Naim Audio and Focal have designed new audio products, the Naim Mu-so for Bentley Special Edition wireless speaker system for Bentley vehicles and the Focal for Bentley Radiance headphones.
The Naim Mu-so for Bentley Special Edition and Focal for Bentley Radiance headphones join the Bentley Collection of products. Both products feature distinctive Bentley design cues, including colour accents that directly reference interior and exterior styling aspects of the Bentley Mulliner Bacalar, itself inspired by the design of the EXP 100 GT electric concept car. A recurring lattice pattern on both products is inspired by Bentley’s diamond seat quilting, which is echoed in other new Bentley design elements, including headlight designs.
“Bentley, Naim, and Focal share an enthusiasm for innovation, dedication to engineering excellence, and a true passion that drives our respective areas of expertise,” says Charlie Henderson, Managing Director of Naim Audio. “There is also a collective desire to honour proudly held heritage principles, blending them with cutting-edge technologies to define new benchmarks in premium performance and customer experience.”
“Bentley and Naim are celebrating the 12th year of a successful partnership founded on unrivalled quality and a passion to create the ultimate customer experience,” adds Chris Craft, Member of the Board: Sales and Marketing at Bentley Motors. “The world’s most powerful in-car sound system available in the market heightens Bentley’s extraordinary drive with music that speaks to the heart. The new Mu-so system extends that experience and enjoyment from our cars to the home, delivering peerless sound performance and enhancing the lifestyle of Bentley’s discerning customers.”
The Special Edition is the first Naim Mu-so to feature a wooden finish, crafted from Ayous, a sustainable African hardwood which is then stained and repeatedly lacquered to give a dramatic, dark finish. Other standout features include an exclusive smoked plinth, copper-threaded speaker grille, and the signature Bentley lattice design surrounding the tactile volume dial, which illuminates to your touch.
Created, developed and made in France, Radiance headphones are a closed-back design that incorporate Focal technologies and high-quality materials. They share the sonic signature of the Naim Mu-so and come with earcups that are finished in soft, breathable Pittards gloving leather. Pittards has been crafting leather in Somerset since 1826, with its ultra-soft yet durable designs used by everyone from fashion houses to round-the-world yacht racers and the military; Spitfire pilots wore Pittards gloves.
Focal for Bentley Radiance headphones come with a bespoke carry case, finished in the same woven material featured on the speaker grille of the Naim Mu-so for Bentley Special Edition.
Further Bentley styling cues include the copper accents, while the recurring lattice pattern is showcased on the earcups, the cable connections, and on the underside of the padded headband.
The products were a true collaboration between all three brands: the teams explored new methods and materials to authentically extend those Bentley styling cues to the Focal and Naim products, while ensuring a consistent musical experience.
“The copper seen within the Naim Mu-so for Bentley Special Edition was inspired by the exterior metal brightwork of the EXP 100 GT, and represents Bentley’s move towards more sustainable materials for the future,” says Stefan Sielaff, Director of Design at Bentley. “This theme was mirrored through the weave of the front mesh as a highlight and can be seen in the anodised, machined veins at the back.
“The etching on the ‘dial plate,’” adds Sielaff, “takes the form of a progressive diamond which elegantly grows out from the centre and is a nod to Bentley’s diamond-in-diamond interior quilting from the new Continental GT.”
“It has been a privilege to work with Bentley on our in-car partnership for more than a decade, and an exciting journey taking their extraordinary design DNA beyond the vehicles,” continues Simon Matthews, Group Director of Design for Focal and Naim. “We have blended sustainable materials with innovative technology to develop these unique audio products you can enjoy at home or on the move.”
Naim Mu-so for Bentley Special Edition and Focal for Bentley Radiance will be available from October, from selected Focal, Naim, and Bentley retailers, and direct from Focal, Naim, and Bentley web stores. The Naim Mu-so for Bentley Special Edition will sell for US$2,199 and the Focal for Bentley Radiance forUS$1,299.