New control app for Muso

The Muso isn't due out until September, I doubt we'll hear much before then. When it comes, lets hope it replaces n-stream with something decent.

Agree we may not hear much before Sep. Like ChrisSU I also hope that it brings with it an alternative to n-stream and one which will operate on other operating systems. I spent all my cash on Naim equipment - none left for Apple!! Thank heavens for the remote control - LOL

https://forums.naimaudio.com/topic/muso-anyone

some guys had the luck to see it in action

Thanks for the link back to the earlier topic - I'd forgotten just how wide and ranging it was. Still having rescanned it and in particular the bit about control app (n-stream) I did kind of get the impression that most folks expect it to be IOS based although there was a mention of Android I think. Perhaps I'm out on a limb here but my IT ecosystem is of the MS variety (phone - everything) so I'm still looking at using the remote. Funny but when I was checking out kit before purchase I was looking at either Naim or Linn (which has a very good MS app for remote control) and selected Naim because of the sound thinking that there would be a MS equivalent of N-Stream somewhere - but sadly no unless you (or someone else) knows different.

DWO - as a Mac/iPhone user it hadn't occurred to me that Naim would fail to make N-stream available on other platforms. Although it's a poor app with inadequate functionality, it's still preferable to just using the Naim remote. Why they don't do a desktop version as they do with the N-serve app is also odd.

It's a constantly moving target.  

Although it might have some convenience value to me I doubt I would ever use any Naim control  'app' developed for Windows 8 - as not a single one has proved anything but dumbed down and frustrating.

Of course - they may be faintly functional on a Windows telephone.

Naim need to get their Android app out yesterday - or earlier.

Then Linux and Windows.

ChrisSU, My understanding is that whilst Naim do provide a desktop version for N-Serve their approach to streaming control is very IOS centric. My impression from reading various papers/articles and the like is that in todays society people (customers?) tend to follow one of the big three operating systems, at least as far as consuming media is concerned. Some media providers are very good at providing apps across all three domains whilst others concentrate on just one or two depending on their marketing/branding.

This brings us back on topic in that I hope Naim increase the control app availability across operating systems and as mentioned above not just for the Muso but for their whole streaming product range. From the earlier link on this I am not sure if that will be the case but I can only hope. I would not expect Naim to say anything soon but it is just a summer away till Sep.

Based on other postings on other topics it would appear that the "random play" function is better via remote than via N-stream and my own experience is that once set up control of sources/radio station selected and volume is very easy and fast from the remote.  

Adam raises a coupe of valid points.

As an Android user the Win 8 apps are of no use to him in the same way that Android apps are no use to me as a Win 8 user. I suspect that we are also agreeing that third party produced apps for either environment are of little use due to limited functionality.

We also agree that Naim should provide an officially produced "control app" for operating systems other than IOS. We may not agree on the order of which one to produce next - I do concede that if it is based on numbers of devices then Android has a case.

That said it is not difficult to produce the apps themselves for any of the environments. So Naim should be able to provide an app for all environments. This will be even more important if they are trying to break into a subtly different user/customer base with the Muso.  

And yet Sonos do a control app that works beautifully on Windows 7, as well as Android and iDevice.

I hope a PC version is included. I would like to run a Muso but I'm not interested in more office clutter and having to spend more money on a control device.

Back in the lounge, the iPad is crying out for a decent version of nStream and so am I. I'm sure they will nail it in September. Look at a lot of the target audience. They won't buy geeky or clunky.

DWO, I agree that the remote does what it does better than the app, but if the app did what it is intended to do, quickly and reliably, surely that would be the device of choice?

I can sypmathise with frustrated non-Apple users, but I'm not sure Naim would understand your frustration. This is the company whose cheapest NAS drive costs £2300, and who sell a mains plug with a bit of wire on it for £500. Their own R-com remote is £340, still £100 more than the cheapest iPad. So just buy an iPad - by comparison, they're virtually free - even if you're not going to use it for anything else........???

Odd - reviews for the SONOS Controller on Android are as polarised as for Naim's N-Stream.

The iOS version is also mixed.

Some here may love it and see it as a 'Gold Standard' but - you aren't everyone and no-one seems able to please everyone.

Me - I don't like itunes.

Nice that it will work on a PC though. And it works well.

I got a great used 1st generation iPad for $200 to use just for n-Stream. I think if you can afford Naim kit then a used iPad probably won't kill you...

Are you talking about a Win8 app?

All I can find is Music Controller - not authored by Sonos - and fairly universally hated.

OK - found it outside the Win8 Store as ... .

"There's a lot of misinformation in this thread.  Sonos is fully compatible with Windows 8 and Windows 7.  You can download the Sonos Controller for Windows.

Sonos does not have a controller for Windows Phone 8.  The Sonos Controller will run on Windows 8 but not on Windows RT."

... merely a few of the workers who made them. I spotted a sticker a while back that someone had added to an Apple advert : "Now with fewer suicides in our factories"

Well there is that....

But I'm sure very few of them concern themselves with the sonic differences between speaker cables either. Lets face it, we live in a very stratified world... even among Naim users. 

The control app that was released about a month ago Adam. Works a treat on a Win7 PC. Big plus for some of us because it means the music can be controlled on a PC. This means no need to obtain yet another thin device to clutter up an  office already full of PCs. Insignificant in the big scheme of things but a compelling reason not to get a Muso if you don't want additional expense and more clutter.

Adding the cost of an iPad to the main system was insignificant. This device can not be used simultaneously in the lounge and the office. So the cost to get a Muso up and running in my office goes up by an additional £240 for me, which is the least I can get an iPad mini for. An iPod screen isn't big enough. Such a shame that all the devices that are currently in the office can't run a Muso - assuming a PC based controller won't be available. Maybe it will be? I don't know. although I have been told it's unlikely.

So what to do....

Buy an iPad to use as an expensive remote - although cheaper than the current Naim R-com remote

or

Buy new speaker cables to improve the sound

Perhaps Naim can help by introducing a new remote with built in touchscreen and functionality that provides control and access to our music... Oh and it would be included free with the kit!!!

If details of the API were readily available perhaps someone with a bit of coding skill could produce something better than the options seen to date - I did download one but its functionality was less than the remote control so I've deleted it.

Regardless of suitability questions of a Muso as a second little system in my situation, I am very much looking forward to the nStream replacement for our current streamer. I expect it will be worth the wait.

My only hope is that on compilation albums we will finally be able to see both the song title and the artist name under the album list. And just plain better navigation....

I think there is a confusion as to the use of 'app'.

DWO-Naim wants to control via a Windows 'phone.

Has a SONOS Control app been released for Windows 'phones?

In response to his post I am just trying to compare the ideal SONOS control offering with the hideously inadequate one from Naim.

This is NOT a justification of Naim's continuing tardiness (still not available) with an Android version - just that not even the most specialist and popular products cover all bases.

and:

"Odd - reviews for the SONOS Controller on Android are as polarised as for Naim's N-Stream.

The iOS version is also mixed.

Some here may love it and see it as a 'Gold Standard' but - you aren't everyone and no-one seems able to please everyone."

Adam is right in that there is a bit of confusion here probably not helped by the fact that MS has multiple environments PC/Tablet (Win 8.1/RT) and WinPhone (Winphone 8) and that I didn't specify exactly which I was looking for.

So for clarity all I was really trying to say was wouldn't it be good if Naim (or a good 3rd party supplier) provided a software controller that worked in multiple environments rather than IOS only. Something like the "kinsky" (apologies in advance if I am not allowed to mention that word on this forum) controller which works in multiple environments would be a place to start. I'd probably even pay a small price, say £5 - £10 (noting that the current n-Stream is free) to assist in its ongoing development, maintenance and support once it was developed.

The functionality provided by the software controller ... that is another matter.

No idea Adam. I'm talking about the capability of controlling a Muso from a PC, like I currently do with my Sonos, which is one of the main reasons I bought it. Although a narrow requirement it's a big need for me. For many, going out and buying a tablet to run the control software on is no big deal, despite adding more that 25% to the cost (iPad mini). Or there may be a suitable device knocking around already, which is great. The only devices we have knocking about in the office end of the house are PCs. Good for Sonos, good for HDX. Not needed for NDS but would be needed for a Muso. So I'll keep my fingers crossed but I'm not optimistic.

In many respects, the pairing of Windows RT 8.1 & Phone 8.1 makes more sense; from a developer's perspective, these tools are only now just coming into their own.  At the moment, I have not yet seen any support for Kinsky (or Kazoo) on this platform pairing.

Platform enablement for an existing codebase can become challenging if you have heavily leveraged the developer tools and libraries specific or exclusive to a particular target (e.g., .NET on Windows or Objective-C on iOS / OS X).

I do like my Lumia Windows Phone, but remain of the belief that there will not be a groundswell of support for the platform until the ARM-based phablets (e.g., the rumored Surface Mini with Qualcomm processor) make their way into the market, in conjunction with a solid business case for their success.

I have a more sneaking suspicion that there will be more fragmentation (e.g., Tizen / Ubuntu Touch / something QNX-based) as an analog of the automotive in-vehicle entertainment market, which is why Android & iOS seem to be the best, most conservative option for personal media controllers, with Linux the best option for embedded media devices....