Ok, so I've read up on the Serenata including the 2 reviews posted here and their associated follow-up up Q&As.  To me, the Serenata is one feature short of being a very desirable product.  Simply put, if it had a line input, I'd be sold.  What I'd love to see is a high quality ultraportable speaker that I could use with any source I chose.  If the Serenata had a line input on its dock, this would suffice, but alas I know that this probably isn't something that could be added to the finished product.  I'd love to see it in a next gen version or perhaps as a spinoff if B&O decided to include such a speaker with the BeoSound 6's eventual replacement or, better yet, even as a standalone ultraportable speaker product.  I've gone ahead and submitted this suggestion to B&O, but I wonder what the folks here think of the idea. Here are a few points to consider:

- First, as far as I can tell, no one is offering a high quality ultraportable speaker.  I emphasize ultraportable to convey my desire for something the size of the Serenata or smaller.  Given the meteoric rise of the iPod as a popular consumer product, MP3 speakers now come in all shapes and sizes.  While there are some great dock speaker units out there (I just picked up B&W's Zeppelin and it's the best dedicated iPod speaker dock I've heard to date), all of them are way too big for true on the go use.  If it's small enough and light enough to be carried around in your pocket, it's more likely to be taken with you.  I have a JBL On Tour unit that is pretty good, but is a little too big ffor teh kind of use I'm thinking of and does also suffer from some distortion issues.  Every ultraportable speaker smaller than that I've tried winds up sounding bad, especially at higher volumes where distortion is a fact of life for speakers this small.  As an example, I decided to give Altec Lansing's new iM207 Orbit ultraportable speaker.  It plays pretty loud for a speaker of its size, but I've found that volumes above about 40% from my iPod Classic sound distorted when playing more aggresive music (rock, R&B, etc).  There's a void in this space for a small speaker that can reproduce well without distortion and I'd love to see it filed.

- I'm not deluded into thinking that the output quality from such a small speaker could ever match what you get from larger systems.  I don't expect something that can overwhelm a room from a volume aspect nor do I expect the objective sound quality to equal what you get from larger speakers.  I just want something that can play decently loud without distortion while offering pretty good sound quality.  From what I'm reading, it sounds like the Serenata produces exactly that.  I'd just like the ability to get the same result using any source I choose.

- Why not just use the Serenata as is?  There are a number of issues here.  For one, I like the iPod.  I've owned or extensively tested MP3 players from Creative, Sansa, MS, Philips, Sony, etc.  None of them do as good a job of combining a portable interface with an easy to use desktop application as Apple does.  I'm sure the Serenata is a nice MP3 player, but It's not going to better the iPod.  Secondly, 4GB just isn't enough for me.  I've learned to manage playlists on my 8GB iPhone, but I wouldn't want to have to manage half that amount of space.  I also have a 160GB Classic that I keep my entire music/video/photo library on.  Thirdly, the Serenata doesn't support certain kinds of sources.  Consider using such a speaker with your laptop for streaming audio, movies, etc.  the Serenata's output is probably better than just about any built-in laptop speaker available.  Basically, I want to be able to use whatever device suits me and be able to pair it with a top quality ultraportable speaker.
 

- I know that this is easier said than done.  For one, I'd guess that an input couldn't be added to the current Serenata.  From what I've read, it looks like the Serenata works by applying internal EQ to all music it plays back.  The challenge for B&O was that physical space limitation of small speakers is the culprit behind distortion at higher volume levels.  They have apparently solved this issue via smart EQ.  They know what the speaker's limitation is and they design the EQ to modify the music such that the output doesn't contain distortion, regardless of volume. With music files on the Serenata's flash memory, this can all be done in the digital domain.  For an external source though, you're going to need A to D conversion of the incoming signal.  That would likely require additional hardware and software that may not be present on teh current design.  So, we're talking about a future hardware version or even a separate product altogether.

- Is there really a market for this?  I think so and I kind of think B&O does to.  Remember, they designed the Serenata first and foremost as a "mobile music system" that differentiates itself by having a quality speaker in a tiny package.  My thought is to expand this idea by giving users to flexibility to get the same result using any source they choose.

- Even if it was just a standalone ultrportable speaker (no phone, no MP3 player), it won't be cheap, but that's ok.  For one, no one expects a B&O design to be inexpensive.  For another, we're not just talking about a small speaker.  It would be a "smart" speaker containing the EQ, battery, input(s), ICE amplifier, etc.  It would also be in the stylish design that you expect from B&O.  This wold all come at a price, but would be well worth it to finally have a quality ultraportable speaker.  Keep in mind that I'm not opposed to a design that would include an MP3 player and/or phone functionality - I just want the input more than anything else and I'd be willling to take it even if it came with other features that I didn't really need.

So what does everyone else think?  Am I crazy or is there a market for something like this?

Jeff
 

I can see your point, but isn't the whole idea behind Serenata that you just download the music to the unit, then take it all wherever you go?

It then becomes a portable music system, not a portable speaker. Fair enough, 4GB may not be enough for you, but it is for most people (that's about 1000 tracks - when does anyone have enough time to listen to them all)! I have around 500 CD's, 6 of which have sat in the CD changer of my car for at least 3 months now! I simply don't feel the need to have 1000 tracks at my disposal!

Let's be honest - Serenata was designed as a "Music Player with Phone Capabilities", and that's exactly what it is - it probably was never discussed that a Line Input would be necessary in order to link to outside media - I'm sure they simply presumed that the 1000 tracks on tap would be enough!

In answer to your question, I highly doubt it. The Market for this would be as ultraportable as the device.

Get a beosound 3 or 1 if you want to take music with you! Unless you're one of those people who likes to crank it on the bus...

I have to say though. They really should have added an FM tuner. Even though pocket clutter will be minimised im still going to have to carry around my ugly (but good) little FM/AM radio with the head phones. Never mind life can't be perfect!

I think the possibilites for this phone are endless.

Away on holidays in the hotel, or camping if you prefer.

Sitting outside a cafe having a cup of coffee with friends and you want to play them something or just have some nice music playing.

Gee, we want music everywhere we go these days, and now it's possible to share that music and hear it in good quality.

Oh, and of course you can make the odd phone call too.

I wonder how B&O would go with making a portable music player like this without the phone functions.....

jazz

ps. people have heard it are "raving" about the sound quality. is it possible to compare it to anything. For example BS3 or laptop speakers.. something like that ( i hope it's better than laptop speakers)

 

I'm going to respond to some of the feedback here, but I just wanted to say first that my responses are not intended to be argumentative just because I like my idea.  I asked for people to comment, so I respect their opinions and their own thoughts on usefulness.  We can certainly disagree, however.

David:

In answer to your question, I highly doubt it. The Market for this would be as ultraportable as the device.

How big the market is certainly would be the central question.  However, I do wonder how big the market for the Serenata itself will be.  Even some of the folks here who thought it is great say it wasn't for them for a variety of reasons.  This is part of the reason why I think having the input as an additional feature would have been the way to go - adding additional flexibility without having to create a new category. 

David:

Get a beosound 3 or 1 if you want to take music with you! Unless you're one of those people who likes to crank it on the bus...

Again, those are too big.  I'm looking for a quality, pocketable solution.  I might not be carrying it around in my pocket all the time, but at that size, it's never too big to toss into any bag that I might be traveling with.

A14BEO:

I can see your point, but isn't the whole idea behind Serenata that you just download the music to the unit, then take it all wherever you go?

It then becomes a portable music system, not a portable speaker. Fair enough, 4GB may not be enough for you, but it is for most people (that's about 1000 tracks - when does anyone have enough time to listen to them all)! I have around 500 CD's, 6 of which have sat in the CD changer of my car for at least 3 months now! I simply don't feel the need to have 1000 tracks at my disposal!

I agree that not everyone needs more than 4GB.  However, that's just part of the equation.  What if you don't like BeoPlayer?  What if you don't like the Serenata's music interface?  What if you prefer lossless tracks and thus need more storage just because of that?  What if you never know what you might be in the mood for and this would prefer to have your entire collection with you - not because you will listen to it all but because you don't want to have to "choose your mood" before leaving the house?  The point here is that there are valid reasons why folks would choose to keep using a different MP3 player, or some other source for that matter.  B&O makes speakers that can connect to any music system, not just one from B&O.  I'm just saying that the same thinking could be applied here.

A14BEO:

Let's be honest - Serenata was designed as a "Music Player with Phone Capabilities", and that's exactly what it is - it probably was never discussed that a Line Input would be necessary in order to link to outside media - I'm sure they simply presumed that the 1000 tracks on tap would be enough!

I agree that they likely never considered usage in this manner.  They were very likely focusing more on the all-in-one design.  It does what no other music phone does in its ability to playback music very well without headphones and without the need for a separate speaker or dock.  I think they succeeded in that. 

 
I'm just saying that I'd like to be able to use the speaker separately, but I may be in a very small minority.  What makes me think that I'm not is that there is a market for ultraportable speakers - you see them all over the place.  However, maybe that has to do with the low cost of current options.  Even I would concede that a pricey ultraportable standalone speaker might be a little too niche.

Jeff 

 

 

 

jazz:

I wonder how B&O would go with making a portable music player like this without the phone functions.....

jazz

You have to think that it will be seriously considered for the next gen replacement for the BeoSound 6.  Certainly there are folks who prefer a different phone but who like the player and speaker aspects.  Of course, while it would be a partial waste, you could just get the Serenata and not use it as a phone.  To be honest, if the Serenata had the line input, I might very well get it and not use either the phone or built-in MP3 player - just as a speaker.  I know, it sounds crazy but I have been longing for a speaker like this for a while now.

Jeff

 

By the way, I just wanted to clarify something.  After rereading my original title and post, I think it may be a little confusing.  Ideally, what I want is a speaker the size of the Serenata or smaller that can be used with any source and includes the same EQ abilities applied to the incoming signal so that the sound stays clean at all volume levels.  As a compromise, I'd be interested in a device that was both an MP3 player with the speaker or the 3-way combination of phone/MP3 player/speaker like the Serenata is.  The catch on this compromise is that I would want an input connection so I could use it with another source.  Seeing the Serenata just got my mind working about how someone almost created a product I've been looking for.

So, this isn't a post about how we could change the Serenata.  It's more of a basic question about whether people would want a speaker this size they could use with any source.  Again, if they thought it wouldn't sell on its own as a standalone, I can understand that.  That's the reason for even discussing the alternatives of a next gen Serenata with an input or BeoSound 6 with a speaker and an input.  I guess the alternative consideration is representative of just how badly I'd like to have this functionality.

Jeff