A classy speaker system might just be a little more classy thanks a material not often found on modern speakers: wood.
Glance around at the world of sound these days and you’ll find an all too common design trait that typically ignores the history of sound products from back yonder: plastics and metals dominate the design space, though sometimes you might even find carbon fibre.
The look of many a speaker is made modern, and while they might use a touch of wood in the construction, you often can’t see that look thanks to paint. Paint it silver or “paint it black”, as The Rolling Stones would say, but invariably leaving wood in its natural colour is not on the cards for sound products in this day and age, not unless you want to show off something that’s a little more luxury.
Wood is now the domain of the expensive, it seems, with the natural material seen in expensive headphones and speakers, and now even wireless systems, too.
Naim Audio is adding to that with a new variation of its Mu-so wireless speaker system, a variation that once saw a collaboration with Bentley, and now comes in an option that looks like it’s made of light oak, but is instead made with a light African timber known as “ayous”.
The look is what makes the Mu-so Wood Edition this time around, though the an aluminium heatsink up top and a woven front grill, with the wireless speaker still including all the other features that have made the Mu-so what it is, the premium wireless sound system that Naim makes.
Inside, there’s support for Tidal and Qobuz’s high-res services, with Tidal offering 24-bit high-res over Tidal HiFi, while Qobuz looks set to launch its comparable services very shortly in Australia, though the Mu-so also offers Spotify, Deezer, and other music services, too.
There’s also assistant support here from Google Assistant, while support for AirPlay 2 on the Mu-so can handle Apple Music from an iPhone or iPad, with Siri being able to connect. And if all else fails, the Mu-so Wood Edition can handle Bluetooth, too.
Much like Sonos’ efforts in multiroom, there’s also support for synchronising the audio of several speakers, with the Naim Mu-so supporting other Naim players, or even other speakers you may already have with AirPlay 2 or Chromecast inside.
Essentially, the Mu-so Wood Edition is a wireless speaker made for people looking for something that looks a little different, similar to the luxury take Bang & Olufsen provides on some of its sound systems.
“Blending class-leading performance and timeless design with a luxurious new finish, Mu-so Wood Edition is the perfect premium audio companion for homes with classic or contemporary interiors,” said Stuart Brown, Product Manager for Naim.
The Naim Mu-so Wood Edition is available now at select stockists across Australia for a recommended retail price of $3250.
