TripEnglish:

So far the disappointments are your own inventions.

Of course the disappointments are my own, but I hinge them on what you say won't be possible.

You also reference two products incorrectly: Beo5 MkII (I assume you mean the Beo6)

and BeoSound 5 MkII (which is a bigger error).

See above.

I really can't see why you're so hung up on the naming. The naming is part of the marketing. Nothing more, nothing less.

You also mention that the BeoSound 5 does not stream music over WiFi. Who told you this?That's among the many things it does do.

I thought you, TripEnglish, hinted to that.

You also mention the BeoLink wireless, which is redundant in NetLink as all devices are WiFi enabled, making a limited and proprietary system of boxes obsolete.

Sounds good, but unless they intend to roll out wireless speakers (I sure hope not, the magnetic fields will make it a pain), and expect us all to buy those new wifi-enabled speakers, a wireless box with digital out is crucial, or at least the capability to talk to a third party "receiver" with digital out such as a squeezebox.

Why don't you relax and wait for the future to happen. In the meantime you can continue to let the enchanting majesty of the squeezebox wash over you.

I already told you, I'm not very fond of it, and I'd love to upgrade to a BS5 MKII/Encore, not downgrade to cable clutter and less functionality.

Just because I point to another product on the market which does all what I think the BS5 versions should do, doesn't mean I like to "let the enchanting majesty of the squeezebox wash over" me.  It means I have a standard and are not blinded by bling at the cost of functionality, but would like to have that bling if the functionality was there. I want the Encore/MKII to be a great product I could buy and enjoy on a daily basis, and allow me to get rid of my Squeezeboxes, instead of having to have parallel products, where one doesn't really cut it in the funcitonality department. I don't want to run a parallel setup, and I certainly don't want to look at two setups, so the lesser one would have to go - or in the real world, I'd just not buy the lesser product. 

Is it clear now that I don't particularly like my Squeezeboxes and that I'm looking for a nicer - and at least as practical - solution?

Electrified,

For sure every B&O fan is anxious about the new products but bear in mind that Trip is kind enough to share information and so far he is one of the few that have done that. So don't kill the messenger after all is not his fault if B&O nails it with the new products or not.

And hey let's don't forget we are talking about a product that has not even been launched yet!

I'm not trying to kill the messenger. I am bitching about the product if it pans out as per Trip's information.

I am grateful that he does divulge information. I just hope that Struer does this right when the product materialise and we are able to buy it.

This thread should be renamed "BeoSound 5 Encore tech specs", don't you think?

I hope B&O will learn from the past & offer improvements on the Encore such as:

- gapless playback in NMUSIC mode (otherwise I'll keep my BeoPort with BMLink)

- Apple Lossless playback (if all Ipod docks can do it, sure B&O can do it..?)

- full artist/track name display in NRADIO mode (not like on current PC-based products: I shifted from BeoPort software to BMLink for this reason)

- wi-fi 802N for more speed and above all, less interference with other wi-fi products using 802g

- possibility to use the Encore as an audio master, and to use the Beo4 hard keys to turn on the sources (= RADIO for NRADIO, CD for USB/extra aux.device, and AMEM for NMUSIC, rather than going through the painful LIST procedure)

If it doesn't do all this, people like me will keep using BMLink with a BeoPort box and buy an Iphone or Ipod Touch (not an Ipad, it's more expensive than a Beo5!) to use it as a real 2-way remote with Itunes. And for further integration with other B&O gear, there's even Philippe's solution with Linkplayer..so pls Struer, surprise us!

Chrisreunion:

- Apple Lossless playback (if all Ipod docks can do it, sure B&O can do it..?)

iPod docks are not reading the MP3s, the iPod does. The iPod is gapless, not the dock.

Electrified. I appreciate that you're looking for a specific solution, but you're going well beyond what has been discussed and making assumptions that are already affecting the performance of the product. I have discussed several characteristics of the product, but not all of them. There have to be some surprises on launch day.

And naming is important. I'm "hung up" on it because names represent specific products and you're conflating facts to form an imagined picture of what these products will do and how they interact. If you don't like being corrected, make fewer errors.

Whatever happens on launch day (and there's still items tbd as far as that), there is a cohesive picture of the new product line-up that goes well beyond the Encore. If you still don't like it this winter, you'll probably like it this coming summer, and on and on...

TripEnglish:

Electrified. I appreciate that you're looking for a specific solution, but you're going well beyond what has been discussed and making assumptions that are already affecting the performance of the product. I have discussed several characteristics of the product, but not all of them. There have to be some surprises on launch day.

And naming is important. I'm "hung up" on it because names represent specific products and you're conflating facts to form an imagined picture of what these products will do and how they interact. If you don't like being corrected, make fewer errors.

Whatever happens on launch day (and there's still items tbd as far as that), there is a cohesive picture of the new product line-up that goes well beyond the Encore. If you still don't like it this winter, you'll probably like it this coming summer, and on and on...

I think this is about as good as it is going to be as least for awhile.  At least we know, there will be options and I now know that for any new cabling, I should use Cat 7 wiring.  I am willing to wait for the surprise and if I don't like it, I won't buy.  The iPod dock must be coming out soon because my dealer asked if I was interested in it.  I am not.  I recently purchased a new iPod nano in red which as least to me sounds better than recent iPods and iPhones.

Thanks Trip for the hints.  I can wait.

A couple questions Trip:

  Will the BS5 Encore be a 'portable' piece?  I anticipate not,but am curious.

Also, beonet seems to be doing away with Beolink Wireless. . since it appears some type of wireless communication will be built in.

Lastly, will the BS5 Encore use the B&O software currently in place for the Beomedia/BM5 or something new to access the data on your NAS or comp?

Thanks

MJM

Third time's a charm - My post has been disappearing for some odd reason.

Beophile.com writes that the Encore will have the ability to play compressed files from your iTunes library on your computer. That has me worried: Why the need to specify "compressed"? Hopefully it's a brainfart, and they haven't actually removed the ability to play lossless.

@electrified :

As Lossless is actually compressed files, there is still hope...

mbee:

@electrified :

As Lossless is actually compressed files, there is still hope...

That's not what one usually refers to when using the word "compressed". Rather, it's usually synonymous with lossy files, such as MP4/AAC, MP3, MP2, ATRAC etc.

Dear B&O,

(especially the R&D of B&O)

which era do you think you guys are living in, gazing at sheep through your factory's windows?

insisting on disasterious bs5 and/or bm5, really?

you can buy a mac mini and an ipad together for a thousand euros and play not only audio but also video files through the hdmi into the beocenter 3 and through it whichever monitor(s) and speakers you wish, and also play same files on the very ipad too, wirelessly.

so until the time you begin to imagine to top that kind of flexibility, cease any further media serving-link room distributing-digital music organising/playing (or trying to do those things anyway) products, for your own sake...

also abandon any existing or planned remote controllers because the beolink app for ipod/iphone is the best ever remote you guys have come up with and it gives the user the convenience to control B&O and non-B&O products(thru MLGW) and to use the fabulous apple remote app all on the very same device...

I have invested over fifty thousand euros in your products in the last 3 years (mostly speakers including a pair of fantastic bl5s) and i am beginning to hate your brand because of the lack of imagination and inspiration of your department (R&D).

but to be fair I must say that i think future 3d tvs (if you are planning to adopt), netlink and future digital speakers and maybe the beosound 8 are steps taken in the right direction, so keep it real, please, for once in the last decade and concentrate on those areas while continuing on enhancing the products you already succeed in like speakers and home telephones (and maybe some recent TVs like 10 or 8, although the fact that they are cruelly over priced)

I'm not sure what you mean by "future" digital speakers. The BL5s are digital in that they have a DAC in them. Or do you mean other speakers that may come with a DAC in the future? I mean, such as some DAC'd BL9s?

I'm with you on the useability front, but I hesitate to use Apple as an example, because it's quite the closed system. But more useability and flexibility is needed if they want to play ball with the iPod generation and the rest of the digital league.

Edit:

I somehow missed to address this:

furkank:

also abandon any existing or planned remote controllers because the beolink app for ipod/iphone is the best ever remote you guys have come up with

I have to disagree. I don't want to use a touch screen-only remote. No matter which company made it. I want to be able to feel the buttons without looking - at least the most used ones. Further, I don't think it would be a smart move to hinge all one's media integration and useability on a third party product, and even a closed eco system such as the iPhone/iPad/iPod/itunes setup. In fact, I think that doing so would make the rest of the B&O setup, excluding the speakers superfluous. If you needed an iPod/iPhone/iPad to control things, you also need iTunes, and with that you might as well disregard the rest of the hardware from B&O, apart from their speakers.

I am working on a solution that will bring usability and BEO4 remote capabilies.

1. Touchscreen PC running i-tunes - Kiosk solution, can be controlled via iphone/ipod/ipad remote as well (music on RAID 5 NAS)

2. Lintronic solution to use Beo4 - Convert the Beo4 signals to IR codes understood by the PC reciever

3. Maybe add a DAC to improve sound quality ...

All this using a Beosound 3000.

Ralf

PS: Better - but more expensive - solution would be an upcoming imac touch with beoport and linkplayer....

Indeed a Mac mini with USB dac running linkplayer, with beo4/ipod touch or ipad for control,  is a pretty sweet combo as it is.
All is connected in my case to a beosystem 7000. 

Both the ipad or a beo4 can be used, depending on how interactive you want to get. The portability and versatility of this system is truly liberating... 

Electrified:

In fact, I think that doing so would make the rest of the B&O setup, excluding the speakers superfluous. If you needed an iPod/iPhone/iPad to control things, you also need iTunes, and with that you might as well disregard the rest of the hardware from B&O, apart from their speakers.

 

exactly how i feel like doing nowadays.

doing all the storage and media file handling by apple's (or some other vendor's, naim server is a nice alternative) products, controlling those with iwhatevers and using only B&O speakers in a setup.

i used to adore B&O as a teenager but in the last fifteen years they were very slow even backwards in terms of innovation. so i sadly say that current B&O products apart from speakers, telephones and car audio items are out of date. i have also come to like some of their recent tv sets just because they also accomodate well performing speakers (BV8 and BV10) but that's about it. all audio products of B&O are out of date (excluding BS8 of course) BV4s are nothing more than pana panels in shiny aluminum cases, i won't even comment on BC2 and BV6, BeoSys3 lacks digital outputs to speakers like BL5s and future BL9s also lacks hdmi 1.4 and any network connection even usb and it costs a fortune too, actually all the video product range lacks price competitiveness along with any 3D features, link devices are age old (hence netlink is a late but right move to make), beo5 is a lost cause so no need to insist on it with the introduction of beo6, beoport is a too little too late situation and finally BS5 (encore or not) is a pointless device bearing MOTS as the only thing as an innovation. (check out naim's solutions for digital audio since squeezeboxes are despised on this forum, while trying to embrace the opportunities which Marantz's and denon's players with airplay are about to bring keeping in mind that we are living in a world where everyone has an apple product to keep their digital music stored) It was already out of date when it was first introduced, now it's a joke. well, a good looking one...