Beoplay A9 - Technical questions / comments

54 replies
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Offline
critchlg (archived2)
Bronze
Posted February 8, 2013 at 10:04 GMT
#1989486

Hi,

I purchased an A9 before Christmas and have some experiences to share in the hope that some questions will be answered.

I had to switch my network settings from WPA2 - TKIP, to AES to get the A9 to connect to WiFi

The ping pong noise it makes when registering on a network occurs randomly about twice a day. Sometimes in the early hours, almost like it is dropping off the network, then re-registering. B&O advised me to buy a new Cisco router as they can only confirm compatibility with the routers they test with.

When playing via Airplay the sounds drops out randonmly. I've switched to a LAN cable to see if it was the WiFi signal and it still does it.

If you look closely there is an optical input next to the LAN port. This isn't advertised so I expect a firmware upgrade in the future may activate this allowing an optical input.

Some DLNA clients work well and adjust the volume, some don't control the volume at all. Its worth checking before you buy one.

Stereo separation isn't great but having a single unit allows for some great placement options.

Replacing the cover is very simply but you need to smooth the edges to remove any ripples in the fabric

Overall I love the A9. If anyone can shed any experiences that would resolve the above points I'd be greatful.

No, the B&O shop were pleasant but not very helpful

EL
Offline
elephant
BronzeFounder
Posted February 8, 2013 at 11:03 GMT
#1989487

Thanks Gavin - good feedback; and BTW welcome to B&O and Beoworld

I am not sure which one of the two is more addictive 😁

You said

Some DLNA clients work well and adjust the volume, some don't control the volume at all. Its worth checking before you buy one.

Do tell us which one you settle on 

A(
Offline
Abhi81 (archived2)
Bronze
Posted February 8, 2013 at 16:51 GMT
#1989488

Hello Gavin

First of all how old or new is your router.  As I had a problem when connecting a A9 to a old router and the unit kept cutting out and sometimes lost connection.  I done a firmware update on the Router and all the problems were solved.

As for DLNA streaming software UPNP Bubble is a good one.

Millemis
Offline
Millemis
Bronze
Posted February 8, 2013 at 21:56 GMT
#1989489

Hi Gavin,

I would definitely consider buying a new router, if upgrading doesn't help!.

Coax-input? There is a hole for resetting... I haven't heard of any coax..

Could you make a picture of it, perhaps?

BubbleUPnP is Android by the way - for iOS I would recommend PlugPlayer

Greetings Millemissen

Location: Flensborg————Danmark

M(
Offline
MartinW (archived2)
Bronze
Posted February 8, 2013 at 22:57 GMT
#1989490
Hi Gavin, when you tested the A9 using a network cable to prevent wireless dropouts, what you may be experiencing is that your iPhone which is sending the Airplay wirelessly to the router is dropping out.

I have an iPhone running iOS6.1 and it isn't great at Airplay - it was much better when it had iOS 5.

I have a iPad running iOS 5 and the Airplay is perfect, same house, same router, same devices!
M(
Offline
MikaelHansen (archived2)
Bronze
Posted February 11, 2013 at 09:59 GMT
#1989491

I also have the A9 and have experienced the same problems as you describe.

I too have noticed that the A9 seems to reconnect to the network at random. Havn't noticed any real pattern and it hasnt effected my use of the A9. The only reason i noticed it, is because if the ping pong sound when it starting up. To me it seems like its restarting, not reconnecting. This sounds like a bug of some sorts.

Regarding the sound drop outs, I've tracked the problem down to my iPhone 5. My hand is enough to block the signal. My router is about 2-3 years old and is up-to-date in firmware.

But enough with the negative, my postive feedback is similar to yours. Love the sound, though the stereo separation could be better. A trade off when buying a single unit. Some reviews are complaining over ripples in the fabric. I have had none of those problems what so ever. My guess is that they suck at mounting the fabric, which by the way isn't hard at all.

 

 

M(
Offline
MartinW (archived2)
Bronze
Posted February 11, 2013 at 13:24 GMT
#1989492
I have seen things drop off our store network and come back a lot - wifi is very tricky and Airplay seems to be at the forefront of things that find tricky networks difficult.

To solve it, assuming hardwiring is not an option, you need to find a wifi channel that is not congested, turn off any wireless networks not in use etc.

However I discovered a very clear fact with my BeoLit 12 that lead me to believe there may be iOS involved here too - I have an iPhone 4s running iOS6 and the drop outs between that and my BeoLit are very frustrating. I also have an iPad 1 running iOS5, same router, same house, same BeoLit - it has never ever dropped out when streaming to the BeoLit 12.

?
B(
Offline
BeoBoy68 (archived2)
Bronze
Posted February 11, 2013 at 15:31 GMT
#1989493

Bluetooth technologie is better like Airplay ! Why Beo don't use and integrate it ?!

E(
Offline
Electrified (archived2)
Bronze
Posted February 11, 2013 at 15:39 GMT
#1989494

BeoBoy68 wrote:

Bluetooth technologie is better like Airplay ! Why Beo don't use and integrate it ?!

 

You're kidding right?

 

In case you're not kidding:

Bluetooth is poor -as in "really, really bad" - for both range and bandwidth (and thus poor audio quality), not to mention security.

 

 

Millemis
Offline
Millemis
Bronze
Posted February 11, 2013 at 16:38 GMT
#1989495

Still waiting for 'AirPlay over Bluetooth 4.0' 👍

Greetings Millemissen

Location: Flensborg————Danmark

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