Hello everybody,

Will BM-Link (Mac), firmware version 1.21 work with Snow Leopard?

Edde

I just installed Snow Leopard and haven't had any problems with Beoconnect. Haven't tried BM-Link, though.

As I have a G5 Powermac, it won't affect me! By the way, is that your basset? He is gorgeous! I don't suppose his pedigree includes Bassbar Defender of Magnefeld? (Benjy to his friends!) Looks very like my old basset Bernard who was one of Benjy's sons. Benjy went to Scandinavia where he was a champion.

Hi i have installed BM-Link with firmware version 1.16.  Besides the problem of the latest itunes causing the loss of the playlists it is now even worse as the coloured buttons that gave the ability to go through your playlists artists etc now cause the software to lock out and you cannot even force quit it from the apple menu.  You have to restart the computer to enable use of the BM Link again.

I have tried various times to update my firmware version to whatever the latest version is but this just stalls and never achieves the upgrade.  I certainly haven't got the version 1.21 to install on the black box.  How did you upgrade to the latest firmware?  Has anybody got any good news from the new OS apart from the non related B and O items?

Hi Edde,

I've got BM-Link version 1.5.2 running on Snow Leopard and after some odd problems starting BM-Link it's now working fine via the BeoPort into my B&O setup. Sadly since I use the latest version of iTunes for my iPhone and AppleTV syncing I cannot use playlists via the Beo4 nor can I even advance tracks on the Beo4 since the SL upgrade, but the music plays fine and I can control the selection via the Remote app on my iPhone

One thing though if you try to change BM-Link parameters in the Preferences Panel it says it has to restart preferences in 32-bit mode (rather than the native 64-bit mode of SL), which you seem to be only able to do one before BM-Link hangs and then it's either a reboot or simply stop the BMLinker Server app in Activity Monitor. Which is a bit fiddly and clearly indicating the 32-bit app isn't 100% compatible...

Still, the sounds still great, particularly since I put a DACmagic upsampler between the Mac and the BeoPort

Best

Rob

Do you run the optical out to the DACmagic and a rca to minijack on the Beoport? And is that it? No messing around with volume or anything? Thinking of getting one myself.

Does the DACmagic improve only the speakers connected directly to the Beoport?  Or does it improve all link room speakers?  i.e. would it make any difference in sound on a pair of Beolab 9s connected to a BV7 which is then connected by Masterlink to the Beoport?

The DACMagic improves the quality for the whole system. By using an external Digital-Analog-Converter you are "replacing" the DAC built in to your computer with a component of higher quality.

I got myself a DACMagic three weeks ago and I am delighted. My setup is the following: I use iTunes on a Mac Mini and have an Aitport Express installed near my BeoCenter 2500. The Airport Express is equipped with the same combined analog/digital audio output as the Mac Mini. At first I had the analog output of the Airport Express connected to AUX of the BeoCenter 2500. (Even had the Mac Mini connected to the BC2500 for testing) The sound was ok, but had room for improvement. After some intense reading on the internet, I settled for a DACMagic and connectet the input to the optical Output of the Airport Express and the analog output to my BC2500. I was impressed about the impovement in sound quality (both: The main room and the link rooms). BTW, I use an iPod Touch as a remote control to my iTunes library.

msinn

I read elsewhere in the forum that the BV7/BS3 has a very sophisticated DAC in it. Doesn't that serve the same purpose for sound sent through it to the link rooms?

Masterlink sends analog sound only.  Therefore digi/ana conversion is done at the source.

Razlaw:

I read elsewhere in the forum that the BV7/BS3 has a very sophisticated DAC in it. Doesn't that serve the same purpose for sound sent through it to the link rooms?

Razlaw,

if you have a Beosystem 3 based TV you neet only a TOSLINK to Chinch converter and you can youe the DAC in the BS3. If you want to feed the signal to an Audio system, you have to buy a DAC, if you are not satisfied with the analog output of your sound source.

msinn

Hi Peter,

Yes, I connect a fibre TOSlink cable from the MacMini audio output into the DACMagic (don't use the USB it doesn't sound as good, I know this sounds odd given it's all digital, but it's true!), then I use very high quality audio cables from RCA Jacks to minijack input on BeoPort. Works well.

I answer to the other question yes this improved sound carries throughout the MasterLink systems because ML carries analogue so the DACMagic is effectively the master digital to analogue converter.

However, I've some bad new about stability of BM link with Snow Leopard and I'm about to post a separate link in the MAC section of these forums. Sadly BMLink randomly hangs after anything between 1 and 20 hours when running on SL. I've tried isolating this but to no effect yet. So today's task is to "downgrade" my MacMini to Leopard while I try to find a fix. I'm leaving SL on my MacBook Air though...

Best,

Rob

RobN:

Hi Edde,

 

 

One thing though if you try to change BM-Link parameters in the Preferences Panel it says it has to restart preferences in 32-bit mode (rather than the native 64-bit mode of SL), which you seem to be only able to do one before BM-Link hangs and then it's either a reboot or simply stop the BMLinker Server app in Activity Monitor. Which is a bit fiddly and clearly indicating the 32-bit app isn't 100% compatible...

 

Rob

I just discovered that......when the preferences panel says it must restart there is a question mark that appears. Clicking on that gives directions to set the preferences to start always in 32 bit. I just did it and first impressions are that all is working better.

aha,

that's very interesting. can you post the instructions. i'd like to know what i'm getting in to ...

thanks,

scott

If you click on the BM-Link in the preferences panel a window should open saying that BM-Link needs to close and re-open. Instead of clicking on ok, look at the bottom left of the window and there will be a question mark. Click on it and instructions will open on how to do it. It is very simple. If that does not work let me know and I will find the instructions again. I do not remember the exact steps. 

here are the directions:

Open Finder       in the left column click on applications

This will produce icons for the various applications.

Click once on System Preferences which will highlight it

Then go to the main Finder toolbar at the top of the screen

Click on File and then in the menu that opens click on Get Info and an option to start in 32 bit will appear.

hello again,

just a "bump" to see how bm-link has been working with snow leopard. i am very curious to have the experiences of the "happy few" that have upgraded their system.

thanks for any feedback, ideas, ...

scott

The basic functions continue to work fine for me with Snow Leopard.

Finally a new version of BM-link has been released to support mac os 10.6 and iTunes 9 and B&O has confirmed today.

 http://www.odlund.se/bmlink/download.html