Is this the most compelling one-box sound system ever created?
Audio specialist Naim has debuted this stunning one-box wireless speaker system called the Mu-so Utopia. Following on from the Mu-so Hekla, standard Mu-so and excellent and much-missed Mu-so Qb, the $5500/£4499/€5000 Mu-so Utopia takes things up several gears.
I went to see it in the flesh at Naim’s Salisbury, UK HQ, an unassuming industrial unit that hides a hive of audio expertise working on the development of future products as well as the manufacture of some of Naim’s highest-end gear such as the Statement power amplifier.
The Mu-so Utopia occupies an interesting position – Naim joined up with French speaker maker Focal a decade and a half ago and until now the Utopia name has been the reserve of Focal for its signature-level of luxe floor standing speakers and epic high-end headphones.
Now, the Utopia name comes to a Naim one-box system for the first time, so it does show the kind of level we’re talking about here – the best possible.
Now, this is not a soundbar size unit – though you can use it as a TV sound system. It’s a monolith that’s reminiscent of a slab of rock, such is its size. It weighs 14kg and is 100cm long and 30 cm wide. In other words, you’ll need a solid and large sideboard to put it on. If you have that though, you won’t find many things better to put on it.
You will need to be happy with black though, as it comes in only this dark brushed aluminium finish with signature huge heatsink and red trim alongside the large volume dial and other controls. It looks superb and so well finished, but I’d like to see it in a lighter colour to go with softer decor. You can remove the speaker grille as shown here below.
The unit is rated for 720W and combines Naim’s amplification, and DSP expertise with a whopping 15 French-made Focal drivers. And, naturally for a Mu-so, there are stacks of streaming options while full-fat Dolby Atmos up to 7.1.2 via HDMI eARC is also supported.
The 15 drivers have hybrid Class D and Class A/B amplification and include Focal’s ‘W’ M-profile midrange drivers plus newly-developed PRISM tweeters.
Naim claims its Sphere audio mode on the Utopia can fill a room of up to 50 metres square. You can configure the Mu-so Ultopia to fit your space with ADAPT room tuning in the Focal & Naim app.
The Mu-so has AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz Connect and Presto Music all built in while it can also stream in hi-res up to 32-bit/384kHz over Wi-Fi 6 or Ethernet. Naturally it can also fit into a multiroom setup alongside other Naim gear.
