John Lewis couldn't help, can ph? Simple wifi speaker.

[TheRainMaker]

Why don't you just do it properly?

Speakers

http://www.richersounds.com/product/standmount-spe...

Amp

http://www.richersounds.com/product/amplifiers-rec...

Apple air play

http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MC414B/A/airp...

All the above are just suggestions, I don't own any of it (apart from the airport express) but it gives you an idea and its all well below your £500.00 budget.

[bogtrotter]

Have you had a look at the Naim QB ?....a little above your £500 , but well worth it!

[AC43]

TheRainMaker said:

Why don't you just do it properly?

Speakers

http://www.richersounds.com/product/standmount-spe...

Amp

http://www.richersounds.com/product/amplifiers-rec...

Apple air play

http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MC414B/A/airp...

All the above are just suggestions, I don't own any of it (apart from the airport express) but it gives you an idea and its all well below your £500.00 budget.

Or avoid the Apple tax and use a Chromecast Audio instead. £15 and it connects through optical

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-home-entertain...

[mackie1]

Sony SRS-X99 (not sure if it does AirPlay but it does do AAC over Bluetooth)
Naim Musu QB
Devialet Phantom (just kidding, but it is impressive in person)

[1ians]

bogtrotter said:

Have you had a look at the Naim QB ?....a little above your £500 , but well worth it!

Mine turned up today. I've got a lot more experimenting to do, and still need to run them
in but mine sounds awful. My £20-30 Creative Audio computer speakers plugged into the headphone jack of my iPhone sounds much better. I've tried to discount the wifi network by connecting the iPhone via USB.

I've even had to re-enable wifi on my old sky router as it doesn't support Wireless N.

Not impressed so far, I want it to work,so will give it a fair chance but it might be going back.

OP my advice would be to look at the Pi / Q Accoustics solution. The Marantz MCR is also a worthy contender, I've seen them cheap on Amazon warehouse deals before.

[Sheetmaself]

Fair enough if you dont fancy it but my offer of the b and w zepplin still stands nothing dodgy and not making anything from it, mine needed a repair a while back and they have sent me an email with the offer of 25% off a new one due to this.

Really good deal just i dont need one.

[Osinjak]

bogtrotter said:

Have you had a look at the Naim QB ?....a little above your £500 , but well worth it!

I've got one of these for my kitchen, epic little thing.

[1ians]

My advice is to go for something like http://www.weybridge-audio.co.uk/marantz-m-cr510-w...

Decided my Naim QB is going back, its an awful muddy sounding speaker. The only thing good about it is that it goes loud and fills the room. I've hard wired it in too now and run direct comparisons with my main system and its still awful. I appreciate it'll get better when run in but if it cannot hold its own against some £20 speakers it's never going to work.

[mackie1]

Re the Qb, I really wanted to like it too but it just didn't sound good enough to replace the Sony HT-XT1 (1/3 the cost) I currently have in the bedroom. The HT-XT3 blows it away for nearly half the cost. Different form factor ofcourse.

I'd give the Sony SRS-X88 and X99 a listen. The X99 can be had for under £500 if you shop around. There's also the SRS-ZR5 which is coming out soon and can be paired in stereo. Supports HDMI too.

Edited by mackie1 on Friday 6th May 09:36

[dvshannow]

1ians said:

My advice is to go for something like http://www.weybridge-audio.co.uk/marantz-m-cr510-w...

Decided my Naim QB is going back, its an awful muddy sounding speaker. The only thing good about it is that it goes loud and fills the room. I've hard wired it in too now and run direct comparisons with my main system and its still awful. I appreciate it'll get better when run in but if it cannot hold its own against some £20 speakers it's never going to work.

compared with what, it does not sound muddy to my ears compared with most other products in that price bracket and certainly better than the Sonus competition.

Also worth checking out for original poster is the B&W A5, limited by only airplay vs the Naim QB which will play most things , but it sounds great for its size , i actually think its sound is better to listen to than the Naim, but i do like the B&W speaker sound in general.

[kiethton]

Smaller room than the OP but I use a B&W Z3 - integrated apple airplay and good qiality sound.

For a bigger room would the zeppelin (I wanted one but couldn't afford) work - else its the standard component set-up

[toon10]

I tested the Naim Qb in Heathrow at the start of the week. It wasn't awful but didn't sound great either. Certianly not as good as the B&W Zep. Saying that, I tested the zep in Fenwicks in a large open space with lots of background noise and that didn't sound good until John Lewis let me try one in a dedicated sound room. I suspect the Naim will impress more with a proper test.

[Alucidnation]

The Naim Muso Qb was never designed to be a room filling speaker, more of a kitchen speaker to sit in a corner under the wall cabinets.

In that position it is fantastic, however, in any other position it does take a little tweaking etc.

Once done, it is very good, especially considering its size.

I think it is very much room dependant.


Anyway OP, fk the budget and get its big brother...

http://www.johnlewis.com/naim-mu-so-digital-wirele...

[Osinjak]

Alucidnation said:

The Naim Muso Qb was never designed to be a room filling speaker, more of a kitchen speaker to sit in a corner under the wall cabinets.

In that position it is fantastic, however, in any other position it does take a little tweaking etc.

That's where I have mine, in the kitchen. It really is an astonishing piece of kit.

[1ians]

Alucidnation said:

The Naim Muso Qb was never designed to be a room filling speaker, more of a kitchen speaker to sit in a corner under the wall cabinets.

In that position it is fantastic, however, in any other position it does take a little tweaking etc.

Once done, it is very good, especially considering its size.

I think it is very much room dependant.


Anyway OP, fk the budget and get its big brother...

http://www.johnlewis.com/naim-mu-so-digital-wirele...

Or just get a proper system instead?

What tweaking do you recommend? From what I can see you can only turn loudness off or on and set the distance from the wall.

I was using the Muso in the kitchen, tried it on the island, up against a wall and on the breakfast bar.

Somebody was asking what I was comparing it against, as I said, I prefered my small £30 Creative Audio computer speakers plugged directly into the iPhone. I also invited somebody else around to have a listen and without my saying anything they suggested the same. I had the USB lead plugged into the Muso at the same time so I could flick between to test and discount wifi etc.

The one good thing I would say about it, was it could fill the room and went really loud for its size. Which again is in contrast to what everyone else is saying!

I do wonder if it's because I don't like all the sound coming from one location.

I've actually decided to keep the speaker, purely because my wife likes the size. I've ordered a Powerline adapter to wire it into rather than depending on the wifi. Eventually it'll probably end up in the bedroom, and I'll get something decent for the kitchen.

For a really compact setup the Marantz MCR and the Monitor Audio RD90 HDs would be my preference. What you lose in bass you'll get back in detail.

[Osinjak]

I also suspect that if you have a decent main system you're always going to find the Qb challenging. I have a Naim system in my front room and when I walk into the kitchen I find the Qb not that bright and a little muddy as you say. I often find a little volume helps!

[ThunderSpook]

Lefty said:

Yep, was looking at Bose Soundtouch but they couldnt get the Bluetooth to work!

Very surprised to be honest, usually the staff in there are excellent

Lefty, Bose did a stupid thing and took AirPlay out of the Soundtouch range. I have a Soundtouch 20 series ii which supports AirPlay. With the series iii they took out AirPlay and brought in Bluetooth which made it a bit cack.

Find yourself a Soundtouch 20 (or if funds and space allow a Soundtouch 30) series ii and it'll be ideal.

[Mistryu]

I was thinking of getting one of these for similar requirements, just the space isn't as big.

http://www.johnlewis.com/ruark-r1-mk3-dab-bluetoot...

[mikef]

The mystery of the disappearing OP

I have a feeling we're wasting our time advising what speakers to test