So I got my new replacement BeoSound 2 today. I think I got an older version as it came with a 128MB SD card and unlike the previous one, the installation CD doesn't have the Mac icon on it ( is this a big problem - because I can get the CD back from my dealers tomorrow. Or can I just download everything from B&O's webpage? ). The old BeoSound 2 worked without a problem with my mac ( for the whole 10 minutes I had it, until I had to return it : ), but I can't get this new one to work at all. The old one was recognised in iTunes and I could see the icon on the desktop. The software was straight from the factory ( 1.10 or something like that ). Also there are a couple of songs already on the SD card, because I've put them on with the old one.

The first thing I've done when I got it this new one, is I took it to a friend with a PC, went to B&O's webpage and downloaded the newest firmware for it - 2.51, the PC version. I've updated it, successfully and went back to my mac. I put the BeoSound 2 in the iTunes mode ( after I pressed that impossible combination of buttons, it did the beep sound and started to play the music - is that normal, should it just be quiet? ). I then downloaded the iTunes plug-in and installed it.

Well, when I connect the BeoSound 2 nothing happens. It's the same whether I plug in the USB cable with the BeoSound 2 already in the cradle or if I plug in the cradle and then put the BeoSound on it. Oh, and when I put it in the cradle the only thing that happens is, that it starts to play the first song on the card. The light is red and flashing which means it's connected, but it neither shows up on the desktop nor in the iTunes.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I will need it on friday, when I'm travelling. Please try to do an idiot-proof description, numbered and with all the details : ) Should I go and get the Installation CD from the previous one, with the mac icon on it? Thanks!

 

PS. Is there a way to do a complete reset and start from the beginning?

Format the SD card - same happened to me.

Thanks, that was swift! Is there a way to reset the SD card while it's inside the BeoSound 2? I don't have a card reader.

I've tried the 128MB SD card that came in the package and there's no difference. It doesn't show up on the desktop and it doesn't show up in iTunes.

EDIT: I remembered I can format the 2GB card I've been using before in my BeoSound 4. I did and still nothing. The computer doesn't see it, though the red light is on, which according to the user manual means it's connected to the computer.

I guess you've probably been down this path already, but my MacBook Pro (10.4, not Leopard) only sees the BS2 every other time I connect.  When I put it on the base, and the base flashes green, then I remove and put it back on the base and it flashes red... then, I can see it in Finder, and if patient and lucky also in iTunes.  I've had to re-instal the iTunes plugin a number of times - usually, I think, after upgrading iTunes.  It sometimes takes up to a minute for it to show up in iTunes (when it does show up - and a minute can seem like a lifetime when you want it to work and you're just staring at the screen).  I usually don't bother with the iTunes integration as Finder works fine...  I would double-check that it is in Mac mode.  Certain operations (or the battery completely running down) seem to put it into Windows mode.  This would explain it flashing red, but not showing in Finder.

Stan 

Btw, my firmware is 1.1.0.12

 

To format the card (from the manual):

 

Format card:BeoSound 2 must be paused and the Earphones connected. 

Press and hold ∧and >>. Then press GO twice. You will get audible 

feedback. When the audible feedback stops press and hold ∧and >>. Then 

press GO twice again. You will get audible feedback again. 

Yes I've noticed it's listed under "Daily use" - can't believe I missed it before. Anyway, I formatted the card, put it in the iTunes mode for the twentieth time I think, and still nothing. There must be either something fundamental or something really small and obvious I missed, but I just lost all my will and interest for now, because I have no idea what else to try.

Actually, I just went out and bought that SanDisk usb key/SD card reader thingy. Actually it works very well. Very fast too. Much, much faster than BeoSound 2. It will work for now and when I have the time I'll take it back to my dealer and let him have some fun with it : )

But if any of you have any more suggestions, please, I'm all ears : ) 

 

PS. When I start it ( press GO ) it does that sound ( " audible feedback" as they call it ) and then starts to play a song and I find it really annoying. Should it just start playing a song right away when I press GO? Also when I turn it off, it does a similar sound, but it fades away in the end, but that one doesn't bother me that much.

Sorry not been near a computer all day. Try formatting it in the card reader. I had a very long conversation with B&O about this some years ago - mine kept not working and not being recognised. They even replaced it once!

gorissek:

But if any of you have any more suggestions, please, I'm all ears : )

 

 

PS. When I start it ( press GO ) it does that sound ( " audible feedback" as they call it ) and then starts to play a song and I find it really annoying. Should it just start playing a song right away when I press GO? Also when I turn it off, it does a similar sound, but it fades away in the end, but that one doesn't bother me that much.

I tend to use a card reader most of the time as it is much faster... however, I have a 2GB card that only the BS2 can see.  Weird.
 

 Unfortunately, I'm all out of suggestions (aside from take it back to the dealer and see if it works there).

With respect to the beeping, what you describe is how it works.  Odd though, I had to try this out because I guess I never noticed the beep when GO is pressed.  I've had my BS2 for many years, and I couldn't tell you without trying it out...  I guess this shows it hasn't bothered me

Stan

 

I got my new BS2 just today. It has the 1.x.x.'something' firmware which seems to be very old and causing a lot troubles. I am too running on MacBook. Is the firmware really the same thing as mentioned in here: ?

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/page.asp?id=145

If it is then the 1.1.0.12 I have is really old and should be updated at once. It took me lot of time to figure out that this was (or now seems to be) the trouble. As the newest installation package on the B&O website gives this version I thought it to be the newest...

One thing that took me ages was that when you format the card on a reader with PC you have to choose the format to be FAT (not FAT32 or anything else). Mac won't let you format in FAT, the oldest is FAT32.

My problem is that I can get the BS show up in iTunes and copy music in. If I try to make a playlist it creates one with the default name of "untitled playlist". It can't be renamed (it won't change) nor deleted (iTunes crashes). If I name the folder in Finder it won't be shown in iTunes. 

I can't update the firmware as I don't have a PC running XP (Vista definetively doesn't work with this and my old Win98 laptop gave some weird error when tried) at home. When I next time go to work (now on holliday) on thursday I can get it done. 

When the BS is on the charger you can switch between GREEN (playback) and RED (computer connection) by pressing the GO button for two seconds. The timing seems to be quite critical - it might need few try to get it right. Flashing RED means that it's connected and charging battery (stable RED will come when charged).

The key-combinations are hardly logical, if you wan't to lock the keys would you first thought to press both << and >>? Also to mention formatting in the daily functions is a bit surprising!

 

 

I can't get the firmware any higher than 1.1.0.12. I tried with a WinXp machine with the 2.51 installer and it says there is no need to upgrade. When in iTunes it shows the version 1.1.0.12.

Is there something I just don't understand? Should the iTunes show higher firmware version?

The B&O website is not very informative about this. It says Mac users should first update with ver 2.00 at PC. Where is the 2.00 installer? 

I just can't understand!

With my PowerMac at work I can rename and delete playlists, I will see if they work at home....

 

Every possible installer says that I have no need to upgrade the software...

I changed the memory card to a 1 GB (instead of the 2 GB) and then I used PC and BeoPlayer to upload the music in. That works, and when I change the mode to iTunes I can see the playlists on my Mac too. (I didn't dare to try rename them or anything as I fear it will mess up everything again).

Well, it seems that I will use PC to upload the musics in.