Review: Naim Mu-so Qb

Here’s all you need to know about Naim Audio: When Bentley Motors was looking for a premium audio package to plug into its luxury autos, it hired this legendary British hi-fi brand. And Naim just released the Mu-so Qb, a wireless speaker that’s a scaled-down version of its entry-level Mu-so, the $1,500 boombox that Apple employees blast hellishly loud after they close up shop.

Anyone who’s visited an Apple store in the past year probably has seen the Mu-so: a long, low modernist box that looks like something Jony Ive sketched on a napkin. The Mu-so Qb morphs the form-factor into an 8.6-inch cube. It may have a footprint smaller than a toaster, but the Qb retains signature Mu-so touches: subtly contoured grill; glass touchscreen; an extruded heat sink that looks more artistic than functional; and an illuminated acrylic base that makes the Qb appear as if its hovering above a mag-lev plinth.

All programming and functions are controlled via the Qb touchscreen and your iOS/Android device. If the latency of iPhone taps annoys you, spring for the optional remote. I don’t know what’s more bizarre: that Naim took the time to design an obsolete interface, or that it charges just $20 for it. That interface is middling, by the way. The Naim app is short on features and visually uninspired, but glitch-free and easy to use. The budge-proof cable inputs are discreetly tucked in back, with every port a multi-format music lover needs: 3.5mm analog, optical, USB, and Ethernet. Minimalist yet conspicuous in a post-modern Patrick Bateman kind of way, the Mu-so Qb is the ideal wireless speaker to prop out a glass sheathed designer apartment on the west side of Manhattan.

The construction exudes quality and craftsmanship. The touchscreen disc, encircled by a ring of milled aluminum, has the same look, heft, and addictive haptic feedback as the one on Naim’s flagship “Statement” amp. The rest of the details—from the zero-tolerance seams to the removable speaker grill, which looks and feels like it was engineered to military spec—benefit from the same uncompromising manufacturing standards.

Peek behind that grill, and you’ll see another thing that distinguishes the Qb from its big brother. The Mu-so is a 450-watt beast with six custom drivers. The Qb is a 300-watt mini-me beast with five custom drivers: two microfiber dome tweeters, two mids and a single woofer.

Not to worry, bassheads: The woofer gets an added infrasound kick from two “pistonic bass radiators” and a dedicated 100-watt amp. What keeps this black box from cleaving asunder during a house party? The Qb cabinet is a single piece of injection-molded, glass-filled (20 percent) polymer. This means more strength, rigidity, and damping. Jolly good show, Naim eggheads.

The supporting cast includes Bluetooth (apt/X), AirPlay, Spotify Connect, Tidal and the usual Internet radio suspects. It also can tap your music library over UPnP (universal plug and play) and sample rates up to 48kHz via Wi-Fi.

It can’t play DSD files, but neither can any other wireless speaker. If you’re in a hi-res mood, it will support 24/192kHz listening sessions but only via the Ethernet port. The Qb is also down with multi-room playback; up to five other Naim devices can be synced to the same network. That’s good news for robber barons who wish to strike envy in the hearts of Sonos-loving houseguests.

What makes this small cube play so big is largely the digital amps and 32-bit digital signal processor borrowed from the “Naim For Bentley” system. But be forewarned: the soundstage is narrow. As in “beaming” kind of narrow, a word audiophiles use when describing tweeters that shoot like lasers. The tweets and mids are offset and angled to conjure a credible left-right sonic dispersion. Still, at less than eight inches wide, straying off center is a fidelity drop. Stand on axis, though, and everything’s hunky dory.

Miles Davis’ horn on Ascenseur pour l’échafaud is clear without being overly bright, and Kanye’s bass line on Jay-Z’s The Blueprint has an infrasound punch that sounds like it was tuned to lure the 18-24 demo. The midrange is a tad muddy, especially when playing mp3s, but that comes with the Wi-Fi territory. The two EQ settings, which tweak the signal for optimum listening pleasure, depending on whether the unit is positioned close to or far away from the wall, is a bonus: better acoustics through algorithms.

The Naim Mu-so Qb sounds good. But it doesn’t sound nearly as good as the Devialet Phantom, the wireless reigning champ we reviewed last year. The Qb lacks the power, clarity, and crazy bass extension of the Phantom. On the other hand, you could buy two Qbs for what it costs to take home a single Phantom.

If your living room is modestly sized and owning a Naim system has been a lifelong dream, then click the buy button. You could choose a premium wireless speaker for less that would sound almost as good as the Qb—some may claim even a bit better (see: B&W Zeppelin). But you wouldn’t get to play with that wonderfully engineered touchscreen wheel or experience the pleasure of seeing the iconic Naim logo illuminated from across a darkened room. That’s what you’re paying for. Despite the custom drivers and 32-bit DSP, this isn’t an audiophile product—it’s a lifestyle product. And, as Patrick Bateman would point out, that’s money well spent.