PhilLondon:

Ignace:

PhilLondon:

How does it operate from the TV screen a la BM1? How does it operate from link rooms?

Keith has made a FAQ which covers several of these questions.

 

Another question that if answered could be added to the FAQ:

Can I have the Beosound 5/Beomaster 5 and another Audiomaster in the same room and the same Masterlink setup.

Does the AudioMaster need to be N.MUSIC compatible?

What setting needs to be applied in order to get this working?

I will be updating the FAQ over the next couple of days with answers to questions such as the ones highlighted above, but in the meantime the answers to these particular question are:-

• Your AudioMaster must be compatible to use N.Music or N.Radio
• You CAN have a Beosound 5/Beomaster 5 in the same room and on the same Masterlink setup, see below for further details

In the Service Menu you are provided with the ability to define whether the BeoMaster 5/BeoSound 5 is a AUDIO MASTER or not. If AUDIO MASTER is set to YES, it is possible to define which option the BeoMaster 5/BeoSound 5 is going to be in. If the AUDIO MASTER is set to NO the ‘Option’ item is greyed out. The options are:

• AUDIO MASTER YES / NO
• Audio Master OPTIONS 0 / 1 / 2 (greyed out if AUDIO MASTER is NO)

These and other FAQ items will be added in the next few days. I will also update the typing error I made related to web access.

Flappo The Grate:

looks nice , but no video support and only a 500 gb hd ?

i'll stick with my apple set up , ta

3 tb's and a two way remote for half the price 

With the greatest respect Flappo, do you own 37,000 CD's or something? Is half a terabyte not enough?  Three terabytes would store about 2 years of music if played constantly...

Lee 

9 LEE:

Flappo The Grate:

looks nice , but no video support and only a 500 gb hd ?

i'll stick with my apple set up , ta

3 tb's and a two way remote for half the price 

With the greatest respect Flappo, do you own 37,000 CD's or something? Is half a terabyte not enough?  Three terabytes would store about 2 years of music if played constantly...

Lee 

Is that true?? If you store in lossless format then you will get (very roughly) 3 CD's per gigabyte, that makes 1500 CD's in a 500Gb drive. (Still a lot more than I have mind - although, at an average of 12 tracks per CD, Peter has over 2400)

Sorry Lee, I have to agree with Flappo.
500 Gb is going to feel very small in a couple of years.

Not at all! Remember who B&O's target market is, and remember that this target market is not teenage/twenty something people who download hundreds of tracks from iTunes everyday :)

There is a lot of emphasis on MP3 and other compresed music formats at the moment, and understandably so, but it does not logically follow that bigger equals better.

People who are complaining about both lack of a CD drive AND a supposedly small hard drive are confusing two arguments. If you want more than a TB of space, how many CDs would that be? More than you would want to store in your cupboard that's for sure. A touch screen would also be very silly, as anyone who has an iPhone would know. The aluminium wheels are much more practical and intuitive.

The hard drive space and lack of CD slot fits perfectly with their intended market which, on the whole, are not so tech savvy that they will miss video streaming, multiple TB space etc.

 The only two negatives are the hideous floor stand, and the ugly black box solution. Otherwise, thumbs up B&O!

i don't just have lossless cd's on my mac , i use eyetv to record all my tv shows and archive them , got just about every top gear ever shown on the thing and still plenty of space

plus 'other' sorts of audio visual entertainment that you find on the net - ahem ;)

i like the bs5 don't get me wrong , it just seems a tad limited  

Flappo, its not limited, it's just not designed to stream episodes of Top Gear! It's a music player.

Bang & Olufsen never have, and never will, design an entertainment system that is supposed to be all things to all people.

 Just as BeoSound 3 has no DAB, or BeoSound 9000 has no recording facility, or BeoVision 8 has no DVD player, these are conscious decisions by the developers to create a product for certain areas of their very unique market. It seems that if many BeoWorld members had their way, B&O would make just one product - a TV with a CD player and MP3 player, a hard drive, DVD recorder, internet streaming, telecommunications and a 2 way remote control that they can operate their coffee machine with!

 I think we'll all fall mady in love with it when we get to see it.

Villette010:

a TV with a CD player and MP3 player, a hard drive, DVD recorder, internet streaming, telecommunications and a 2 way remote control that they can operate their coffee machine with!

Wow, that's exactly what I want ;-) How did you guess!

But other brands that compete with B&O, Loewe are trying to do exactly that. So B&O would better beware!

PhilLondon:

Villette010:

a TV with a CD player and MP3 player, a hard drive, DVD recorder, internet streaming, telecommunications and a 2 way remote control that they can operate their coffee machine with!

Wow, that's exactly what I want ;-) How did you guess!

But other brands that compete with B&O, Loewe are trying to do exactly that. So B&O would better beware!

 I'm beginning to like my idea as well! Perhaps I'd better apply for a patent...

Seriously though, I don't think that Loewe and B&O compete in quite the same market, so their not so dangerous a rival as one might expect. Many people don't want a single system that includes everything but the kitchen sink - not everybody would use all it's facilities yet they would still be paying for it. That's why cars aren't amphibious and home telephones don't have cameras. It might work for James Bond and the Japanese, but your average Bang & Olufsen Joe (or should that be Jonathan!?) wants a tailor made solution, not a single box that does everything for everyone.

Puncher:

Is that true?? If you store in lossless format then you will get (very roughly) 3 CD's per gigabyte, that makes 1500 CD's in a 500Gb drive. (Still a lot more than I have mind - although, at an average of 12 tracks per CD, Peter has over 2400)

I see your point, but on anything but higher end speakers in a controlled listening environment - i doubt many people could tell the difference between lossless and 256kb.  Lossless is a memory eater that many people just don't need..  Remember that most of the people bleating about memory space have a library of tunes at 128kb and don't think to complain about quality..

500Gb will store more songs at a perfectly respectable 256kb than 99% of the population will ever need.  I mean, even lossless, how many of us have 1500 albums?!!

Lee

I have!!!

Villette010:

if many BeoWorld members had their way, B&O would make just one product - a TV with a CD player and MP3 player, a hard drive, DVD recorder, internet streaming, telecommunications and a 2 way remote control that they can operate their coffee machine with!

 I think we'll all fall mady in love with it when we get to see it.

Rumors have it that Apple is looking into such a Media centric device (sans coffee machine, he he he)... Though as we all know they too cripple the possibilitie, but they'll have to contend with cannibalization of some of their own product market. As history has shown, though, Apple isn't above doing just that.

my avant is basically an all in one entertainment system

shame bno don't make anything like that anymore 

9 LEE:

Puncher:

Is that true?? If you store in lossless format then you will get (very roughly) 3 CD's per gigabyte, that makes 1500 CD's in a 500Gb drive. (Still a lot more than I have mind - although, at an average of 12 tracks per CD, Peter has over 2400)

I see your point, but on anything but higher end speakers in a controlled listening environment - i doubt many people could tell the difference between lossless and 256kb.  Lossless is a memory eater that many people just don't need..  Remember that most of the people bleating about memory space have a library of tunes at 128kb and don't think to complain about quality..

500Gb will store more songs at a perfectly respectable 256kb than 99% of the population will ever need.  I mean, even lossless, how many of us have 1500 albums?!!

Lee

I concede to your point However we should be careful that when we discuss the product we properly differentiate the two components, The BM5 may have enough space for audio only but I thought the intention was that the BM5 would eventually be way more than an audio-only storage  facility (and therfore the storage may well be limited). The BS5 is the interface only and, as nice as it may be, the review posted by Sal may well be right - they, rather unkindly, called it a "gutless remote". I think that crystalises it for me, although I would prefer to think of it more as a modern day Master Control Panel similar to those sold alongside the component systems of the '80's - unfortunatetly this modern day equivalent has the major disadvantage that it needs to be nailed in-situ. I remember paying £99 for my MCP in the early '80's and thinking that was extortionate for a remote!

Flappo The Grate:

my avant is basically an all in one entertainment system

shame bno don't make anything like that anymore 

What doesn't the BeoVision 7 do that the Avant does then? (Honestly just curious, not being argumentative!)

Lee 

Your Avant either have a VHS or DVD player. Today BV7 has these options. BS5 is a audio system not a media or BeoCenter. They plan to launch a videoconcept like BS5 maybe a new BeoCenter.

I agree with Lee, the majority of all costumers will have plenty of space for their music collection. You will have to buy quite a lot of music every month for years to reach the memorylimit.

Looking forward to see it my self tomorrow night and December 1. It will be in the danish shops that day.

9 LEE:

Flappo The Grate:

my avant is basically an all in one entertainment system

shame bno don't make anything like that anymore 

What doesn't the BeoVision 7 do that the Avant does then? (Honestly just curious, not being argumentative!)

Lee 

 

you have a point , the bv7 does seem really rather nice

once they bring out one with a blu ray built in and a nice big 46 inch screen for less than say £5k i'll be interested

the avant always seemed to be pretty good vfm , the current range of tv's just don't 

 

My collective thoughts on the BS5....

 

I've sort of been thinking about this product from quite a few months back up to today. This sums up my opinion prior to seeing the real deal in December - which will be the earliest I will get to see it.

 

• 1. The form. Nothing dramatic just typical B&O. It could have been lots of shapes or forms that would have been a hit with some us and not with others. It has provoked comment from so many, so I guess it is a success even if not regarded as a classic right now. Remember the BL5, remember the BL2, remember the BV7 when they were released?

 

• 2. I'm also glad that the BS5 does not have a touch-screen. That would indeed be sexy but alas, black glass shows up the finger prints like crazy. Just look at everything else they have done; Beocentre 9xxx, Beolink 7000, Beo5 etc... I rest my case. It may be the trend out there to now have touch screens but B&O did this many years ago and apart from the re-test foray with the Beo5, have probably learnt from the issues associated with glass.

 

• 3. I originally wanted a CD player with this unit. This was to ensure perfect ripping and that no read-write errors occur while you're probably multi-tasking X number of different things at the same time on a PC. Would have been nice but.....

 

.....But having just spent the last two weekends re-ripping my entire ~600 disc CD collection from WMA 192kbs to lossless I can see that the only realistic way of doing this is via a PC. This is because the main CD databases don't always a) give the right disc (especially cover art), b) they don't list the data in a form that I like and c) occasionally, you get the wrong tracks and CD name entirely. Thus, blindly copying tag data is not an option unless you don't mind the wrong data.

 

I wonder how the Opus Olive et al manages? It is not a fault of the machine but of the database it reference to? Therefore, CD for ripping...no, possibly very Troublesome.  CD for playing...possibly but why would you if you have ripped your collection? CD is therefore excused.

 

• 4. Another point of downloading tags is that more than often, the cover art is not going to be up to it. Typically it's a 120x 120 pixel jpeg. I have just downloaded all the right covers for the right albums at 500x500 and the difference goes without saying when viewed in Beoplayer. I guess if you want the best pictures, don't rely on auto-downloads and embed the higher res pictures via your PC.

 

Speaking of pixels, will this unit have those neat fractal displays or is that something for the web page. Would be really cool if it were so - either as a screen saver or as a visualisation.

 

• 5. Embedded Windows XP. So what. As long as it works and you don't see Bill Gates in the pixels. Never had a problem with my PC (that's cos I don't load 3^rd party apps and non-windows utilities on to it etc...)

 

• 6. As I have indicated, I've just parked ~600CD's in WMA lossless onto 2 Freecom 320Gb roughdrives. One as a working disc, one for the safe. It has taken ~210Gb of space. Given that I buy 50 to 70-odd CD's a year, (and don't download as yet) it's going to take me at least 10 years to fill 500Gb of space. By which time, I will have had my fill of the machine. Irrespective, I would also not keep a drive longer than say 3 years to ensure that I don't lose any data with a drive failure. By that time, I'll have filled less than 300Gb before I would have to change the hard-drive (and by then, I'm sure 3TB 2.5" discs will be commonplace). The Service Manual suggests cloning discs is straightforward and the product will be out of warranty by then anyway. Therefore disc space is not going to be an issue for me.

 

• 7. I think B&O's marketing team should be shot! It is clear to me that these guys (n gals) are not up to the job. The BS5 has been marketed in the last few days as an expensive "at home" non-portable iPod! Why? Rather than focus on the form and the ease of use (and the £4,000 price tag), more in (my opinion) should have been done to sell the unit. For one, it can be used without the head unit ala Beomedia 1 behind a TV. That saves over two grand. Second, nothing has been said about the signal processing and the D/A converters. They should be differentiating the BS5 from everything else on the market with technical's - otherwise, it is just an iPod. They should be promoting it's high-end audiophile quality and ease of use with the BL5's to show the world this is proper music from a very competent player (we hope). Not akin it again to an iPod! This is an opportunity missed. Same with the Web page too. Doh!

 

         Kalle Hvidt Nielsen has probably it spot on trying to implement a brand marketing expert and a product development manager. Boy, that is where they are really weak!

 

• 8. This leads to another point. Why has this device taken over 5 years to develop? The MOTs algorithm has taken 3 years alone. I don't think it is because B&O have not adapted to the digital era in time, rather, that I think that they are spending just too much time (and hence cost and hence the price that you and I ultimately pay) designing, re-designing, designing some more, fine tuning etc...etc.... Sure, in the end we get a very B&O product which lasts and lasts and never dates but is this something that they and us now really afford? I bet they had spent at least 6 man-years working on the electronic font for this new product. Needlessly expensive.

 

         Further, why is this product not ready until March 2009? What is still wrong? We read it is software but why demo the unit this week if that were the case? Something is behind this and we should endeavour to find the real reason.

 

Finally, the BS5 at first glance appeals to me and would appear to fulfil my needs in a music player. I think it will easily replace my BC2 and the fact that I will no longer need to keep carrying around with me my entire collection of CD's which are bulky. The BV7 will also play discs should the odd one or two come my way which have not or wont be ripped.

 

Roll-on March. Hopefully I will still have a job to be able to afford one of these if the test-drive squares up.

 

Apologies for the lengthy dribble......

 

 

10%

Villette010:

 A touch screen would also be very silly, as anyone who has an iPhone would know.

 

I've had the iPhone for almost 1,5 years now, and the touch screen is this phones strength.

 

Nothing silly about the iPhone... Touch screen on it makes perfect sense.

bayerische:

Villette010:

 A touch screen would also be very silly, as anyone who has an iPhone would know.

 

I've had the iPhone for almost 1,5 years now, and the touch screen is this phones strength

 

Same here and as a result I doubt I could go back to a traditional phone but I doubt having a touch screen would have improved the experience, more ruined its simplicity and concept.

Touch screen is not the answer to all and I think BS5 demonstrates this quite well and most importantly looks to work quite well as seen in the video.

Whay a great post Mr 10%! Thank you so much for taling the time to make it.
I agree with almost everything you say except the touch screen.
I too am intrerrsted in why they have launched the Beosound 5 now, but won't release it for another 4 or 5 months. Curious. There must be some hidden agenda.

Andy T.

Indeed, an interesting (as usual) post by Mr10% - and I agree with him also om the touch screen. (I guess he is not left handed?)

Though, no matter if you are an Apple or B&O user you will end up with be same bacteria & germs (isn't it the same, Andy?) on your device.  

Flappo The Grate:

my avant is basically an all in one entertainment system

shame bno don't make anything like that anymore 

 They do. It's called the BeoVision 7.

A point already made by Lee!