Naim Mu-so 2nd Generation

ALL-IN-ONE MUSIC SYSTEM

- JULIE MULLINS

The fog hung ominously thick as I climbed the 194 steps leading up to Red Rocks Amphitheatre. I’d been in Denver for the 2018 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, and the weather had suddenly turned damp and cold—unusually so for early October. Due to dense fog and possible ice, my drive in from another Colorado city had been slowed. Though I’m in good shape, I was unaccustomed to the altitude, which also slowed my pace. So, I was arriving shortly after the opening act had started.

But when I heard the heavy synth swells and somber vocals of Sharon Van Etten performing “Jupiter 4” (named for the Roland synthesizer) emerging through the dense mist, I forgot about these mild physical discomforts. Amid the hypnotic swirls and rhythms and eerie atmosphere, my pre-concert excitement returned. The song became the perfect soundtrack for the moment.

Van Etten’s Remind Me Tomorrow was one of my favorite albums of 2019. The memory of that concert, and the feeling I had approaching Red Rocks, resurfaced as I listened to this track through the Naim Mu-so 2nd Generation network streaming player. I won’t give this small, rectangular all-in-one box full credit for taking me back there, but it must have captured something about the musical experience to trigger my reimmersion into that chills filled night. The Mu-so must be getting some things right. But how? And what, precisely? After all, it’s just a one-box network player with built-in powered speakers.

Naim is known as a music-focused, high-performance audio manufacturer, and the company says that the same technical and design teams work on all of the company’s product ranges. The Mu-so 2nd Generation may be entry-level, but it contains the same streaming platform as Naim’s flagship ND 555 streamer.