http://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=948

Beosound 3 owners can you give a wee report on how you are getting on with it. How are the batteries lasting? What size of card do you find best? Is using large card a pain when trying to find tracks? Have any of you attached them to a small set of active speakers (like BL4PC)?

How are the batteries lasting?

This depends on the volume. on an average volume setting of 30, which is loud enough for listening to radio at lunch, it would last for +/- 8 hours. My battery was empty only once, and just because I did not plug it in to power for about 2 weeks, and it was used daily.

What size of card do you find best?

I would recommend a 1 GB card. I think B&O does too. This will give you, depending on the bit rate, space for 4 - 8 cds, which I find sufficient. Larger cards are only useful if you don't mind about the song playing, but when searching for a particular song, it gets difficult to find it, as you have either to remember the order of the cds you put on the sd-card or listen to the first track of each folder to find the right folder.

Is using large card a pain when trying to find tracks?

See previous answer

Have any of you attached them to a small set of active speakers (like BL4PC)?

No, I only use the integrated speaker and A8s.

It takes a week to get accomodated to the bs3, but after that, you can use the sensitouches even in the dark. I do so to set the timer, switch on and off. It is quite intuitive to use, like most B&O products

P.S.: you have to store each cd in a folder on the sd-card. the bs3 display will show you the number of the folder and the number of the track:
1.1 is first folder, first track
1.2 is first folder, second track...

I've had my Bs3 for approx 9 mos, and still very much like it.  I keep it plugged in as a kitchen radio and carry it outside for pool/patio.  I've not yet run the batteries to full discharge... I have no reason to not believe the published specs on battery life (6 hrs, I think).  This could easily be conservative because I'm pretty sure I've run it at least that long on a few occasions.

 I use 1GB cards because they're cheap and hold hours of music, but are still fairly easy to navigate.  To tell the truth, I rarely search for a specific song.  I have different genres of music on different cards.  Keep songs organized by artist or album.  Once in a while, I'll skip a song or album when I'm not in the mood, but that's about as far as I have need.  I only put songs I like on the cards so there's not that much reason.  This is an approach I've been using with my BS2 as well, and it works well (for me).

 I have not tried it with active speakers, but see no reason why it would not sound great.  The headphone output is high quality... at least as good as the BS2.

 One "problem" that I have that is rarely mentioned is that most of my visitors cannot figure out how to use it.  First, they're thrown because they've never seen anything like it ("it plays memory cards?!?", "where do you plug it in?").  Then, it's "where are the buttons"?  Then, it's "what does A.MEM and STBY mean?"  Oh well...

And the usual suspects: No DAB, No AM and No AUX

Stan

I've had my BeoSound 3 for about 2 months now. I'm not using it as much as I'd like (or should) but I am pleased with it.

Battery Life

The published specs list the battery life as 10 hours playback. As soon as I bought it, I took it with me on a week long ski holiday so that we could have music in the Chalet. I also brought the charger (which is quite big and poorly designed) with me. I ended up not using the charger as the battery only died on me at the end of the trip. I would use it for a couple of hours per day, so the battery lasted for around the published life or perhaps even longer!

Since then I've only charged the battery once or twice. But admittedly that's because I only use it in the bathroom these days..and I don't spend that long in the bathroom!

SD Cards

I bought a couple of 2gb SD cards from Amazon for about £9-10 each. I just fill them up with music and put the BS 3 on shuffle (I think it is A. MEM + STORE). I actually listen to my iPod this way too, as I don't care what comes up next and I don't look for particular songs. Of course it doesn't work that way with classical music, so I will probably have a separate SD card if I was going to listen to classical music on my BS 3.

Speakers

I've not used the BS 3 with any speakers. In fact I've not even plugged any earphones into it. The sound is really quite clear for a mono speaker and I've been quite pleased with it. There is little to no distortion even up to maximum levels. Admittedly it doesn't go very loud but then again, you are likely to be right next to it when you are listening to it.

Complaints

I don't listen to the radio much; I use it more as an SD card player so the issue of no DAB or AM is irrelevant to me.

I wouldn't mind if it had an AUX input so I could plug my iPod into it on occasion.

It would be nice if it had a hold switch - it is touted as something you can take with you on holiday, but I kept turning it on in my bag when I took it on holiday. The buttons are not touch sensitive in the sense that it works with any pressure - there are just no physical buttons.

Also, the charger is pretty clunky.

At the end of the day none of these factors are major and it is a nice clock radio albeit an expensive one! 

Beo:

thank you alex. May I ask how about radio signal reception? It seems that TA is proud of themselves in this area. Without a clear signal reception, it is hard to get a good sound from a radio.

the_shdw:

I've It would be nice if it had a hold switch - it is touted as something you can take with you on holiday, but I kept turning it on in my bag when I took it on holiday. The buttons are not touch sensitive in the sense that it works with any pressure - there are just no physical buttons.

Well, if you hold the ST.BY for more than 5 sec then it will not keep on turning on in your bag.

The down side is, however, that you need to connect it to the socket using the charger to make it play again - not very practical if you are on a beach far away from one!

saf:

...- not very practical if you are on a beach far away from one!

i would not take a bs3 to the beach!

holes in the cover of bs3 + sand = problems

I'd love to know the uptake from the UK market versus other markets......

 No DAB/ no AM/LW = no cricket in the garden for me during the summer......

 Glass of Pimms and Test Match Special, nothing beats it!

saf:

Well, if you hold the ST.BY for more than 5 sec then it will not keep on turning on in your bag.

 
Interesting...I will try that. Thanks! 

EDIT - it works! The display flashes "OFF" before it switches off.  Fantastic...another downside however is that you have to set the time on the clock again after you do that.  

tom:

 would not take a bs3 to the beach!

holes in the cover of bs3 + sand = problems

 (Now I'm a married man, but...) a combination of your tanned skin, fashionable sunglasses and bathing pants, adding a long drink and, of course, BS3 casually placed on the little table beside your sunchair playing at an undisturbing yet slightly intriguing volume to your surroundings ...all that might make wonders

(just joking, but who knows maybe worth the risk ) 

My grandparents are lovely people and know very well about my love for everything B&O (well almost), and they got me a BS3 for Christmas last year. I don't want to sound to spoilt, but I didn't really want one. They look like cheese graters and if the rising arial is the only cuul thing about it, then this really is a disappointing B&O piece in my opinion. The sound is fine for what people would use it for I guess, and the battery life was quite suprising I thought, but it just doesn't feel B&O to me. Could easily be a Philips / Sony.

If I want portable music I have my BS2 / BS1.

Fair enough, but having a couple of kids - and/or friends - around you aren't really going to listen to your BS2. Taking a stack of your favourite CDs with you when on holidays might be less practical than a few SD cards, leaving the size of the BS's in question aside.

The design, of course, is a personal matter.

saf:

Fair enough, but having a couple of kids - and/or friends - around you aren't really going to listen to your BS2. Taking a stack of your favourite CDs with you when on holidays might be less practical than a few SD cards, leaving the size of the BS's in question aside.

The design, of course, is a personal matter.

I knew I was going to get slated! Yes you're right about playing music with other people around, but I can do that with my BS1 / BS3200 if they're at home. The BS3 is not entirely portable. I doubt you would take yours on vacation with you if you had to fly?

I'm just not the ideal user for a BS3 and unfortunately don't like the design either.

No! Not "slated", at all 

Different products, for better or worse, just address different needs - BS3 incl.

As a matter of fact one of the main reasons I bought it for was holidays (see different thread):

saf:

 ... and - slightly against my expectations - it seems not to cause any questions after they scanned your hand luggage at airports. So far only once was I asked to take it out of my bag and explain what the thing was. Just pressed the aerial button and pointed it towards the officer ... he gave up and by I headed for 

Henry:

I'm just not the ideal user for a BS3 and unfortunately don't like the design either.

well, you have to ask for a pair of BL5 for next christmas...

no, i'm sure a BS1 would be enough for you.

gk31ax:

I'm thinking British Airways' new baggage policy might prohibit taking BL5s on holiday.....

Don't get me started with BA at the moment.

Alitalia even moaned while playing my BS2 during the flight!