Ok, i've had my BS2 for a couple of weeks now, got it off ebay in really good nick. It's SO gorgeous and beautiful,  i love the simplicity, what a wonderful design!

I'm trying so desperately to love it, i am. But... It's just not doing it for me. Discovered it only reads an SD ripped with a USB 1.0 port which takes 45 minutes per GB but my BS4 reads an SD ripped with a USB 2.0 port?! (the reason i got a BS2 was to utilise the SD in harmony with the BS4), there is white noise 100% of the time even when paused, there is a frightening lack of bass... so is there something wrong with my BS2? Or is my hearing too sharp. Please someone tell me.

The ipod had no white noise, and had a lot more bass when needed, but gawd it was ugly, so... i'm torn!

welcome to beosound 2, the greatest mp3 player ever.

Hey David

This is probably going to sound opportunistic, and I'm afraid I don't know anything about Beosound 2 sound quality, but I was bidding on your Beosound (I'm in Perth) but you beat me to it! If by any chance you do decide it's not what you want I'd be very keen to buy it from you.

Cheers
Stuart
 

Beo:

welcome to beosound 2, the greatest mp3 player ever.

As the time invented beosound 2, it was the world of USB 1.0, and there was 128MB, 256MB cards usually, so USB 1.0 is very obvious for the connection speed. So now, they allow you to write to SD card by USB 2.0 and put it into the player. So you can use Beosound 4 for the input media. 

About white noise, yes, there is some noises. But it does not affect the listening pleasure. Actually the best media, LP, always have some noises too, but all audiophiles love it. Also, BS2 noises does not affect the dynamic range and the details of music. In short, noises present, but no big deal.

About bass, well, B&O has not really a bass lover. Too much bass will make the music unbalanced, and cover a lot of details in mid and high. Personally, I feel the bass of BS2 is strong enough, even for some bass-heavy music. Well... I guess most B&O fans don't enjoy Sony "Mega Bass" like bass sound.

Good luck to you, I believe it is a very great mp3 player, give you full and rich sound that I have never heard in other players before. 

No, white noise is very irritating, and very much affects my listening pleasure. LP was a very long time ago my friend and we've come a long way since then. The lack of bass is foul on my ears, and unbalanced. There must be something wrong with it, there just has to be. It's unpleasant to listen to. The sound quality that i'm experiencing absolutely can not be what reviewers are raving about. White noise, acceptable? My @rs#

David:

Ok, i've had my BS2 for a couple of weeks now, got it off ebay in really good nick. It's SO gorgeous and beautiful,  i love the simplicity, what a wonderful design!

I'm trying so desperately to love it, i am. But... It's just not doing it for me. Discovered it only reads an SD ripped with a USB 1.0 port which takes 45 minutes per GB but my BS4 reads an SD ripped with a USB 2.0 port?! (the reason i got a BS2 was to utilise the SD in harmony with the BS4), there is white noise 100% of the time even when paused, there is a frightening lack of bass... so is there something wrong with my BS2? Or is my hearing too sharp. Please someone tell me.

The ipod had no white noise, and had a lot more bass when needed, but gawd it was ugly, so... i'm torn!

I think that the BeoSound 2 you have has a few issues, firstly BS2 will work perfectly with USB 2.0 but will copy at USB 1.1 speed.  Secondly, the whole point of the BS4, BS3, BS2 campaign is that you can move SD cards between products and finally the BS 2 I use has no such issues with white noise and certainly is not lacking in bass.

The first thing I would do (if you haven't done it already) is update the firmware via the B&O website.  Did your A8 earphones come with it or did you already have them?  are they correct and not copies? do they perform properly when plugged into another device like BS4?

Let us know how you get on, it doesn't sound like any BS2 I've ever used.

Agree. Mine always seemed very quiet as far as noise was concerned and I suspect it actually has a slight bass lift at lower volumes. It has better sound quality than my iPods though is less easy to use. I have never had any problems using USB2 ports though it is slow.

Where did it come from? Could it be a cheap copy from China?

Well, i had the earphones from B&O brand new, then bought this, with original packaging, (warranty booklet, instruction booklet etc...) But it could be faulty if thats the case, then i'll buy a new one from a dealer. I'm checking it out tomorrow. Yeah i thought the white noise was unacceptable, could it be a fault from abuse?

I would be suprised if it was damaged because of abuse, but anything is possible.  It can be repaired of course, the PCB could be replaced.  Why not go to your dealer and try one out with your own A8's and compare them.

 Incidently, just because it's got paperwork does not rule out a copy.  I hope it isn't though.

meandmyshadow:

I think that the BeoSound 2 you have has a few issues, firstly BS2 will work perfectly with USB 2.0 but will copy at USB 1.1 speed.  Secondly, the whole point of the BS4, BS3, BS2 campaign is that you can move SD cards between products and finally the BS 2 I use has no such issues with white noise and certainly is not lacking in bass.

The first thing I would do (if you haven't done it already) is update the firmware via the B&O website.  Did your A8 earphones come with it or did you already have them?  are they correct and not copies? do they perform properly when plugged into another device like BS4?

BS2 will work perfectly with USB 2.0 but will copy at USB 1.1 speed.

True.

That´s why I use a standard SD card reader to fill 2Gb cards using USB 2.0 write speed through windows xp explorer.

the whole point of the BS4, BS3, BS2 campaign is that you can move SD cards between products

True again. 

 the BS 2 I use has no such issues with white noise

Same with mine. 

certainly is not lacking in bass

Agree 100% with meandmyshadow

 

 

OK there is nothing wrong with the BS2, it has been compared with another BS2, and also an iPod, and the sounds was totally identical. Including the white noise i hear. I must have super hearing, because i seem to be the only one with these complaints. My partner actually reckons i have an insensitivity to lower frequencies, how is that possible?? I must percieve sound differently to others. The sound from a BS2 in undoubtedly clear and accurate however. Should i apply for a job on the listening panel??

i really understand what you did talk about, but i know it's present, it does not mean I hate it. I really feel the so called "white noise" and "lack of bass" is acceptable in my standard.

A job on the Listening Panel would be probably the best job in all of Bang & Olufsen... If you really want this, there is no reason that you couldn't do it.

I'd be jealous....

I'm only 20, and live in Australia, but wouldn't know how to apply for such a job!

I'm sure it's not as glamorous as is sounds, i assume it still requires dedication and hard work like most occupations.