There was a string quintet playing for a while too. It was also a video so I’m not sure of the recording quality, but it didn’t sound great to me.
2 Likes
i believe the string quartet was a dolby atmos recording and sounded very artificial to me only the very brief female vocal was a std music file
1 Like
The string quartet was a Dolby Atmos demo track, and for full disclosure, had I listened to that one before, I probably wouldn’t have used it for a demo! I think that in an attempt to show off Atmos, the demo purposely mixed everything too wide, and sounded a bit overbearing.. not to mention the compression applied!
For normal stereo playback, I’d liken the sound to a big Mu-so 2. The fundamentals of the Mu-so 2 remain, but with a deeper bass extension, and a slightly wider soundstage due to the physical width.
I wish we’d had more time to go through some different music on the Hekla, but sadly I was already over time by then!
There is an upmixer available in stereo mode to widen the sound a little. By default it’s off, but it can be a nice effect for some tracks.
7 Likes
thanks paul
1 Like
I often feel I should but can’t quite be arsed to reinstate my 5.0 surround system - too many speakers/speaker cables running untidily in the room. Perhaps a little project closer to Christmas.
2 Likes
Well now that I’m satisfied with my main system (300 series), I’m wondering whether it’s worth upgrading the Muso 2 in my holiday condo to the Hekla. I use the Muso for music streaming from a NAS, as well as a soundbar for watching TV. I’ve browsed the net but there isn’t yet any in-depth review of the Hekla, apart from Focal’s marketing babble that’s been happily taken at face value by all the AV sites.
2 Likes
I guess I’ll give it a try. It solve a lot of problem by eliminating speaker boxes while can still enjoy better sound from TV, and also can play music from my UPnP-Naim Uniti Core server.
The only drawback is that it doesn’t have analog inputs so I can’t connect my phono stage to it, so no turntable in my bedroom.
1 Like
How about a cost effective rca to optical converter, can be purchased for around £20 upwards.
1 Like
I’m not an engineer, so I’m (almost) totally clueless on the technical details, but if the analog signals gets in through the optical input, isn’t that going to DAC? and what would happen if an analog signals gets into DAC?
Sorry, dumb question 
1 Like
No such thing as a dumb question.
You would need an analogue to digital converter as mentioned above, this will take the analogue signal from your phono stage via rca cable and converter the signal to an optical digital signal, you would take an optical cable from the converter to the Hekla.
I do something similar with my KEF soundbar.
I hope I have explained this clearly.
1 Like
Ok, so it’s from analog, converted into digital first, before then converted again into analog in the Hekla 
. Pretty much like the Bluesound Hub that I have, it’s a phono taking analog signal from the turntable, convert it into digital so that can be streamed into the other bluesound amps in the network, whose internal DAC will convert it back into analog sound. Thanks for the insight.
HAS
1 Like
A couple of users have used Turntables with digital outputs
1 Like
I may be wrong, but I expect that if your turntable was connected to a Uniti like your Star, then you could multi-room to the Hekla.
1 Like
I think so, maybe like the way multiroom system works, basically by grouping two “rooms” of Uniti Star & Hekla through network.
1 Like
Yes, you can use Naim multiroom with the Hekla and any Naim streamer. If the streamer is a Uniti, the current models digitise the analogue inputs so that they can be multiroomed too.
2 Likes
Hope it sounds better than the Muso 2 that I had. Never could get it to sound very good.
Here we go. I’ve just sold the Mu-so 2 in my second home in anticipation of the Hekla. A true home theatre all-in-one system that also sounds great for music? Count me in! Although it seems there is already some solid competition in that field with the KEF Xio.
Looking forward to the end of March, when the Hekla (apparently) will be available. Now I’m hoping my A/V island can bear the additional weight.
7 Likes
I purchased the Xio just before the Hekla was introduced. The Xio has impressed me and the performance with music is exceptional for a soundbar.
2 Likes
Is it true they can only be bought through certain dealers (focal /naim)?
G
AI summary - looks like both are held in high regard
Which one should you choose?
• Choose the KEF XIO if: You want the best-performing “true” soundbar for movies, need the option to wall-mount it, or prefer a more neutral, modern aesthetic. It is also significantly more affordable while offering more raw power.
• Choose the Mu-so Hekla if: You want a luxury furniture piece that doubles as a world-class hi-fi system. If your room allows for a deep tabletop unit and you value the “Naim sound” and Focal’s detailed high-end, the Hekla is the premier choice.
I may well consider one of these too.