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This is the first Archived Forum which was active between 17th April 2007 and 1st March February 2012

 

Latest post 04-19-2009 9:49 AM by beojeff. 37 replies.
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  • 04-08-2009 3:50 AM

    Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    Well, like a lot of people, I too was drawn to my local dealer to check out the latest offerings via the cunning ploy of a new Beo5 or refurb Beocom 6000 or Beo4.  Can't knock that I suppose but I did get some hands-on at last with Beosound 5.  Impressed?   Yes, of course, a joy to look at and listen to (through some very nice Beolab9s).  So it got me interested, and especially the MOTS gizmo and the net radio which you can select by country / stations etc.  But then the sun went in and it clouded over a bit.  It would have thus been great IF, they had from the start just snuck in a CD (or even DVD) reader  -  think I've seen that suggested on here already.  Because, once it was explained to me (twice) that in order for me to get my current music library on to the Beomaster 5 then I'd have to bring my 500+ Cds to the store, when my dealer will then send them all off to a third party to have them loaded!!!!!!  This would take some time and cost too.

    So, I asked the obvious questions (a kin to Beo5 dilemma)...  Can I do it myself?   My question here is, has anyone done either of the two methods because right now I'm not entirely chuffed with the prospect of either.  Isn't there some USB socket on the Beomaster 5 or something as simple as addiding it to your home LAN and making a logical connection then copy a library over (make take a few hours for sure).  Sending CDs via courier seems like madness.  Except if, this service if intended to serve the type of customer that loves B&O but has yet to master the dark art of computers or the internted, not to be too cruel about it :-)

    So I'm waiting to buy one, like a few people the dealer told me but is the growing backlog of orders that he asserts to have, purely the result of this faff to load files?

     

    Jack

    BV10(40) BV8-32, BV3-32, MX7000, DVD1, HDR1, V8000

    Beomedia-1, BS9000, BC7002, BC2300, BS5500, BM6500, BGCD6500, BM1900-2

    BL5, BL8000, BL6000, BL Penta3, BL3500

    Beovox MC120.2, 3000 Panels, CX50s, C75s, AND LOTS WIRES, BOOkS, MAGS n BITS (ebay sales: beo-store-uk)

  • 04-08-2009 4:05 AM In reply to

    • Alex
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    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    Surprise Of course you can load them yourself! If you're using a PC, you use BeoPlayer (which is the way your dealer would do it). If you're using a Mac, you use BeoConnect with iTunes.

     Weekly top artists:                   

  • 04-08-2009 4:47 AM In reply to

    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    I'm sorry Alex but this is a backward step. It takes an enormous amount of time to put a CD onto a computer if you are wanting the same quality of sound.

    Sending CD's away for someone else to do is madness.

    I've bought the CD's WHY should I pay again, whichever method you recommend?

    The guy who decided NOT to put a CD reader in or attached to BM5 wants his marching orders.

    You can give me the company line as much as you like but it is not going to convince me, I'm afraid.

    Regards Graham

  • 04-08-2009 5:15 AM In reply to

    • maclife
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    • Brussels, Belgium
    • Posts 26
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    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    joeyboygolf:

    I'm sorry Alex but this is a backward step. It takes an enormous amount of time to put a CD onto a computer if you are wanting the same quality of sound.

    Sending CD's away for someone else to do is madness.

    I've bought the CD's WHY should I pay again, whichever method you recommend?

    The guy who decided NOT to put a CD reader in or attached to BM5 wants his marching orders.

    You can give me the company line as much as you like but it is not going to convince me, I'm afraid.

    I’m sorry if I get you wrong. But if you count the time for transferring a CD to a harddisk (a couple of minutes for lossless quality, no need to ever repeat it), why don’t you count the time for always having to select and take the CD out of its shelve and then take it into the player? And why don’t you see the advantages of endless individual playlists afterwards? I’m buying lots of high end japanese CD’s with paper sleeves etc. and I’m very happy that they stay in its original "like new" quality that way. So you should pay again, if you love your collection and want to keep it.
  • 04-08-2009 6:01 AM In reply to

    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    Personally, I think the whole point of the BS5 is to play mp3s. The second they add a CD player on it complicates things in the sense that most people already might have an Ouverture or 9000. There would be a price premium for no need.

    Also they (B&O) have a point, when using iTunes, i can really take my time and enjoy organising my collection. Label them properly, create playlists, smart playlists, add pictures etc etc etc. If there was a BS5 CD Solution, there wouldn't be that flexability. CD Titles, might have different names depending on the CDDB database used etc etc.

    Also, where would you put the CD reader? In the BM5? That wouldn't be pretty would it.. I.e. it would feel like a cheap cd player component stereo.

    Things regarding the Beo5 remote two-way thing, I had a better think about it and in some sense its good that there isn't a two-way thing. Battery power would be greatly reduced and the worse bit is that you would be playing a fortune for the BS5 without using it! The BM5 is just a BM1. Lets all be honest here, so im sure that money wasnt spent there. Out of the 4000£ or whatever the BM/S5 costs now, most of it £3000 (???) goes for the BS5 controller.

    I think, B&O's solution to link room would be nice and simple if they had really thought it through to the end.

    The BS5 should either be wifi, defianately masterlink and have a power cable. The masterlink (or masterlink v2) should be able to carry video without the need for a DVI out or RF-rubbish. If someone wanted link room, they should be able to buy another BS5 or as many as they wished. This way you get the joy of using the BS5 which its whole point was to be able to touch your MP3s like the vinyl days or the cds and not needed to use a beo5 with a million options (if you install the bs5 template).

    As for, "i dont want to get up to change the track". Well, you have to do that with a CD player, if you are really lazy you would either switch the TV on and change it via the BM5 and if you are extremely tired, then you would just run your 'chillout' playlist and fall asleep on the couch.

    My biggest problem with the BS5 is:

    1. Price (New BS9000 + used BL8000)
    2. Installation (where do i install it in my house without demolishing my walls)
    3. Microsoft Windows (no comment for no reason)
    4. Apathy (to entertain the thought of getting the BS5)

    The Hard drive, 500GB, another thing that people complain with, is ok right? The apple TV is only 160GB PS3 is 80/160GB although you can manually replace it for a 320GB... so I think its ok for now?

    Although I have demoed it in store twice, I am no expert on it so can conclude definately what its like to use.

    All I can say is that I have turned 25, 3 months ago, and love B&O. Started off with used products (Avant, BL6000, BL8000, BL2, BL3...) and now go for new ones (BV7-40, BL7-4, soon BL3 (new)) and I must admit that I have all my music on MP3s. not even lossless format!

    I have a couple CDs in the Ouverture's CD cabinet and one black cd in the ouverture. Listen to the radio in the mornings whilst getting ready for work and CDs when im too lazy to start the PC up. To listen to my songs, its iMac on, Beo5 A.AUX and play. Set the playlist I want to listen to and IF i get ichy and want to change songs often just use the boring white mac remote. its simple and im happy.

    I bought a PS3 4 months ago hoping that i can use that to replace the imac, but the fact that i needed the TV on to navigate songs didnt appeal to me. P.MUTE disables control of the PS3 via IRDA (Nyko) and BEO5.

    So, to cut a long story short, yes, I am really interesting in finding a good solution for my mp3s. One that doesnt require the TV being on all the time and yes the BS5 is a contender there. I am hoping to get a pair of BL3s soon since its time for a new B&O product, but even still, I havent even thought of the BS5 yet for it.

    I think its too early and there doesnt seem to be something screaming inside me to get it. Maybe at £2000 or £2800 I probably would get it, since thats what im prepared to pay for the BL3s and since I have a BL7.4 and BL2 the sound is very sufficient for the time being. However even then I would have to think twice, since it doesnt feel like a conclusive, closed box solution for me.

    Ahhh, blatently bored at work, but must resume!

  • 04-08-2009 6:02 AM In reply to

    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    Wow, behold my biggest post EVER! On ANY FORUM!

  • 04-08-2009 6:18 AM In reply to

    • Puncher
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    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    No doubt in my mind, the BS5 should have been self-powered, wireless and portable - today's MCP.

    I will go as far as saying that I think the "wired" BS5 is a lazy solution and think the fact that the MOTS feature is (artificially) only available if you own the BS5 is an indication of B&O's lack of confidence in selling the BS5 unit alone if the BM5/Beo5 combination could carry out all functions without it.

    Generally speaking, you aren't learning much if your lips are moving.

  • 04-08-2009 6:55 AM In reply to

    • moxxey
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    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    joeyboygolf:

    I'm sorry Alex but this is a backward step. It takes an enormous amount of time to put a CD ..

    I've found that the latest iTunes DRM-free 256Kbps tracks are superior to the quality of the audio from the same CD. I'm not going to embarrass myself by listing the CDs I've bought recently, but I've bought both the CD and the iTunes tracks and those tracks are definitely superior - I've had other people listen to both and they agree, too.

    Why? We assume that these iTunes DRM-free tracks are sourced directly from the music company, thus are not extracted from CD. They are compressing them from the original source, thus higher quality.

  • 04-08-2009 6:56 AM In reply to

    • moxxey
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    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    Puncher:

    No doubt in my mind, the BS5 should have been self-powered, wireless and portable - today's MCP.

    I don't see why we even need the BM5. Why couldn't B&O produce their own app that sits on top of Windows or a Mac on a host PC/Mac? ie. why can't I simply install it on my Mac Mini and then wirelessly connect to the BS5? Why do we even need the BM5? It's waaaay too big.

    BS5 is too flawed for me in too many ways. It's a superb design, but it's only going to go so far.

  • 04-08-2009 7:29 AM In reply to

    • Puncher
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    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    The BM5 has the audio card with masterlink/powerlink sockets etc. While this could have been a sold as a PC peripheral I suspect B&O would be plagued by set up/compatibility issues etc from users. Building it into their own PC gets around all of these issues and gives them control of the environment in which the audio card sits (with regard to noise/interference etc. - another potential cause of complaint if sold as a peripheral). Setting the BM5 aside for music also limits the problems caused by incompatible software/drivers etc. Sizewise I don't think the BM5 was ever intended to be looked at, a cupboard of loft seems the most likely place.

    Also, if they had constructed it as a USB external device it may have looked like less value for moneyHuh?

    Generally speaking, you aren't learning much if your lips are moving.

  • 04-08-2009 8:30 AM In reply to

    • ASwift
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    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    Has to be said......................................... What BS5 should have been

  • 04-08-2009 8:51 AM In reply to

    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    maclife:
    joeyboygolf:

    I'm sorry Alex but this is a backward step. It takes an enormous amount of time to put a CD onto a computer if you are wanting the same quality of sound.

    Sending CD's away for someone else to do is madness.

    I've bought the CD's WHY should I pay again, whichever method you recommend?

    The guy who decided NOT to put a CD reader in or attached to BM5 wants his marching orders.

    You can give me the company line as much as you like but it is not going to convince me, I'm afraid.

    I’m sorry if I get you wrong. But if you count the time for transferring a CD to a harddisk (a couple of minutes for lossless quality, no need to ever repeat it), why don’t you count the time for always having to select and take the CD out of its shelve and then take it into the player? And why don’t you see the advantages of endless individual playlists afterwards? I’m buying lots of high end japanese CD’s with paper sleeves etc. and I’m very happy that they stay in its original "like new" quality that way. So you should pay again, if you love your collection and want to keep it.

    What program are you using to transfer my CD to the hard disk in a couple of minutes? If you can do it in two minutes, why does the disc copying process take so much longer to achieve the same result. ie CD-> HD

    Regards Graham

  • 04-08-2009 3:16 PM In reply to

    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    Blimey, I think I lit some touch paper on that one.  I LOVE B&O and I like the Beosound 5. I'm just trying to find out what the best precess is for getting my CDs put onto Bemaster 5.  I take all the points about adding a CD reader to the head unit (control panel).  Think many the compromise would be a simple CD slot in the actual Beomaster 5 (box) which, afterall, would be hidden away somewhere.  I mean, what happens once you've had all your CDs added to Beomaster 5 and then next week you go out and buy a new CD, and want to add that.  You surely don't have to unwire your BM5 and take it to your dealer to have it added.  So, there is obviously a simple way to both add all your CDs at the start and then continue to add more as you buy them (if you still do).  Yes, I've loaded all my CDs onto my PC, and it took me a whole month. But you only need to do it once (oh twice, because I-tunes decided to delete 75% of them by mistake - my mistake, one day).  I don't mind the price too much for the Beosound 5 and I'm sure that the design and reliability of the head unit will last for years, even if the Beomaster 5 box gets upgraded over time (1TB)?  But, to pay £3.6K and then be greeted with the cost for someone to load all your CDs won't be popular with anyone who feels that's it's only a simple case of copying what they may already have (mp3s) collected on their Computer HDD (especially those of us who already enjoying N.Music / Radio via BS9000 for example).  Please, B&O just add a CD Rom drive to Beomaster 5.  Make it a slot load (no need for cheap clunky draw or sleek silent smooth tray).  CD slots in, is ripped, then ejects.  It's all very well saying that you 'simply copy' from a PC using Beoplayer, what if you don't have a PC...  or is that essential?  Does Beomaster 5 have the same sort of PC connects as Beomedia, i.e. keyboard + mouse?  I'm getting the feeling that a Beocenter 2 with Beo Port and BeoPlayer set up is what should have set the standard.  Just like when Beocenter 9000 made the switch to CD from the Beocenter 7000 range (with record player) so we shojld expect that we now finally drop the CD player to make way for full solid state digital....  BUT, we still need to load our CDs now and in future so give us a CD slot in Beomaster 5.  It will last forever, as it won't get so much use.

    Jack

    BV10(40) BV8-32, BV3-32, MX7000, DVD1, HDR1, V8000

    Beomedia-1, BS9000, BC7002, BC2300, BS5500, BM6500, BGCD6500, BM1900-2

    BL5, BL8000, BL6000, BL Penta3, BL3500

    Beovox MC120.2, 3000 Panels, CX50s, C75s, AND LOTS WIRES, BOOkS, MAGS n BITS (ebay sales: beo-store-uk)

  • 04-08-2009 3:48 PM In reply to

    • moxxey
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    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    Puncher:

    The BM5 has the audio card with masterlink/powerlink sockets etc

    True, but these could either have been built in to the back of the BS5 and cables taken down the base/stand or the BM5 could have been a far smaller box.

    I can hide the Mac Mini under a small chest of drawers (as it's WiFi, it only needs one cable, a power cable!). Unless I buy a special cabinet, I don't see how or where I can hide the BM5.

  • 04-08-2009 6:01 PM In reply to

    • Puncher
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    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    moxxey:

    Puncher:

    The BM5 has the audio card with masterlink/powerlink sockets etc

    True, but these could either have been built in to the back of the BS5 and cables taken down the base/stand or the BM5 could have been a far smaller box.

    I can hide the Mac Mini under a small chest of drawers (as it's WiFi, it only needs one cable, a power cable!). Unless I buy a special cabinet, I don't see how or where I can hide the BM5.

     

    Heh Moxxey - I'm not defending the BM5/BS5 offering - my post was purely why it wasn't a card+software addon to a standard PC.

    Look at the new upcoming Loewe reference Media Centre - argue as you will about the stying but it is/has everything spoken of in posts like this. I will say however, that some are taking the Media Centre as the remote control because of photos published on the net (they assume it is, as we've asked, for, a wireless BS5), it isn't - the remote is a conventional, hand held remote with a 2.4" OLED display (although it does display cover art).

    The media centre (I conclude) is wired too, although it seems to control much more than the BS5.

    Generally speaking, you aren't learning much if your lips are moving.

  • 04-08-2009 10:18 PM In reply to

    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    I'm afraid that none of the suggestions made are terribly well thought out. Novelty has its place, but not in Bang & Olufsen products. Let me take them one at a time:

    Built-in CD Player: Not a good idea for two reasons. Firstly, as has been rightly mentioned, the conflict between the actual CD master and the BeoSound 5. I'm looking straight ahead at my BeoSound 5 next to my BeoSound 3200 and this is not an uncommon type of setup. When I touch CD, what would turn on? And to say that the disc drive in the BeoMaster 5 would just load content is a load of rubbish. If one went in the next thing you lot would be on about is how we've hobbled a perfectly good CD drive that could be playing CDs all over a link network. It's a slippery slope best left alone. The other reason is that album art & meta-data would be a crap shoot. I know that no program I've found does a good enough job at assigning album artwork and other data that I don't have to do a little editing. I would say 3 out of ten discs require this sort of attention. If the editing PC is taken out of the equation, how is this accomplished?

    BeoSound 5 as a Remote: The Master Control Panel was discontinued. This was no accident. B&O, like most other companies, realized that we are most comfortable with a handheld remote. The idea of leaning over to my coffee table (which has no room for either an MCP or a BeoSound 5 anyway) to change a channel is (there's no other word) stupid. No one would accept that as an option. No one. So once we realize that we need a second remote for channel surfing, volume control, and other basic navigation, why on earth would we want a giant partially redundant panel taking up space on our coffee tables? Keep your Crestron panel. Keep your Loewe media center. Keep it all. It's no good.

    Streaming From the Computer: Seriously!? Again we have a two pronged argument. First is the fact that many people use laptops which are opened and closed, on and off, and occasionally out of the house. What do I stream from then? Then there is the obvious lack of stability in a wireless connection. It's basically begging for dropouts. It's like asking to watch a DVD with scratches! I'd be tearing my hair out if my music kept dropping in and out.

    I Have a Bunch of CDs! What Am I To Do!? This one is a bit more delicate, but must be answered thusly: take it or leave it. I have met several clients who are of an age or inclination that precludes them from getting into digital music in a meaningful way. They feel attached to CDs, believe that digital music is automatically inferior in quality, or simply don't have the desire to use a computer or alter a longstanding habit. For those people we have the other 80% of our audio portfolio! It's not as though the other 4 models were discontinued on launch day. 

    I Have a Bunch of CDs! Part II: Another thing to bear in mind is that while many digital music collections begin with a mass migration from CD and the ripping or purging of an old disc collection, it does not necessarily continue that way. Just because you may have bought discs previously, doesn't mean you'll continue to do so after your home stereo and portable player no longer require it. I have gotten to the point where I do not buy physical discs unless they are absolutely unavailable otherwise, That means 2 in the past 6 months versus well over 60 albums downloaded. Go on Amazon, search for albums, and then see the cheaper digital download right there below the old fashioned CD. Pay less and have it immediately or pay more and wait for it to come in the mail and then have to tote it around and worry about it getting scratched? Easy decision. 

    Digital Music Can Be Deleted! CDs are Safer: Rubbish! CD comes in contact with a surface: ruined. CD gets lent out: lost. Riding in my car wanting to listen to a song: CD AWOL. How hard is it to copy an MP3 to a backup drive? Maybe 1/4 as hard as sending an e-mail? How long to copy a CD? Right. Ultra portability, total diffusion across multiple sources, cheaper to buy, and less likely to disappear. The only argument that still carries any water is sound quality, but in a blind test, my colleagues couldn't tell the difference between 256kbps & CDs played on BeoLab 5s so maybe there are better trained ears out there, but not enough of them to save CDs. 

    The other thing to bear in mind is how time tends to flesh things out. Asking for a disc drive in the BM5 is like asking for a cassette deck in your BeoSound 4. One technology will always supplant another. Maybe if the BeoSound 5 was launched 5 years ago when digital music hadn't been so widely adopted one could argue that a disc player would be mandatory. But these days I think most realize that it is outright undesirable as something of little value except except to break down. 

    Those with shelves of CDs who haven't yet undertaken the task of migrating even partially to the digital world face a difficult road, and one faced for years by those who clung (and in some cases still cling) to vinyl. Your selection of new music begins to dry up, your ability to support your hardware dries up, and your popularity at cocktail parties... well... I know when someone starts talking about vinyl I "hear someone calling me." It will be a personal decision that will have to be made at some point, whether in the face of the BeoSound 5 or some other constraint to come. 

    There is scarcely anything in this world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey. - John Ruskin

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  • 04-09-2009 3:47 AM In reply to

    • Puncher
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    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    You missed out - "of course all of this is just my own personal opinion"!

     Built-in CD Player:  Why not, if there is a demand? Solution to your problem  - make the BS5 an audio master! It can then play CD's and your digital content.

    BeoSound 5 as a Remote: why on earth would we want a giant partially redundant panel taking up space on our coffee tables - especially if it's got wires trailing out the back of it?

    Streaming From the Computer: no reason why it should be any less relaible than streaming from the internet.

    I Have a Bunch of CDs! What Am I To Do!? I+II Do what you feel comfortable doing - if you value the CD and it's packaging then continue to buy them.

    Digital Music Can Be Deleted! CDs are Safer: Whether true or not - it is most people's perception. Digital content is generally not insured in case of loss either. Any CD loss would tend to a single (or few) album, in the digital case it is likely to be your entire collection.

    The above is only my (less considered) opinion of courseBig Smile The point being that everyone would like it to be something just a little different to others ideal. No one is definitively "right".

    Generally speaking, you aren't learning much if your lips are moving.

  • 04-09-2009 5:07 AM In reply to

    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    There's no need for a built-in CD drive with B&O markup and all the hassle of keeping the black box accessible, yet out of sight. A 50 EUR external USB CD/DVD drive can do all that, at a cable length of your choice.

    (with no help from the current software, though - but there are no technical reasons why this solution would be any less capable than an internal drive)

    -mika

  • 04-09-2009 5:10 AM In reply to

    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    TripEnglish:
    Built-in CD Player:

    I am sorry Trip, but it would make perfect sense to have a Built-in CD, player, or better a DVD or a Blue-Ray player.

    This for 2 reasons:

    - Having to put a new CD in a computer, rip it and then transfer it to the BM5, etc... is NOT what I expect from a B&O experience. I want be able to pop a CD in the machine, press record twice, and done. Like it has been working for the past 20 years.

    - Design wise, the BS5 does not work well near a BC2 or a BS9000 or any other hifi. B&O has been doing all-in one Hifi for a while now...

    I think it would make perfect sense that B&O offers 2 models. one without a drive, for people with an existing Beosound, or for people wanting to go digital all the way, and another model, with a player, for people who do not have an existing BS.

     

  • 04-09-2009 7:48 AM In reply to

    • plagente
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    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    Ideal solution would be : Apple's electronics and B&O's sound and design.

    I won't buy BS5 because :

     - Lacks of an integrated CD/BlueRay disc player into the BS5 (not the BM5)

     - Lack of a proper electronic design (3 cables between BS5 and BM5 !!! what about a clean installation in my room ? etc...)

     

    Check the photos of the latest B&O's Catalog : you won't see a cable.

    I have 4 cables  just for  my 2 BL6000.

    Now, count how many cables you have to hide for the BS5/BM5 and a pair of Beolab...

    Come on B&O, jump into the WIFI 811.n and "over the air" technologies : that would be disruptive and it would tackle the need of "design" and "clean" installations into our rooms. Would be REAL B&O.

    BS5 is cool and very pretty but it's absolutly not disruptive, it's a MP3 player of year 2005, not 2009.....

    Sorry.

    http://p-lagente.blogspot.com/

  • 04-09-2009 9:30 AM In reply to

    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    OOOhhh Dear!  What have I done....?

    Before I started this thread I did search for any other into on Beosound 5 but couldn't find any?  Beginning to realise that maybe there wasn't that much good to say about it... or that none (not many) of us yet have had a good look / feel.  To be honest, as nice as the BS5 is, it can probably be best descriced as a very nice human inteerface to a rather expensive PC that has some B&O connectivity (ML / PL) etc.  So, yes, a Masterlink / Powerlink capable PC card could have achieved that  maybe, but you'd still have to sit at your PC to use the software interface and it would only really be the same as what you get from Beoport set-up.  I think the point was slightly missed at various stages along the way here.  IMO, the ideal config for this new Beosound 5 jobby would have been the Beomaster 5 as is, but with a CD/DVD player / reader (Blue-ray is pushing it I think for B&O) for ripping to Beomaster 5.  Since all the sound and beolink stuff would come direct out of the Beomaster 5 (ML/PL) then the connection to the Beosound 5 head unit could have been wireless as it's only command & control data (not audio stream).  So you get the best of both, no audio loss and easy to install / move remote control.  This set up would kind of make Beosound 5 into a very big Beo5 remote, if that's good or bad?  Sorry if I've unleashed a summer of discontent over Beosound 5 or let a load of worms out the can but opinion does seem to be rather divided over who and what Beosound is intended for?  All I can suggest is that it's really only the next step after Beomedia and Beo5 combo.

    Jack

    BV10(40) BV8-32, BV3-32, MX7000, DVD1, HDR1, V8000

    Beomedia-1, BS9000, BC7002, BC2300, BS5500, BM6500, BGCD6500, BM1900-2

    BL5, BL8000, BL6000, BL Penta3, BL3500

    Beovox MC120.2, 3000 Panels, CX50s, C75s, AND LOTS WIRES, BOOkS, MAGS n BITS (ebay sales: beo-store-uk)

  • 04-09-2009 9:36 AM In reply to

    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    Jackplug:

    To be honest, as nice as the BS5 is, it can probably be best descriced as a very nice human inteerface to a rather expensive PC that has some B&O connectivity (ML / PL) etc.  So, yes, a Masterlink / Powerlink capable PC card could have achieved that  maybe, but you'd still have to sit at your PC to use the software interface and it would only really be the same as what you get from Beoport set-up.

    To be honest Jackplug, you only have to use your computer once to sort out the songs, then copy it to the BM5. After that you never need to see the PC again. However with the Beoport, the PC has to be on all the time.

     

  • 04-09-2009 11:04 AM In reply to

    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    I will just add, that Beosound 5 obviously needs too much power for its lovely display for it to be self powered (unless you had a solar cell for day which also charges a  v.expensive battery for night use), but that would be quite a green solution maybe?  So I'd guess the compromise would be something like the BC2 that has sngle connection to the control unit and then all the rest of the gubbins is connected to the socket box (which would be Beomaster 5 in this case.  Think I'm just going to stick with the BS9000 and Beoport approach for a while. Beosound 5 is nice but not enough of a step forward on the logistical side to make it worth the effort (NOW).  And, I'll also wait for a while until we get to SW ver 1>  :0)

    Jack

    BV10(40) BV8-32, BV3-32, MX7000, DVD1, HDR1, V8000

    Beomedia-1, BS9000, BC7002, BC2300, BS5500, BM6500, BGCD6500, BM1900-2

    BL5, BL8000, BL6000, BL Penta3, BL3500

    Beovox MC120.2, 3000 Panels, CX50s, C75s, AND LOTS WIRES, BOOkS, MAGS n BITS (ebay sales: beo-store-uk)

  • 04-09-2009 11:34 AM In reply to

    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    In case you hadn't noticed, I'm in the 'still play CDs camp' and if you've been to HMV lately then they're still in business?  so I can't be the only one.  I DO have all my CDs ripped (mp3) on my PC and I'm not in the other camp either that thinks mp3 is a quality loss.  I'm an engineer by trade and could easily argue with anyone whether the sound differs technically to CD rate PCM  BUT...  mp3 (192k) sounds OK to me, even through a pair of BL5s from an average DELL sound chip :-) 

    So I get my Beosound 5 set up but most likely I'll continue to use my Beo4.  Someone on here made the point that B&O did away with bulky MCP, I actually found my MCP 5500 to be brilliant (Beolink 7000, not so brilliant, other than looks). Beo5, not really took off either if we're honest. 

    B&O need to not lose sight of what the customer thinks, before they run off and get too self indulgent in such things as Beosound 5.  It's a great idea, jus not great enough... but to be fair, now that everything is digital and hard media is going away then there really is little room to innovate significantly and a large margin for error in 'how the customer will react.'  There is now less opportunity for GREAT ideas (Beogram 4000 - Beocord 9000 etc) to be slaved over and introduced to the world.  On a more real angle, I'm partially sighted (but have good ears thankfully).  However, I found the text on the Beosound 5 display a bit hard to read and the jog wheel a bit too sensitive and it took me ages to navigate. 

    There is never going to be anything to beat the experience that I'm sure most of us on here have, which is the ease of control from a Beo remote in your hand, that you know where all the buttons are without looking. The power of the thumb will reign over the power of the cursor :-)

    I own about 6 Pink Floyd CDs...  on Windows Media Player, I type in Pi... and if I'm lucky I get my entire collection.  Then I press play on my keyboard.  P is about two thrids the way into the alphabet, which is a LOT of scrolling with the jog wheel on Beosound 5.  NOW, a voice activated title select on Beocound device really would take off!!!!  Come on, practically every 0845 number you dial has one on the back end of it :-)   My BL5s are clever enough to be self aware and have a built in microphone so I'll expect to see a B&O produce that listen's to you and what you want, even if the designers are forgetting to now days.

    Jack

    BV10(40) BV8-32, BV3-32, MX7000, DVD1, HDR1, V8000

    Beomedia-1, BS9000, BC7002, BC2300, BS5500, BM6500, BGCD6500, BM1900-2

    BL5, BL8000, BL6000, BL Penta3, BL3500

    Beovox MC120.2, 3000 Panels, CX50s, C75s, AND LOTS WIRES, BOOkS, MAGS n BITS (ebay sales: beo-store-uk)

  • 04-09-2009 12:47 PM In reply to

    • Alex
    • Top 25 Contributor
    • Joined on 04-16-2007
    • Bath & Cardiff, UK
    • Posts 2,990
    • Bronze Member

    Re: Beosound 5 - Is it worth the effort (NOW)?

    I hate to disagree with you but I can't really think of anything I'd hate more than a voice-activated sound system.

    Firstly, it's doing no more than disconnect the listener/user further from their music IMO (which digital media has already gone part the way to doing). Secondly, I'd feel like a complete nutcase talking to my stereo. Thirdly, it opens the system up hugely for accidental control. Fourthly, there are already voice activated systems out there, what would make B&O's different?

     

    RE the inclusion of a DVD or Blu-Ray player, why would you want a DVD player in a sound system? Surely the Blu-Ray player should be kept for the TV...

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