I’m undecided about the qb2. I’ve read reviews, watched videos, etc. I’m still not clear about how it actually sounds.
Most user reviews are positive, but one described it as no better than a clock radio!
I currently have a Sonos symfonisk Frame (good) & Ruark Mr1 speakers (excellent).
What do you think? Will I be disappointed?
My hearing is mediocre & I favour music from the 70s-80s.
What do you think? Thanks.
Way way better than a Sonos. I’m no fan of the current Naim source sound but both QBs are impressive.
I have a QB2, a QB1 and a Sonos Play 3.
OK, the Sonos is a few years older but there really is no comparison between the Sonos 3 and even the QB1.
Whoever claimed it was “no better than a clock radio” clearly has no idea what they’re talking about, unless they use something really, really special as a clock-radio…
I love my QB2 and it always impresses me how it sounds, particularly given the size.
I have both a Qb1 and a Qb2, used daily for years now.
The 2nd gen has really noticeably better sound quality. However it’s not perfect, and has a significant issue with spoken word (podcasts, radio etc). The tuning is better than 1st gen (which is unusable for this), but intelligibility is still quite poor. Great for music however. Just wish there were more EQ options.
I have a qb1 and am underwhelmed with the sound quality. I listen to a lot of spoken word broadcasts and streaming jazz and classical. I find the sound muffled with an upper bass emphasis. I have heard the qb2 and it sounded better at my dealer’s but I have not heard it in my home or compared it to the qb1.
We’ve had a QB1 in our bedroom for years and as a wireless/streaming speaker I find it entirely satisfactory. Definitely worth the sub £500 price I paid for it. But it’s no substitute for a full setup such as the main system in the lounge, particularly for classical and jazz. Given the price differential I’d be jolly cross if it were, but it does have a place for us.
Roger
Thanks for all your remarks. I wonder why naim is so set against an equaliser function. Seems unnecessarily hard-line purist to me.
Peakman
Your viewpoint is fair and perhaps I was bing too harsh. I did expect better sound for the price, but am pleased with the function and design of the qb.
Unless you prefer small footprint, for the relatively little extra cost, the Muso2 is significantly ahead of the Qb2 in sound quality.
The Qb has a cube like sound - surprise!
Muso is more open, not least because the speakers are wider apart. Both, when using the naim app, have loudness option (off/on) and three options called Room Compensation - essentially different settings for unit placement. Remote is limited (never used), app best choice, iOS or Android.
Dealer will likely allow a short audition at home, with a down payment and return terms agreed.
Units come up from time to time at dealers, with a reduction if you accept an open box, also some refurbished units.
I think also depends on your room and usage.
In a room with reasonable acoustics, and a need for a single source speaker, I’d presume Qb would be better than Sonos.
In a kitchen where there are a lot of reflections and other noises, spreading the sound around the room with more speakers may be better. This would be more affordable with Sonos. And Sonos grilles are hard, not cloth, and so easier to keep clean.
Sitting room approx 4 x 5 metres - hard tiled floor. ???
Nearest dealer is 100 miles away!
If you’re happy with sound of Ruark MR1s, then probably a couple of Sonos speakers (you can run them as a stereo pair) would suffice and be much cheaper. We went from Ruark to Sonos (in the kitchen) and it was fine.
Qb2 looks much nicer , and probably goes louder !
I’ve had both and the 2nd gen sounds better, but not by any significant margin.
IMHO, the 2nd generation Mu-So Qb sounds decidedly better than the 1st generation Mu-So Qb and dare say it, I think maybe better than the 1st generation Mu-So too. However, much may depend on what type of music you like and the room so YMMV. BBC Radio 4 speech is my reference in this context.
The Mu-So Qb has of course a significantly smaller footprint than the Mu-So.
Is the qb2 heavy on bass?
Bass sounds balanced to me. Much easier to understand speech on 2nd Generation. I wouldn’t call it heavy though.
Balanced is what I want. I’ve found other streamers to be too bass biased.
I found the 1st generation too bass boomy for my ears, which is why I swapped it for a 2nd generation model. Now I can easily understand what’s being said and enjoy the music balance too. That’s my experience anyway.
I’m much the same with mine however I purchased a Mu-so 2 generation after listening at my dealers and am very pleased with it so much so I am thinking of changing my Qb for another Mu-so 2nd generation.