new sync for the Divas.
Question is the business case/addressable market, I guess.
Agree 100%. If they added support for rears, I’d buy 2 more of these TODAY!!!
Given the Barco connection we can assume rear speakers are being discussed.
I just bought a Hekla for my tv room. Holy s*** there is no comparison to the Muso 2. It’s so far shockingly good for the money. It’s not just the punch but the clarity and timing. The bass is surprisingly good.
That’s interesting, because I think the Mu-so 2 punches well above it’s weight too.
I am not saying the muso 2 isn’t an amazing piece of kit. I have one in the kitchen but the Hekla is capable at another level.
Been enjoying mine for almost 3 months now. I enjoy it quite a lot, now I like to stay on my room and listen to music and movie.
Yes, there is no comparison to my full 7.4.2 setup but this things shines in audio quality.
I connected my technics 1200 via a Waxwing digital preamp and added 2x bowers db4 subwoofers to rattle the room.
Happy camper!
Heard the Hekla today at my dealer’s and have to agree with @lamby2244 above: shockingly good for the money. Also it is really beautifully designed - I didn’t realize from pictures that the protruding volume knob (!) on top clearly resembles a volcano. What a nice design touch and nod to its name.
I went to hear it with a friend who was considering buying one as he has a Mu-So 2 and loves it. He walked out of the shop with a Hekla. It was an easy decision. Wow.
Moved away from the Sony bravia trio to this. Have paired it with the ELAC RS500 subwoofer. My sofa is against the wall with a small 30cm gap so I had to have the RS9 rears angled at me and always found it had a big mid drift due to it. I also wasn’t satisfied with the sound quality on the Trio, while it had a very good bubble it just felt like it was lacking something. I also had a mod that allowed me to use my ELAC sub but I never got the full performance out of it as the Sony DSP fail safe would kick in around 25hz ISH. It still out performed any of the Sony subs but lacked the proper bottom end.
Enter the Hekla… This thing is an absolute machine, while it’s a very chunky unit and I could see why some people could not accommodate it but if you can, it’s a very good power house and very good for an all in one solution. I am still playing around with settings and trying to get it dialed in to what I prefer but as my room has accoustic panelling and various other things to help sound treatment, I found the Sphere modes much better than the Dolby modes. I’ve currently set the surround and width on +4 and the heights on +6 which seems to give me a very wide sound stage and believe it or not, sounds from behind on some content. My ELAC is also now slapping me in the face and chest and I am getting it down to 16hz in my room now, which is enough to make the windows start flapping on specific content.
Over the years I’ve owned many soundbars including the Ambeo max and plus, the Samsung Q990D, Sonos arc and I’ve also demo’d the Kef XIO and the b&o premiere. Alongside having the Sony Quads and Trio, I can happily say that the Hekla out performs all of them in terms of sound quality and that cinematic experience. It might not give you that full bubble on everything but as I’ve got older that isn’t really an issue for me. It’s nice to have a living room without multiple speakers everywhere and actually be able to enjoy what I throw at it.
I wasn’t really into music that much but again as I have got older I have found myself more in the evenings chilling out to something with a beer or glass of wine. One area where the Hekla absolutely destroys everything I’ve mentioned above is in this category. There’s just absolutely no contest!!
Anyway, to summarise it up, it’s put a smile on this 41 year olds face like a kid at Christmas and I can’t wait to dial it in further and find the settings I finalise myself on. I’ve got a load of movies that I need to re-watch on the Hekla and I cannot wait.
Oh and one final thought. The other amazing thing about this device is in Sphere movie mode, it really does not matter where you sit. My sofa is just over 4m wide and whether you sit directly in the middle or completely on the far side of either end, you still get surround effects just like you would if you were sat center, the engineering is absolutely incredible!!
Any questions please feel free to reach out.
Cheers!
You young buck!
“as I got older……”
“put a smile on this 41 year old face….”
I’d imagine 41 is a median outlier never mind the mean.
.sjb
Good to hear you like it, I may well contemplate one in the Autumn, just a shame I can’t but one from my local Naim dealer…
If that changes I would have at least demonstrated one by now and likely bought one….
Shame, it’s definitely worth getting a demo in but make sure the shop actually proves that it’s calibrated and allows you to play around with the settings as it makes a night a day difference.
I recommended to someone to go try it but they had a very bad experience which is really disappointing seeing how this vendor is a main Focal dealer. They wouldn’t let them see the calibration settings or change anything themselves and they ended up saying the sound quality was amazing but it just sounded like one big center speaker with zero effects.
I can’t argue with it either, as if I turn off the adapt calibration in my room and I don’t tweak any of the settings, then it does all come directly down the middle, so just a shame especially as this dealer has let the Focal/Naim brand down and others are also unlikely to buy it with an experience like that.
For me personally, as soon as I turn adapt on then boost the rear surrounds, surround, width & height so that these are all +3db louder than the front left/right & center, the difference is phenomenal and it literally sounds like I have multiple speakers all over the room.
My local focal powered by Naim dealer is Seven Oaks and their service just doesn’t cut it compared to my Naim dealer…
It sounds like a product that benefits from a dealer install and local support as well as a home demo.
Sadly I’m out as spending 3k on an audio product without the support of my dealer is not a place I want to be.
Hah, funny that, as that’s exactly where they went, the Sevenoaks store 
Not that surprised… to me they prioritise the sale over the customer which is not great in my view…..
I can’t see a reason why Naim don’t distribute the Hekla through the Naim dealer network - more sales for Naim and more foot fall through dealers (win win) and given product gaps it would help remind people Naim haven’t gone quiet…
In addition if the settings are key then good local dealer support sounds like a prerequisite.
Shame as I would really like to try one.
Gary
Still can’t make my mind up on whether to use Dolby or Sphere mode for movies.
It’s almost like they need an in-between mode, hah!
Sphere gives me a much wider sound stage and the effects are definitely more pronounced but I feel it sometimes misses some of the finer ambient details.
Dolby on the other hand while it has the added extra details, it just doesn’t have that impact like Sphere and I end up having to boost the volume by an extra 15-20 just to match the output.
Don’t get me wrong, the device is absolutely incredible and even with my sofa against the wall with a 30cm gap, I’m getting things coming from behind my head.
Hopefully as the speakers break in I’ll make my mind up. 
After a recent move to a smaller house we auditioned and decided to buy a Hekla. Delighted with it so far. We added 2 SVS PB 1000 subs and again very pleased with the results. We are unsure if there is a bug in the control app as try as we may, we cannot get the crossover range to change from the default 80Hz. It appears to move but on leaving the page it jumps back to 80Hz.
Any ideas?
Hah, funny you should post this, someone else I speak with has exactly the same problem where they cannot change the crossover without it reverting back and they have also just got the device.
I am guessing you are also on an Apple iPhone as that’s where they have the problem. I use Android and it is fine for me.
I would suggest logging it with Focal or hopefully someone can see and investigate @Stevesky possibly this can be looked into?
Best bet here is to raise a ticket with Naim or Focal support.