Jandyt:

Thanks for starting this thread John.
Up until now, I had no intentions of ever having a Beosound 2. I see those that do have them, enthuse greatly, I will get one shortly.

Andy T.

I can understand an enthusiast having a BS2 but, with any degree of practicallty, surely a big(ger) iPod wins the day! - more songs, at a higher (even lossless) resolution, wins the day. (I like to cart my whole catalogue around with me - you never know when the urge strikes)!

No probs Andy. I'm genuinely surprised by how much people love them, in much the same way as I was about Avants until I got my RF earlier this year. I'm definitely getting one now!

Puncher - if you're used to a 2Gb Nano like I am, it's no problem to have to be selective about what songs you carry with you. I really don't rate the sound quality of my Nano at all, so am swayed by the promise of better quality from the BS2 :) 

Jandyt:

Thanks for starting this thread John.
Up until now, I had no intentions of ever having a Beosound 2. I see those that do have them, enthuse greatly, I will get one shortly.

Andy T.

I can understand an enthusiast having a BS2 but, with any degree of practicallty, surely a big(ger) iPod wins the day! - more songs, at a higher (even lossless) resolution, wins the day. (I like to cart my whole catalogue around with me - you never know when the urge strikes)!

No probs Andy. I'm genuinely surprised by how much people love them, in much the same way as I was about Avants until I got my RF earlier this year. I'm definitely getting one now!

Puncher - if you're used to a 2Gb Nano like I am, it's no problem to have to be selective about what songs you carry with you. I really don't rate the sound quality of my Nano at all, so am swayed by the promise of better quality from the BS2 :) 

j0hnbarker,

Yes, and I clearly did not state the obvious. My experience is that it is much faster. Also, the independence from the BS2 base with respect to music management allows you to put the base anywhere you want since you do not have to get to the USB plug. Mine now sits in a spot where it can nicely display the BS2.

As I understand the workings, the new firmware allows the BS2 to scan a SD card that has been "filled" with a card reader (scan operation on BS2: hold the two "down" buttons down for two seconds and wait for an audio feedback). The card reader and your USB type will control the speed at which files can be transferred. Unfortunately the B&O site link to a supplementary guide on how to use the card reader with a BS2 is not active at this time. However, after querying on this board about some issues I was having elicited an immediate response from Keith on the essential verbiage from that supplemental guide (see thread "Beosound 2 and card readers").

Hi John,

I purchased a BS2 a couple of years ago but found Beoplayer impossible.

It took me 3 months to get 6 albums on a 1G card and i just gave up.

I purchased an iphone 3 months ago and managed to get 80 albums on over a weekend.

I use my A8's with my iphone and i personally can't notice any sound difference between BS2 and iphone.

Having said that, i will still keep my BS2 even though i don't really know why!

Jumbo

j0hnbarker:

One thing I did pick up on: am I right in thinking that if you use a card reader you can get a quicker file transfer rate than using the dock? Henry did point out that the file transfer was slow using the dock and the older USB format. Does this get around it, and is it easy to upgrade the firmware?

Hi John,

Yes the transfer speed of your card reader should be much faster. I have just got used to using the docking station and BeoPlayer so I doubt I'll change that routine, however it might be best for you to use a card reader from the go if you can. Depending upon how new or old your BeoSound 2 is you might not need to upgrade its firmware, but it's an easy job if necessary.

Great - thanks Henry/everyone. I do like the idea of using the docking station, but as I'm used to a quick file transfer rate, I'll probably go with a card reader and keep the docking station for charging/displaying the BS2 if I can.

It seems there's a real hardcore following for the BS2. Now all I need to do is find a good one so I can join the club!

John