![]() ![]() More often than not with these versus reviews, there’s an outright winner, be it by a fine margin or a long way. (Image credit: Naim) Naim Mu-so 2 vs Sonus Faber Omnia: which is the best wireless speaker system? Those side-firing drivers do wonders to push music far and wide (without sacrificing cohesion) – and, as an aside, that makes trying Dolby Atmos tracks (on Tidal) worthwhile in a way that the Naim’s more compact presentation doesn’t. ![]() Indeed, while the Sonus Faber isn’t quite the stickler for rhythms and subtlety as is its rival, it’s still energetic and replies with head-turning clarity and a bigger, more open soundstage that’s bound to be a people pleaser. It’s lively enough and has a fine sense of drive, even if it isn’t the most rhythmically adept of the two.” That said, we can’t help but miss the Omnia’s notably wider, more spacious soundstage and unrivalled clarity – and by no means is it a musical slouch itself. It demonstrates a tighter grip on the rhythm underpinning Aldous Harding’s Lawn, and its richer tone gives vocals a lovely honeyed sound. To quote our Omnia review: “Switching to the Naim Mu-so 2, we find ourselves more easily settling into the Naim’s tonal warmth and superior sense of musical cohesion. That’s not the end of the story, mind you… For that reason, our review team’s preference lies with the Naim. Anything you chuck at it is delivered with dynamic expression and rhythmic cohesion like no other one-box system at this price we’ve heard. Those who have read our Naim Mu-so 2 and Sonus Faber Omnia reviews will know we recommend both highly, but depending on one’s taste and priorities, one may well appeal over the other due to their differing characteristics. While they have different backgrounds and expertise in the hi-fi field, Naim and Sonus Faber have a rich heritage of producing high-performing kit – and that calibre has carried on over to its most ‘lifestyle’ products yet. The Omnia is very 'Sonus Faber' with its wooden top panel (Image credit: Sonus Faber) Mu-so 2 vs Omnia: sound It forces users to use an interface they’ll likely be familiar with and, even given a dedicated app, may well prefer to use anyway – but we have to say we do like having the option of the Naim app experience. Need to access your NAS drive? Use a third-party app like Bubble UPnP (or Roon). Want to stream internet radio? Go into the TuneIn app and Cast to the Omnia. Subscribe to Tidal? Control playback and stream to the Omnia over Cast or Connect within the Tidal app. Rather than spend a lot of resources on developing its own app software, it has decided to leave usability in the hands of the native service (and third-party) apps. Sonus Faber, however, is of course predominantly a speaker brand and not as deep-seated in the streaming sphere. Thus, it’s not surprising it has its own (and exemplary) app from which users can access (some) services, browse their networked music collection and facilitate multi-operation between compatible Naim products. ![]() Naim has occupied the streaming space for many years, having established itself in the streamer electronics category with handfuls of products. The Sonus Faber, meanwhile, limits sockets to HDMI ARC and a switchable line-level/MM phono input (via a supplied adapter dongle) – but that does mean hooking up a turntable and legacy audio source is easy peasy.Īgain, where the Mu-so 2 will edge things for some people lies in the control. That’s pretty much as comprehensive as they come, although a consideration for subscribers of Tidal’s HiFi Plus tier: neither system supports the MQA technology that powers Tidal’s hi-res Masters streams.Īs for physical connectivity, the Naim can connect to TVs and audio sources via its HDMI ARC, optical, 3.5mm and USB inputs. Naturally, there’s a lot of crossover: the Naim and Sonus Faber are streaming savvy by nature and both support Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, UPnP, Roon, AirPlay 2, and Google Chromecast (which opens doors to the likes of Deezer, Qobuz, YouTube Music and TuneIn Radio). What’s more likely going to affect your choice is the differing spec sheets. The Naim Mu-so 2 is a classy aluminium affair (Image credit: Naim) Mu-so 2 vs Omnia: features ![]()
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