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Naim Mu-so v2 as Soundbar?

My wife and I recently did some home re-decorating and decided we should cut back on the AV equipment in the master bedroom. My trusty LS50s, Creek Evo100 integrated, and associated stereo gear got moved to the office and I’m now looking for a one box solution to still give decent sound for the bedroom TV and to occasionally play music. Honestly, it will mostly be my wife using it, but I still want it to sound good. 

Unfortunately, a separate subwoofer has been nixed so that cuts my list of potential, well-regarded soundbars quite a bit. Enter the Mu-so v2 which now has HDMI input, great reviews, and is a beautiful piece of gear to keep the wife happy. Anybody have experience with one, especially being used as a soundbar? Anything else you would recommend in the ballpark on price or cheaper? I have a separate surround sound setup for movies and now the above mentioned stereo setup in my office so maybe I’m crazy to even care at this point, but who isn’t at least a little crazy in this hobby? :)

Thanks in advance. 
ethos123
10 responses Add your response
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@ethos123 It was more about my expectations from the original unit.

I would give the original unit a ’soft’ recommendation for pure use as a soundbar. It was great with music, streaming, etc. and served it’s purpose for TV based audio.

The new unit is significantly upgraded and it should be much better (based on my reading of the reviews). Having the HDMI (ARC) input added is terrific (vs. only Optical in the first unit).

It also fits your TV size and is portable should you want to use it in another room for a party, etc. It is also more ’flexible’ with placement. Aesthetics are at another level vs soundbars.

I’m considering purchasing it, if that means anything. : )
ethos123 OP
83 posts
 
David,

Can you clarify what made the original mu-so “not great” as a soundbar? Something about the sound quality when used for TV/movies or more integration or lack of surround effects, etc? My concern is that perhaps since it isn’t designed to be a soundbar per se that maybe dialogue won’t be as clear as something like a sonos bar/beam that could be had at a much lower price. 

Audiotroy, no issues with dialogue clarity on the new one when used as soundbar?

Thanks
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@ethos123 Thanks for your responses.

I have the original Mu-so, which I purchased to use as a sound bar for a secondary TV. It worked well as a soundbar, but I would say not great.

The 2nd generation Mu-so has improved dramatically. Since I do not have it, I cannot make a recommendation one way or another.

If you are looking for a wider integration / breadth of services, the 2nd gen Mu-so makes terrific sense. Based on the reviews, it’s performance as a soundbar is highlighted as being better than the first generation unit.

If you are primarily focused on a soundbar and surround sound, I think Sennheiser’s AMBEO is one to consider. It is also the reason I asked for your TV size.

However, it is too large (my opinion) for your 42 inch TV. If you were to upgrade to a 55 inch TV (or preferably larger) and use the soundbar primarily for TV and TV Movie / Multichannel related feeds (Netflix, etc.) I encourage you to consider it.
ethos123 OP
83 posts
 
I haven’t purchased yet. Definitely appreciate the positive comments though and plan to get it in a few weeks when the re-decorating is finished and I know we haven’t gone too far over budget in other areas. 

A bit surprised I didn’t get other recommendations or dissenting opinions, but then again there aren’t many soundbars that I expected this forum to think highly of...especially without a separate sub like I need. 
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@ethos123  Have you made a decision or are you still considering options?
caphill
674 posts
 
Correction : sorry about the mistype. I meant to say that the Naim Muso sounded quite a bit better than any soundbars out there when used for music. 
caphill
674 posts
 
The Naim Muso sounded quite a bit better than any soundboard for music but I had never heard it used for TV viewings though so can't comment. I only heard the Muso for playing music briefly at one small Naim dealer in my town. 
audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,778 posts
 
We actually have one in our shop wired as a soundbar. 

Sounds fantastic. 

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ
ethos123 OP
83 posts
 
The bedroom is about 15x14ft with 8ft ceilings. TV is a few yrs old 42” Samsung HD set that’s about 10-12 ft from where we would be watching while in bed. It does have ARC for HDMI.
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
What size is your bedroom TV?  Distance from where you watch?
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