Mu-so Qb
Posted by: rackkit on 06 January 2016
@Robert. This is a hifi company, not a religion. If you don't like where the product is made, and I can't see why that would be relevant for this product, then don't buy it. It you don't like the way it sounds, when/if you finally hear one, don't buy it. If you only have an interest in the very first amps made in a garden shed, then buy second hand and, when they advertise key rings at £20 (we've already seen the key ring point by the way) then walk away in disgust and buy from another hifi company who have kept the faith and who only sell super expensive high end hifi that they designed in the 80s to the same small group of people. No one is forcing you to buy one of these, although it may be worth having a listen before you slate it on here perhaps. If you don't like the direction the company is heading, and given the statement, cables, 272, dr amps etc I can't see any shift from quality products, then move to another supplier and harass them on their forum
robert- posted:Now that the chinese are manufacturing for naim, you will see more lifestyle products as nearly everything is made in China.
So when the headphones appear those will be made in the same factory as the likes of b&w, beats, Job's, jbl etc, but will have the naim branding added at the end.
Id say naim are amazed at the opportunities that come with buying and working with the Chinese and the French investor's will always want new products to get a return, look how other companies change and update their products and are always trying to copy or fill a void in the market, key rings at £20 anyone!!!
Perhaps you still wish for that time where the sun never set on the empire, but we do live in a global world and this is 2016.
it isn't such a big deal that the mu-so QB is made in China.
The big deal is that Naim sound is now available at a more affordable 595 pounds.
This is what I'm talking about when I mentioned the naim China thing. Easy and cheaply made and a quick sale of $200.
jon honeyball posted:Pics
So are we going to see a figure-8 Power-Line next? 
robert- posted:This is what I'm talking about when I mentioned the naim China thing. Easy and cheaply made and a quick sale of $200.
Would you be happier if it sounded the same and cost $800?
What do
Hungryhalibut posted:robert- posted:This is what I'm talking about when I mentioned the naim China thing. Easy and cheaply made and a quick sale of $200.
Would you be happier if it sounded the same and cost $800?
What do u think
dayjay posted:@Robert. This is a hifi company, not a religion. If you don't like where the product is made, and I can't see why that would be relevant for this product, then don't buy it. It you don't like the way it sounds, when/if you finally hear one, don't buy it. If you only have an interest in the very first amps made in a garden shed, then buy second hand and, when they advertise key rings at £20 (we've already seen the key ring point by the way) then walk away in disgust and buy from another hifi company who have kept the faith and who only sell super expensive high end hifi that they designed in the 80s to the same small group of people. No one is forcing you to buy one of these, although it may be worth having a listen before you slate it on here perhaps. If you don't like the direction the company is heading, and given the statement, cables, 272, dr amps etc I can't see any shift from quality products, then move to another supplier and harass them on their forum
Ha ha, typical repetitive boring response, do you even read any posts.
And about the religion thing, naim is seen as a cult to the outside world.
Technically at least, China is capable of, and does make, some very good electronic items. And they are brilliant at copying (that risk is another matter). However, unless there is an overarching quality control process, that is what lets them down, and where a lot of fake products fail - to approximately quote someone famous, anything can be made cheaper, at lower quality. From Naim's viewpoint, that's where they have to keep an eye on things, as I'm sure they're aware.
Yes. But we have to face the fact that Naim is not a high-end brand anymore. The exclusivity is gone. Naim is becomming a Household name, a mainstream product.Like there are hundreds seen on the shelfs. Most Naimies seem to welcome this for whatever reason.
fred40 posted:Yes. But we have to face the fact that Naim is not a high-end brand anymore. The exclusivity is gone. Naim is becomming a Household name, a mainstream product.Like there are hundreds seen on the shelfs. Most Naimies seem to welcome this for whatever reason.
Why does it matter if they do become a household name? Does it affect your existing gear if your next door neighbour buys a Mu-so and few Mu-so Qbs to scatter around the house?
I've scrimped and saved for years to own a 7 'high end' Naim black boxes, 2 pairs of speakers and subwoofer! I think it's great that they're now doing these all in one units as i've been after decent sound quality elsewhere in the house (Kitchen). Before the Mu-so Qb nothing they had would fit but this does. It doesn't threaten the rest of my gear but compliments it.
I really don't see what the problem is here.
I would imagine the cloth grill would get very dirty if used in a kitchen environment
Seems to me that most Naimies have no concerns about the sound but rather will it fit in my cupboard! Kind off funny.
It's good to have debates and counter arguments but Fred40 and Robert aren't really put up much a of case against the Mu-so line at the moment. C'mon guys, you'll have to try a bit harder! 
fred40 posted:Seems to me that most Naimies have no concerns about the sound but rather will it fit in my cupboard! Kind off funny.
Errrrm, no.
The sound matters to me and the fact Naim are making a high quality, high volume (hopefully selling by the shed load) unit, which otherwise they'd be missing out on many sales, must be a good thing.
It doesn't undermine the fabulous gear they make at the other end of the scale at all.
My active system will still sound much better but there is an obvious demand for the best possible, compact, all-in-one speaker to compete with the likes of B&W and Sonos etc.
If I want the best possible wireless speaker system, I can now chose to stick with Naim, which will integrate with my existing system without having to use yet another app to control.
When the QB is on sale, I will go and listen. If it is better sounding than the competition, I will buy one for my garage. I will also consider buying one for my 2nd home's kitchen.
If I don't like the sound quality, I will probably buy another make.
Non of the above affects the stunning sound I believe I get from my main, Naim system.
It seems like there are many here listen to music in the kitchen. My impression is muso are all kitchen hifi..
kaydee6 posted:It seems like there are many here listen to music in the kitchen. My impression is muso are all kitchen hifi..
Lot's of people like to keep their wives happy it seems..................................
Analogue music,
I am amazed that you plan to advise your relatives in France sell their £600 hi-fi and buy a Qb as a replacement. You haven't heard it yet, have you?
While the Qb might be the best of its kind (and I too would like one), it is surely not designed as a replacement for conventional stereo systems. Their £600 hi-fi would have to be pretty poor indeed in order for the Qb to sound better as a 'Hi-Fi' system. Mind you, there are some awful systems out there.
The Qb is a very desirable 'lifestyle' product, but I would be very (pleasantly) surprised if it, or indeed any other 'lifestyle' product, were good enough to serve as any discerning listener,s sole musical replay system.
fred40 posted:Yes. But we have to face the fact that Naim is not a high-end brand anymore. The exclusivity is gone. Naim is becomming a Household name, a mainstream product.Like there are hundreds seen on the shelfs. Most Naimies seem to welcome this for whatever reason.
fred40 posted:Yes. But we have to face the fact that Naim is not a high-end brand anymore. The exclusivity is gone. Naim is becomming a Household name, a mainstream product.Like there are hundreds seen on the shelfs. Most Naimies seem to welcome this for whatever reason.
I partly agree with your observation. But I find the perception that Naim has lost exclusivity and become a household name because of their mu-so devices quite bizarre.
Naim has lost exclusivity and become an household name (which does not necessarily imply not being also a high-end name) well before introducing the mu-so range.
It started with streaming and by propagating a way of accessing and consuming musical contents that is fully oriented towards pop music and basically unusable for classical music.
This is the point in time at which Naim has lost exclusivity. They just copied the blunt Apple model: what is good for 96% of the consumers has to be good for the other 4% as well!
I'm not against it im just making comments. The world would be like north Korea if nobody had an different opinion and sometimes it feels like it on this forum.
I quickly lost interest in it when I seen it's price but that doesn't mean I can't talk about it.
It's all relative. What we 'audiophiles' regard as exclusive might be a multi-box separates system costing more than the family car. The buyer of an average 'family stereo' might well consider these neatly designed multi-coloured cubes at £600 quite exclusive too.
The vanity of small differences and all that.
G
fred40 posted:Yes. But we have to face the fact that Naim is not a high-end brand anymore. The exclusivity is gone. Naim is becomming a Household name, a mainstream product.Like there are hundreds seen on the shelfs. Most Naimies seem to welcome this for whatever reason.
Why on earth does Naim have to be exclusive? That sounds a very snobbish view!
At the high quality end surely it would be great if more people that can access the best quality and enjoy it (meaning lower cost is better - but quality comes first, so I don't mean I'm expecting reductions). At the other end, provided that quality is excellent for the price, surely it leads people into the brand, which is good for the stability of Naim.
The proviso, of course, is that the high quality end doesn't end doesn't end up being abandoned by Naim
Oh dear, there are some awful snobs on here. Anyway, I think it's disgusting, I mean it'd be better if Naim just stuck to the posh, expensive stuff wot only us filthy rich can enjoy, then when they go bust we can crow on and on about how exclusive our kit is and what a great pity Naim's disappeared. It was one of the few truly great hi-fi companies, don't you know?
Pip, Pip!
robert- posted:I'm not against it im just making comments. The world would be like north Korea if nobody had an different opinion and sometimes it feels like it on this forum.
I quickly lost interest in it when I seen it's price but that doesn't mean I can't talk about it.
I agree - and surely its helpful for Naim to get honest feedback from prospective customers even if it isn't 100% positive.
I love the look and size of the Qb and would be able to find a home for it much more easily than the (in my opinion) over-sized Mu-so. I too am put off by the price - not much serious listening goes on in our kitchen which is where it would probably live and its difficult to justify spending £600 on something which in our case would just provide background music. If Naim really want to shift large volumes of the Qb then I think they should have priced it at around the £500/€500/$500 mark.
robert- posted:... I quickly lost interest in it when I seen it's price but that doesn't mean I can't talk about it.
I tend to not bother commenting on stuff I'm not interested in. What does interest me is the reaction of people to change. This product is more relevant as a purchase to current and new 'Naimees' than Statement, but does not have the cachet, we cannot bask in it's reflected glory. I say 'get over it'.