Mu-so Qb query

Duncan Mann posted:

 

Duncan, I see the Linksys (Velop) is available from Apple I was thinking of taking this onboard any suggestions.

Your comment on property types is quite correct it would be difficult to get a wired connection to certain parts of my property.

Yes, I installed BT Whole Home Wifi with great success in a Devon cottage with 3 foot thick Cobb walls, which had defeated the owner's valiant attempts to obtain decent wifi coverage using a battery of extenders and Homeplug mains networking devices. 

The Velop system is towards the top end of the consumer market. Apple have effectively endorsed it by stocking it in their stores - Lynksys are owned by Belkin, whose products have been widely available in Apple stores for many years. Not sure if you're aware, but Apple have effectively ceased development of Wifi products, though continue to sell their Airport & Time Capsule products for the time being - they will become increasingly outdated as new products come to market. There is conjecture therefore as to whether stocking mesh wifi products from third party suppliers is a precursor to dropping their own products in the fullness of time... 

I haven't used the Velop system, but it was one of the first to market, which suggests it should be a mature product, with stable firmware. As a premium product, it has a few bells and whistles that similar but cheaper products lack - for example a couple of ethernet ports, possibly handy for hooking up a Muso/Muso Qb - and a greater range of configuration options. 

Likelihood is that these mesh systems use similar chipsets, so the differences between them will largely relate to these bells and whistles rather than performance per se - the cheaper BT Whole Home Wifi is very good value at half the price of the Velop system, and you may find it does all you need? Both systems allow you to add further access points if the need arises, which is a comfort - though adds to the expense.

I'd suggest you get a system, and try it in your home, but make sure that your retailer has a good returns policy if it doesn't work out for you? There does seem to be a perception that the Linksys setup is a tad more fiddly than other products (check consumer reviews at a well known web retailer), so a bit will depend on your confidence in this area. 

 

Duncan, many thanks for the detailed reply one of the reasons for looking at the Velop system is I use all apple products  (i Mac. I pad Pro,I phone 8 Plus) the Apple stores offer a 14 day no quibble returns policy plus they can assist via the internet on any problems I may encounter.

Willmake further enquires.

I've used a Google WiFi (another mesh system) for over a year.  Cannot fault it.  Connects my ND5XS and Muso Qb to my network and neither have missed a beat.

For what it's worth, I'm running a basic Linksys Velop system at home (base unit plus one) and it was easy to set up and has worked flawlessly for many months. I don't use that to connect the two Mu-sos we have (we rely primarily on music on USB sticks for those but they are also connected to the network by a means I shan't mention here as it is anathema to most ).

I also concur strongly with David's comment about taming any "boominess". For classical music I much prefer loudness off with the Mu-so sound correction set "close to the wall", exactly as he says.

Stephen

Mercky posted:

Paul Ferrier posted:

Penarth Blues posted:

Loki posted:

Should I buy one for the kitchen? The Mu-So is too big, but much better sounding. Our Pure Evoke 2 ( horribly tinny), has died. Any other small footprint, high quality rivals? We predomnantly listen to radio, but want the internet option, rather than DAB.

I've got the Qb but it is rarely turned on as the family prefer to listen to a DAB Radio which is easier to operate and has more than 5 presets.

I've now just bought my daughter a Roberts 94i for her forthcoming birthday as she wanted Spotify/FM/DAB/Internet/UPnP capability and it has decent reviews. I'm not expecting it to sound anywhere near as good as the Qb but I am expecting it to get used, which I guess is the point in the end...

Penarth Blues - both the Muso and the QB have as many presets as you want - it is just that the app only shows 5 initially. I thought the same, until i spoke to someone at Graham's - you can just keep adding stations you want as presets. I am not sure if there is a maximum, but it is certainly greater than 5, as I have at least 10 on mine. Hope that helps.

It's 5 presets max on the Volume dial interface but as you say there's as many as you want via the app

Thanks, Mercky - i confess to only having used the app for accessing radio stations - hence my slightly wrong assertion.

....and the 5 presets on the dial correspond with the first 5 presets on the app

Well, thanks for all that terra advice earthlings. Sounds like I should go for it.

DAB is patchy here in Valhalla, and FM, whilst strong, is too cluttered for decent playback.

The unit will have clear view of an airport extreme 15' away and another about 40'away so I don't predict any wifi issues. 

I am intrigued by the reference to mk2 versions. Are they imminent Duncan?

Likewise the rumour that Apple will be dropping airports. A bit of a jumbo turn around?!

Asgaardians are app savvy, so no probs there.

Mu so Qb now installed in the galley and wow! What a sound. A whole new audio dimension to chef-work. One annoyance, if is switched on after the wall socket having been switched off then it can only be restarted by app rather than the play button.