Hi, I apologise in advance for what may be some regularly asked questions, but I have done a few searches.
Im by no means an audiophile and my knowledge probably extends to understanding the diff between MP3 and flac files.
I had never even heard of Naim having not bought anything high end, but upon reading up on the Muso I am very tempted to buy for a number of reasons, although main one being my flat probably doesn't suit a multiple speaker set up but I want something with a decent sound. Looked at Sonos kit etc but think the Muso suits my needs better.
firstly as a fairly significant outlay for my budgets wanted to check if there were any rumours of them releasing a newer model in the short term? I can't find anything online to suggest this.
most of my music library is on a desktop/laptop hard drive and I have read a few posts about the difficulties in connecting USB drives and getting full control over what's played? I'll probably in medium term look to stream a lot from a subscription service but wondered if it would be better to set a dedicated NAs or similar altho don't fully understand how that would work? I have a popcorn A110 that I rarely use but if powering that up and the Muso wonder if it's just easier sticking a HDD in but then can you even control what you play? Does it show on the iOS app when the source is connected?
Thanks in advance
Posted on: 21 August 2016 by Claus-Thoegersen
There will be a muso v2 but only Naim knows when it will happen. At least nothing new in terms of hardware is in the qb, and that is a good sign for the v2 not being out soon.
If you want the best control from iOS or Android you will need a upnp server, but there are a few other solutions. Airplay or bluetooth, but there must also be upnp servers that can run on a pc.
You can without problems send music from a Windows10 machine to the muso this is a right click option on every file. As I understand it Windows Mediaplayer can also send music to the Muso, but I have not tried that.
So there are many options and not all of them is that hard to setup.
Posted on: 22 August 2016 by Claus-Thoegersen
UPNP servers are software designed to run on computers, nas, or hifi audio servers like HDX and the NS servers from Naim.
So the options of servers depend on the hardware you want to run the server on.
Not all servers are created equal most importantly you get different ways of browsing the collection from the Naim app depending on the server you use.
Posted on: 22 August 2016 by andarkian
If you are new to HiFi and just looking for a better sound from, say, iTunes then you can stream to the Muso either by WiFi or Bluetooth. If you have an iPhone, for example, you can be connected to the Muso in seconds. Once you have it working to your satisfaction you can try out a subscription service, again say iTunes or Spotify at 9.99 per month of whatever currency you use. If you have a large CD collection you can buy a NAS and rip your discs to it once you feel a bit more adventurous.
Posted on: 22 August 2016 by WelshBoa
Yes like the idea of ripping all my CDs to a NAS in time, originally was looking at a home cinema set up to chuck a disc in DVD player etc but then saw this.
does the NAS simply host the music so it doesn't need to be particularly highly specced?
think i prefer that as well to booting up laptop for upnp server etc
Posted on: 22 August 2016 by sjbabbey
No. NAS stands for Network Attached Storage i.e. it's can be a single hard drive or an array of drives in an enclosure used for storing your audio files which is attached to your network by Ethernet cable or wifi and usually will have preloaded server software installed.
The Muso is a network audio player as are Naim's ND series streamers (ND5XS, NDX and NDS). They are also sometimes referred to as renderers.
Posted on: 22 August 2016 by Cdb
I have experience of using a Muso with a Mac laptop and with a memory stick in the USB port of the Muso. Playing music via the laptop is streamed via iTunes and controlled (selected) on the laptop. This is via Airplay which is the Apple software. I have tried Bluetooth as an alternative, but not found it entirely reliable as you tend to get dropout. Otherwise the Muso is controlled via the app on an iPhone. The app is very clear and displays all source options for the Muso, enabling selection of source. I have copied music files onto the USB memory stick so that music can be played without the laptop - the app provides detailed control over the files and displays track details.
PS it sounds great!!
Posted on: 22 August 2016 by WelshBoa
Thanks again for responses.
CDB when you mention the app on iPhone or iPad etc can select source, once it selects for example USB stick, can it then select individual tracks within that USB stick or does it simply play first track and then throuvh then all unless skipping?
Posted on: 22 August 2016 by Cdb
You can go through the USB stick at all levels - mine is structured in a Music folder, below which are albums/iTunes playlist folders, each containing a list of tracks. Using the app you scroll through the album/playlist folders and select at that level; then you go into that playlist and select an individual track. The Muso will then play through a playlist folder from your selected start point and stop at the end of the playlist. It's worth adding that, as you can see from its spec, the Muso supports multiple music file formats.
Clive
Posted on: 31 August 2016 by WelshBoa
I've had this a week or so now. Generally very pleased with it. Think it will help to read through the full online manual however.
one question tho when listening to stuff on Tidal I assume it works through AirPlay, when the volume is up fairly high but nowhere near full there can be some hissing and little pops as if speakers are struggling to cope with the volume. For an expensive ish bit of kit this surprised me, or is the source of the music the issue? Everything throuvh tidal is set to "hifi" quality.
Cheers in advance
Posted on: 31 August 2016 by andarkian
Have had my Muso up at levels that would make your ears bleed with no distortion. Have played Qobuz and Tidal through it, although I don't subscribe to these at the moment, and had no problems. Can only be the source material tha Tidal are using.
