British audio company Naim is now offering its second-generation Naim Mu-so all-in-one audio system in a wood edition. The new model retains all the sonic goodness of the original—including 450 watts of amplification driving left/right pairs of 1.0-inch silk dome tweeters, 2.0-inch midranges, and 5.0-inch woofers—but in an enclosure that’s wrapped in a sustainably harvested African hardwood; specifically, Ayous (also known as Obeche). Naim says the wood has been treated and lacquered to resemble a light oak.
The Mu-so Wood Edition retains its massive heatsink, but with a new anodized aluminum tint, while its front grill is woven from neutral-tone fibers designed to complement the wood. When I reviewed the Mu-So 2nd Edition in late 2019, I was as impressed with its modern industrial design—particularly its oversized, illuminated control wheel—as I was mesmerized by its audio performance. All of that carries over in this version of the product.
Naim
The Naim Mu-so 2nd Generation Wood Edition retains all the features of the original edition.
The second-generation model gained HDMI with ARC support, rendering it more suitable for TV sound reinforcement, an entirely new set of drivers designed in cooperation with Naim’s French sister company Focal, and a redesigned interior with new bracing and baffle molding that yielded 13 percent more space inside while making the entire enclosure more rigid and resistant to unwanted resonance.
Naim
The Naim Mu-so 2nd Generation Wood Edition is wrapped in an exotic African hardwood.
The Wood Edition also retains its sibling’s network connectivity (dual-band Wi-Fi and 10/100 ethernet), and it can stream music via Bluetooth, local USB storage, or Wi-Fi; the latter with support for Chromecast, AirPlay 2, and Spotify Connect. If you’re looking for higher-resolution music streaming, you’ll find support for Deezer, Qobuz, Tidal HiFi (but not MQA), internet radio, and more. The system is also certified Roon Ready.
As for pricing, the Naim Mu-so Wood Edition carries a roughly 35-percent premium over the earlier second-generation model: $2,290 versus $1,690. If you don’t like the look of the wood, or don’t want to pay the premium (the wood is unlikely to impact the speaker’s performance), the earlier model will remain in Naim’s lineup.
Author: Michael Brown, Executive Editor
Michael is TechHive's lead editor, with 30+ years of experience covering the tech industry, focusing on the smart home, home audio, and home theater. He built his own smart home in 2007 and used it as a real-world test lab for product reviews. Following a relocation to the Pacific Northwest, he is now converting his new home, an 1890 Victorian bungalow, into a modern smart home.