Focal's new Mu-so soundbar is a thing of beauty – and pricier than most TVs

It was over a decade ago that I first saw Naim's Mu-so – the British audio brand's first all-in-one system, which took the audio world by storm. It's one of the best Wi-Fi speakers that still holds up today.

So when this brand new Mu-so product reveal dropped into my inbox, I was very excited. The Focal Mu-so Hekla is a Dolby Atmos speaker system and soundbar like no other.

It's so named, as French audio company Focal has owned and collaborated with Naim Audio since 2011. Now, with its 'Focal Powered by Naim' stores, the new Mu-so Hekla has just gone on sale in South Korea and China.

That's well ahead of the international launch, where the Mu-so Hekla will be available to the rest of the world in early 2026. But with a £3,000 (€3,300 / $3,600) asking price, this speaker/soundbar is a system pricier than most people's high-end TVs.

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So what exactly do you get for your money? Well, as you can see from the gallery of images above, the established Mu-so all-metal look – it's a brushed anodised and sandblasted aluminium, hence its 15.5kg weight – is a slice of industrial engineering and an eloquent visual aesthetic.

There's a mass of speakers on board, too, with the 7.1.2-channel array – that's seven channels front/left/right/side, one central bass, and two upfiring channels – comprising 15 units in total.

To the front there are three woofers (6x3in), two mid-range drivers (2.75in)) and two tweeters (1in); the side has four full-range drivers (1.5x2.75in); while the top has another four full-range drivers of the same size. These are used to cater for Dolby Atmos three-dimensional audio output.

With its eye on being the best soundbar you've ever seen and heard, the Focal Mu-so Hekla also features an HDMI eARC port, so it'll play nice with your fancy telly. There's also an RCA pair for subwoofer connection, plus optical and Ethernet ports.

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Why there's only one HDMI and no passthrough, however, does seem at odds with this price point. I know that Sonos gets away with it – even the Arc Ultra only has the one port – but, c'mon, it's 2025 and the lack of HDMI ports on TVs needs to be offset by high-end systems such as this.

Nonetheless, I still love the look of the Focal Mu-so Hekla and want one in my life already. The classic Naim Audio control panel atop echoes the brand's signature, which has been part of all previous Mu-so products.

If you don't want to interact with the physical controls, then your smart device – phone, tablet, etc – will act as the conduit, via the Focal & Naim App (for iOS and Android).

Audio standards are widely supported, and with this being an audiophile-grade product, it can cater for some seriously high-resolution decoding. WAV is supported at 32-bit and 384kHz, for example.

The system itself is geared up for a 30Hz low-end (with 27Hz cut-off), through to 20kHz output at the top-end. Want extra low-end wobble for your movies? You'll want to use those RCA ports for a separate subwoofer – for which Focal offers many (non-Mu-so) options.

So there we have it: after a considerable hiatus, a new Mu-so product is finally upon us. Complete with a new price that'll make this metre-long soundbar the stuff of dreams for most of us. But what a dream to have, eh? I want one already.