What's that?? (I know it's a Creative product, but its look doesn't explain what it does...)

Why am I getting this feeling that BS5 is going to be... how can I put this.. crap?

 

Or that we seeming to pinning our hopes for one year on one product?

britops:

is this it? 

hope not : looks like a creative apple [design] gross.............

If the BeoSound 5 doesn't have coverflow, a touch screen, an affordable price, a multi-terabyte hard drive, support for lossless codecs that have yet to be imagined, human emotions, a socket panel that supports multiple HDMI inputs with 48fps, THX certification, a single hair from George Lucas' beard, the traces of Jacob Jensen's former brilliance, a brilliant OLED backlit OLED display, mind-meld, two-way (expandable to three way) remotes, ability to replicate itself from parts it finds around the house, FLAC something or other, magical mechanical movements, total stillness, or an iPhone dock then I'LL SET MYSELF ON FIRE!!!

The gauntlet has been thrown down, Bang & Olufsen. Your move. 

Cannot help but think that we are in for a huge let down...

Reading this and all the other threads on the direction of B&O has got me thinking... which is rare.. but has B&O placed them out of the market and become "irrelevant?" or so detatched from the market due to the markets almost schizophrenic nature of churning out constant new products that are yesterdays news the minute they are on the shelves?  In the past B&O has waited for technology to mature but is matuirty something B&O will never be able to afford with its core values etc which as we all know has become shrouded with corporate greed?

Yesterdays B&O was a long term investment, here today here tomorrow with the idea that upgrades would be forthcoming etc but now.... (to me) everything just seems to be the opposite of B&O that I know and I think that BS5 will reinforce this when we do get the low down on what the mystery is behind the secrecy....

I think I am in the wrong thread... but me personally, I am not into all the latest rages etc, I want a product that will be looked on then as if it was launched then, think BC9500 and BS9000.. no frills just sheer genius in design and technology.. not a product for the "I got it first" brigade or for the seasonal consumer.

 

TripEnglish:

If the BeoSound 5 doesn't have coverflow, a touch screen, an affordable price, a multi-terabyte hard drive, support for lossless codecs that have yet to be imagined, human emotions, a socket panel that supports multiple HDMI inputs with 48fps, THX certification, a single hair from George Lucas' beard, the traces of Jacob Jensen's former brilliance, a brilliant OLED backlit OLED display, mind-meld, two-way (expandable to three way) remotes, ability to replicate itself from parts it finds around the house, FLAC something or other, magical mechanical movements, total stillness, or an iPhone dock then I'LL SET MYSELF ON FIRE!!!

The gauntlet has been thrown down, Bang & Olufsen. Your move. 

Trip,

Wouldn't it be really cool if Beosound 5 could really do all those things.  However if it is based on the Beomedia 1, the operating system is an imbedded 2 year old version of Windows XP.  I am sure the B&O developers can do some amazing things but this time I am going to wait and see what is actually released.  In the meantime, I will keep my Beomedia 1.  I was thinking of selling it but have changed my mind.

I hope that is a big gauntlet you are going to throw at B&O. 

Here's my guess, having seen the physical BeoSound 5 plus a film on the interface (this doesn't really enlighten one to the actual capabilities, simply how it will look and how you will interact with it). 

I think that it will be exactly what many have been looking for on the day it's launched and will grow into what others are looking for over time. I know that Bang & Olufsen's strategy (as much as has been stated) is to combat the pace of technology by making things as open and upgradable as possible.

If you think of the BeoSound 5 as a beautiful screen with some up close controls and put aside what software may be running on it, you could certainly imagine that over time upgrades will develop it into a more and more capable product as certain features reach maturity. That's the beauty of the physical design as I see it. I will buy the BeoSound 5 immediately as I know I will always want to look over and see it on my credenza, whereas I'm already impressed with the software, but will be pleased as the BeoSound 5 more accurately reflects current technology than my beloved BeoSound 9000, BeoCenter 9500, BeoCenter 2500, etc. ever could.

While this strategy doesn't work the same way for television screens, "content boxes" can employ this strategy very well and so Bang & Olufsen can focus on making a timeless cabinet for an ever changing software engine inside it. 

I do have to say, though, that everything I've seen about the BeoSound 5 (such as the BeoSound 5 itself) has blown me away. I personally expect a blockbuster. 

Trip,

Would my Beocenter 2 have a rival if I were to get Beosound 5?  I would have to find more space in my condo.

The advantage of the Beomedia 1 is that it is hidden and doesn't clash with the BC2.  Is this going to be B&O clutter?  This must explain why B&O sells a large cabinet to hide things.  I thought B&O was about design and minimalism. 

Linder,

Happy troubles! as we say.

I think it's great that many of the members here (myself included) have had to find ways to deal with multiple audio systems. I recall recently a part of a thread where many people confessed to having a BeoCenter 2 and a BeoSound 9000 in the same room.

To answer your question, part of that (the BeoMedia integration) is unclear as of yet. I'm sure as we know more (maybe July) the info will trickle onto the boards. I would say, however, as one of the proud and few BeoMedia owners, that I'm not personally concerned with a clash.

Time will tell if I end up putting the BeoSound 5 in the same room as my BeoMedia, but the two (from everything we currently know) should work together toward different purposes. The BeoSound 5 would essentially be an outpost for a room which doesn't have on-screen access to the BeoMedia. The content would be the same, but I might browse the BeoMedia on my Avant and then access a BeoSound 5 in my office where no TV currently exists.

So, like many of our products, the user will determine the best setup (and the acceptable level of redundancy!) for him or her. I would not, however, worry about the BeoSound 5 making either or your current products unnecessary.   

Trip 

Trip – I was about to get a Beosound4/Beolab3 set-up. Do you think I should hang on for the 5? Any idea of price difference?  Mason

Mason, 

It really depends. I will buy it as both a collector and someone who has well over 100GB of music versus 20 or so CDs. To me, the all digital concept makes sense. If you have not fully embraced this lifestyle, the BeoSound 5 might be premature. You have to be ready to give yourself to IP radio & digitally stored music totally.

If you are someone who occasionally flirts with MP3s on a portable, but listens mostly to CDs or radio at home, I think the BeoSound 4 will continue to be a dynamite choice.

Of course, the BeoLab 3s are brilliant for any system!

As for the price, honestly I wouldn't even take a crack at it. I've heard everything from cheaper than the BeoSound 4 to more expensive than the BeoSound 9000 and all from theoretically reputable sources. I think it's closer to TBD than anything else.

I hope this helps.   

TripEnglish:

... I think it's closer to TBD than anything else.

TBD? What is that? I feel like I am going to learn something tonight... 

Trip,

What format is your 100GB of music.  Is it 128 kps or lossless.  How many CDs is that.  What a fishing trip?  Right?

 

Thanks, 

Tom: "To Be Determined"

 Linder: my music is in all different formats from WAV to 128kbs. I would say only a small percent (5% or so) is lossless. Recently I've been ripping at 320 (or something) kbs. I have long avoided buying music with DRM encoding and generally buy CDs, rip them, and sell them back to a record store or borrow from friends. This way nearly all of my music is now on my BeoMedia and soon on the BeoSound 5. (or maybe both)

As for the name, it's a nickname. I'm ________ ________ the third. (3 = triple = trip) Long way to go, but it's fairly common in the North Eastern United States.

Good Morning,

I can't understand, too that people are "slamming" at other companies equipment that is NOT labeled with "B&O".
B&O is not the God of the audio world and they don't have the easiest to operate products.

 
So where is the problem to merge and combine products to get the most out of the product experience you would like to have at your home?

See the Beo 5 remote control. When I saw it for the first time I thought "THIS is my next universal remote" - but then I learned that it is not so universal and you can't control equipment from other companies out of the box.

So if you look for example at the Sonos-System and play with it for yourself you will realise very soon: "They know how to do this!" and this would be a realy cool partner for your B&O-Audiosystem! With the Sonos-Controller you can fly through your library like on an ipod and you can see what's playin in every room when you take the controller with you or put one in every room. Comfortable, easy(!) to operate, high quality and "computer free" as you can use a simple NAS to store your music.

You can hide everything except your B&O Soundsystem and have a comfortable audiolibrarysystem.

 

It's not B&O but in combination with B&O it's just sooo nice.

 

Verdict:

I strongly hope that B&O will make it right this time. The designer shouldn't have the last word!  The product has to be ergonomic, high quality and the real B&O-WoW-effect to survive on the market. And their shouldn't be any "made in china" sign in this market!

 

 

Trip,

Sorry about the pun.  I am a 3 also 

TWG,

I too have been impressed with certain aspects of the Sonos system, but it is not a complete solution and my loyalty to Bang & Olufsen comes largely from the completeness of the solutions. If I need a Sonos controller for one task and a universal remote for severl others, then this is not the experience I wish to have. Nor is it the experience that our core clientele wish to have.

I think RussR put it very eloquently that we are a rare breed in our general use and expectations of the products. General Bang & Olufsen clients wish simple operation over an abundance of features.

Of course many of us have successfully used our equipment in unorthodox ways, but there are things I've done myself that I would never want Bang & Olufsen to incorporate as a native feature. I have found in selling the gear that customers' faces tend to light up as they're introduced to the simplicity versus the capability.

BTW, the designer should always have the first, middle, and last say. As I have posted in my office: "You can search the parks in all your cities, you'll find no statues of comitees." A designer can certainly be wrong (see Karim Rashid), but they should never be constrained. Otherwise hire a team and don't pretend to be design driven.

 

TripEnglish:

TWG,

I too have been impressed with certain aspects of the Sonos system, but it is not a complete solution and my loyalty to Bang & Olufsen comes largely from the completeness of the solutions. If I need a Sonos controller for one task and a universal remote for severl others, then this is not the experience I wish to have. Nor is it the experience that our core clientele wish to have.

I think RussR put it very eloquently that we are a rare breed in our general use and expectations of the products. General Bang & Olufsen clients wish simple operation over an abundance of features.

Of course many of us have successfully used our equipment in unorthodox ways, but there are things I've done myself that I would never want Bang & Olufsen to incorporate as a native feature. I have found in selling the gear that customers' faces tend to light up as they're introduced to the simplicity versus the capability.

BTW, the designer should always have the first, middle, and last say. As I have posted in my office: "You can search the parks in all your cities, you'll find no statues of comitees." A designer can certainly be wrong (see Karim Rashid), but they should never be constrained. Otherwise hire a team and don't pretend to be design driven.

 

 

Hi Trip,

I share your opinion that having 2 remote controls for one task is not the complete solution and that's what I'm searching for, too!

I would LOVE to access my digital music from every room with a Beo 4 or Beo 5 in the right way!

 The term "simplicity" is not available on all B&O products. In my personal view the Serene and Beosound 3 are good examples for this:

- Serene:

Not very ergonomic and the worst example for "The design HAS to be different from all others, no matter if this will end in an user unfriendly product

- Beosound 3:  

Ask a friend that has never seen it to set up the MP3-Alarm or the clock: It's a difficult task and not "simple".
And I'm missing an aux-input - but I'm working on a solution for this ;-)

 

The Sonos was just an example to show the direction I would love to see from B&O - and I still love B&O ;-)

Design is an important aspect on B&O products and most of them are very good designed!
But  as a  customer of B&O I want to purchase easy to operate high quality in a well designed package.
If I see "made in china" and feel no difference to other companies products, I don't know why to choose B&O anymore ... their current TVs and some quality problems on the Beosound 4 are a good example.

I just hope that B&O goes back to its roots with the Beosound 5 and deliver an easy, high quality(!) product that will be worth the money and not something rebadged from a company like Samsung ...

Beosound 5:

- "Made in Denmark" build quality like a tank (not those BOSE "made in china" things ...)

- Simple, easy, FAST and logic operation

- decent and nice design that looks like a real Bang & Olufsen thing

-  high quality technical value (noise free audio output, wav, mp3 ... support)

- link display suppport (e.g.: See what's playing on your Beolab 3500 or Beosound 3000, Beosound 9000 ...)


I'm not as eloquently in english as I'm in my mother language but I hope it is understandable.

My personal question to TRIP:

Are you an employee of B&O?

And do you know when we realy see the Beosound 5?

 

 

 

TWG,

I am indeed an employee of Bang & Olufsen. As for when we'll really see the BeoSound 5... can't say for certain. This fall is 90% certain I would say, but it will be later in the summer before we know much more about the product's release.

I am also, by education at least, a psychologist specializing in "human factors" which deals directly with how we interact with our environments and the objects that populate them. I chose this over industrial design because of what I saw as a move toward "ornamentation" as design. Most industrial design in the US is taught at Art Schools. It has also given me a unique perspective on the issue of usability.

You mention specifically the Serene. While opinion on this device is polarized, I find the interface absolutely stunning. Consider the fact that these days we do very little direct dialing, but rather focus on the navigation of menus and lists, popping in and out of menu layers. The giant wheel as the focus of the interface is exactly what I would have arrived at scientifically if I were to design a new interface based on user patterns. Think of a tradition mobile phone, 60%-80% of whose real estate is occupied by alpha-numeric keypads when it's the little up & down arrows that get the majority of use. This layout is not in proportion with use, and so David Lewis made the navigation tool (the wheel) the main article of interface. Its size and central placement give it a visual affordance that draws the user to spin it and is immediately introduced to the address book. This action alone will account for over 80% of the use of the phone and it occupies, along with the screen, about 80% of the phone's surface. To me I can't think of another device that performs its intended function so elegantly.

Of course there are complaints about the difficulty of texting and I would personally have liked the ability of texting to be removed and allocated to those phones for which mobile e-mail is a primary use along with voice calls. The iPhone is my favorite, though I also like the Blackberry Pearl & its variants.

Additionally the BeoSound 3 is also quite easy. The obstacles presented to a new user are very few and operation is streamlined to eliminate any of what Edward Tufte refers to as "administrative debris" (i.e. controls, menu options, etc. that hold little relevance or are redundant). Once a user is shown how to operate the timer setting, it is easily recalled and performed.

However, as I have stated in even longer posts than this, there is no such thing as native intuition, but rather learned use patterns that have developed over time. If we are used to "bad design" then "bad design" is initially easiest for us (though I would believe it is more correct to say that it would be more "approachable" not "easier"). That does not mean, however, that learning to use "good design" will not pay dividends in greater efficiency, reduced confusion/frustration, and even potential bliss! 

Many of the capabilities of the Sonos are good, but there is still too much confusion in its operation, a lack of quality reproduction, and features (such as the control over rooms you are not in) that crowd the feature list and dilute the user experience. Ideally the device you hold in your hand should not be a giant computer, but a streamlined input device. I personally like the BeoMedia for this use, and have on-screen access from each television screen. The BeoSound 5 will be an artful solution to locations where a screen isn't present so that a richer operation will be available as opposed to the blind N.MUSIC operation in today's link rooms. 

TripEnglish:

 The BeoSound 5 will be an artful solution to locations where a screen isn't present so that a richer operation will be available as opposed to the blind N.MUSIC operation in today's link rooms. 

Can you explain... 

TripEnglish knows more about this product than most others on this site. But it is important to keep in mind that we have been given bits of information regarding a work in progress, and as TripEnglish states: we will know more this summer.

The BeoSound 5 will be the head unit. There will be a socket unit that can be kept hidden (as with the BeoCenter 2) that goes by the name BeoMaster 5. As the BeoVision 9 no longer can be factory fitted with the BeoMedia 1 current (BV9 mkIII) and future customers can retro-fit the BeoMaster 5 socket unit inside the BeoVision 9. The BeoVision 9 will, approx two months after the launch of the BeoSound 5, be available with the BeoMaster 5 factory fitted.

What is still unclear (to me, at least) is how the BeoSound 5 can interact with the BeoMedia 1 - and what do you miss out on compared to using the BeoMaster 5. The rumour is still that current BeoMedia 1 owners will get the new software / interface automatically when the BeoSound/Master 5 is launched.

Roger

Furthermore, will we be able to use the BeoSound 5 in conjunction with our existing audio master, such as Beocenter 2 or Beosound 9000? While it will be nice to have a convenient, well-organized digital music source, I would be reluctant to completely abandon a mechanical audio master. Would the BeoSound 5 complement the Beocenter 2 or Beosound 9000 in a way that the Beoport currently does? Perhaps it will use the N.Music function?

As Roger's post suggested, it is widely assumed (but I repeat: not confirmed) that the BeoSound 5 will be a product where there may be several in the house connected back to one master box. 

What I meant by the comparison to today's N.MUSIC browsing experience is that if you are not in front of your BeoPlayer software or looking at a screen with BeoMedia on it, you must use your colored keys to change sorting methods and then move forward and backward simply listening for the bits of music to tell you where you are.

This sort of navigation works well on a BeoSound 2 where only a select few albums are present, but in a room with no television screen to look at, the BeoSound 5 would allow you to walk over and navigate through your media collection with a GUI.

As for the integration with BeoMedia, that really is the big question and I've heard rumors in both directions. I know, though, that it wouldn't necessarily interfere with the BeoMedia, it simply might make it slightly redundant. Sort of like adding a BeoCom 4 to a family of BeoCom 6000s.

As for its use along side traditional audio systems, that should actually be ideal for those who can afford both. After all, we already live with multiple audio masters on the link network in different options modes. Since there will be no overlapping sources to contend with, you should be fine living with them both in the same house and even in the same room if decor allows.

An interesting technical hint, I'm pre-wiring a house where the client is greatly interested in the BeoSound 5 and I asked what cables I could run that could be used between the socket panel & the head unit (thinking of the weird BeoCenter 2 cable) and was told ML will be fine. To me this is great news for myself and all my clients who will be able to make an easy physical transition to BeoSound 5 when it arrives.  

I'd include an ethernet cable any any house wiring... just in case...