Playmaker or Essence to play NAS-drive music to BL3 and non B&O sub?

11 replies
WP
Offline
WP61
Bronze
Posted December 30, 2021 at 17:14 GMT
#2162249

I want to obtain some Beolab 3’s to run with

-          a non B&O sub,

-          streaming from FLAC files on my NAS or Android phone,

-          I assume using the B&O app on my phone as the music selection device

Q1

 Will both Playmaker and Essence Mk1 do this?

-          In particular run one Powerlink to the BL3’s and another (via Powerlink to RCA adaptor) to the sub? I assume you need just the one RJ45 for the BL3’s – which leaves the other free to drive the sub – but how do you tell the Playmaker/Essence to drive BOTH outputs at once?

Q2

In this setup I cannot see any advantage of Essence over Playmaker – am I right?

Thanks

Guy
Online
Guy
GoldModerator
Posted December 31, 2021 at 08:31 GMT
#2162250

Q1:  As far as I recall only the Mk1 Playmaker will play FLAC (see here:

Location: Warwickshire, UK

My B&O Icons:

BeoCenter-9500.png BeoCenter-9500.png
Beoremote-Beo4.png Beoremote-Beo4.png
Beovision-10.png Beovision-10.png
Beotime.png Beotime.png
Beosound.png Beosound.png
Beosound-Explore.png Beosound-Explore.png
Beosound-Essence.png Beosound-Essence.png
Beoplay-P2.png Beoplay-P2.png
Beoplay-M3.png Beoplay-M3.png
Beoplay-H4.png Beoplay-H4.png
Beoplay-H3.png Beoplay-H3.png
Beoplay-Form-2i.png Beoplay-Form-2i.png
Beoplay-Earset.png Beoplay-Earset.png
Beoplay-A2.png Beoplay-A2.png
Millemis
Offline
Millemis
Bronze
Posted December 31, 2021 at 09:38 GMT
#2162251

In addition….

Look here for differences in Playmaker MK1 and 2:

link

I’d definitely run a Playmaker hardwired - but you could try first via Wifi.

The Essence MK1 is more forgiving…….depending on your Wifi setup, of course.

The Playmaker can be volume controlled via a Beo4 or on the device itself.

For the Essence MK1 you’d need an ir-eye in addition or e.g. the Essence Remote to do that.

 

As for apps to use (on the Android phone) for FLAC playback see here:

link

 

MM

Location: Flensborg————Danmark

Millemis
Offline
Millemis
Bronze
Posted December 31, 2021 at 09:40 GMT
#2162252

Oups!

Sorry, Guy - same link as you already provided 😮

However, one can find this information in different threads on Beoworld.

MM

Location: Flensborg————Danmark

WP
Offline
WP61
Bronze
Posted December 31, 2021 at 12:18 GMT
#2162253

Thanks everyone for answers so far

So I understand so far

 - Get a MK1 Playmaker and hardwire it to the network

- No problem to drive the non B&O sub from second set of powerlink outputs

 

And I'm not hearing any reason at all to get Essence MK1 vs Playmaker - can anyone think of a reason to go Essence? I can't.

And I read from the Playmaker manual "It is possible to set up and synchronise  multiple  Playmakers in your home. Contact your Bang & Olufsen retailer for more  information".

So that means I get two Playmakers and can have multiroom?

 

Millemis
Offline
Millemis
Bronze
Posted December 31, 2021 at 12:47 GMT
#2162254

1: no reason…besides what I mentioned about the volume control.

2: as far as I know, it never was possible to make Playmakers play as multiroom …..was not a theme at the time, when the Playmaker came out.

Could you please link to that information?

 

MM

Location: Flensborg————Danmark

WP
Offline
WP61
Bronze
Posted December 31, 2021 at 13:55 GMT
#2162255

Here it is - look on P8

https://support.bang-olufsen.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041401332-Playmaker

Millemis
Offline
Millemis
Bronze
Posted December 31, 2021 at 18:20 GMT
#2162256

You mean the sentence:

’It is possible to set up and synchronise multiple Playmakers in your home. Contact your Bang & Olufsen retailer for more information.’

I don’t know why they wrote that (still synchonice is not multiroom).

Fact is - and I have dealt with a few of these Playmakers - these is no option there for multiroom as we know it nowadays.

Maybe with ‘synchronise multiple Playmakers’ is meant what is described in this document about the UPnP AV Architecture on page 29/31:

Location: Flensborg————Danmark

LA
Offline
lawrencejmcook
BronzeFounder
Posted December 31, 2021 at 19:20 GMT
#2162257
A few thoughts:

- I think the reference to synchronising multiple PlayMakers refers to Airplaying to them from a Mac (which at the time was the only device that could Airplay to multiple Airplay speakers simultaneously). I think the limit was something like 8 Playmakers on one network.

- PlayMaker and (I think) Essence MkI had 2.4GHz WiFi only. The Essence MkII had 2.4/5 GHz WiFi.

- If you are at all considering expanding your B&O collection with more sources (BeoSounds or BeoVisions) I would suggest getting an Essence MkII; this can form the basis for a true B&O multiroom system, even capable of being controlled by the current and beautiful BeoRemote Halo.

Lawrence
Millemis
Offline
Millemis
Bronze
Posted December 31, 2021 at 19:52 GMT
#2162258

@Lawrence

I guess you are right there - that is so far back, that I did not think of it.

MM

Location: Flensborg————Danmark

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