The Beonic Man wrote:

...Google Assistant. Has this now rendered the Essence redundant?

No, certainly not -  just add a Goole Home Mini and let that use the Essence/Cast function for playback.

Thanks for the link, not seen that before.

Having just purchased the BeoSound 2 I was thinking about getting a couple of Essence wall remotes just because I like the look of them, but then I thought there would be little point if I already have a Google/Nest eco system wired through my home. Whilst I like touch and interaction with products - which B&O implements superbly - I can't help but wonder if I'll ever actually use them because of the voice assistant now being mainstream.

Anyway, thought I'd start a thread to get a little discussion going about it. Do many of you have and use Essence remotes in your homes? Benefits and drawbacks? Still relevant etc?

Thanks for the document. I have avoided Google Home but looking at this I might rethink it.

As for Essence Remotes, I have one I use almost daily in one room to control an Essence. I have a second one that I have been moving around the house trying to find a place where I will use it regularly.

There is NOTHING like a physical remote.

I hate answering phone calls and going “wait a second, Hey a google/Siri turn the volume down / pause the music.

Much nicer to just tap a button or turn a wheel.

leosgonewild wrote:

There is NOTHING like a physical remote.

 

I hate answering phone calls and going “wait a second, Hey a google/Siri turn the volume down / pause the music.

 

Much nicer to just tap a button or turn a wheel.

I couldn't agree more!!!!!

Razlaw wrote:

As for Essence Remotes, I have one I use almost daily in one room to control an Essence. I have a second one that I have been moving around the house trying to find a place where I will use it regularly.

That’s the unusual thing about the essence remote. I tend to leave it in a fixed position whereas every other remote I can remember was generally moved about all the time - from chair to sofa to table and from person to person.

I’m even contemplating a second essence remote to have in the same room as my current one.

leosgonewild wrote:

There is NOTHING like a physical remote.

I hate answering phone calls and going “wait a second, Hey a google/Siri turn the volume down / pause the music.

Much nicer to just tap a button or turn a wheel.

Agreed. I can see then benefits of having both, but if you can have only one it has to be a physical remote.

..And back in the POTS days you could turn down the volume using the Beocom before answering it.

To be honest you are as likely to be as close to walking to your BS2 to turn down the volume (if you don’t want to use the GVA) as you are to get to wherever the Essence remote is. I don’t know of anyone who uses them as mobile remotes. If you have a phone app, you can also turn down the volume that way.

The Essence remotes are very beautiful for sure. I have one paired with my Core, but it’s sitting in a drawer now. The build quality and tactile feel is amazing and I got it for a good price too 🙂