critter wrote:

Oh, and by the way.....isn't that Smoked Oak A9 MKII a stunner? I wonder if it sounds as good as it looks?

Thanks!

Yes it is and yes it does!

critter wrote:

Any and all advice or personal experience with the current B&O tech would be appreciated greatly.

Shortly after the Moment was released I purchased a pair of Beolab 20 speakers and an Essense MkII. I went through a long process of pros / cons of the Moment, Essence MkII, even dated systems like Beosound 5, Beosound 9000 MkIII (with Beoport). My considerations were similar to yours. I have a rather large music collection, and I wanted easy access and control without too much fuss, and, at least for my purchase, cost was a consideration since the bulk of the outlay was the speakers.

At the time, the Moment had the hands on approach I wanted, and in a relatively attractive package, but it had bugs galore, and I wasn't satisfied with how slow it was -- too slow for my large music collection. I also enjoy picking what I listen to, so the MoodWheel wasn't important to me. At the time (I have to caveat the timeframe we're talking about), the Moment didn't seem fleshed out to me, so I considered....

The Essence, on the other hand afforded me with a cheaper alternative, no frills, using BeoMusic and Twonky (still without search), within a snappy interface. Twonky has the Artist Index functionality in BeoMusic which divides Artists up by ABC, DEF, etc and it is a quick, bare bones DLNA implementation which doesn't take up any software overhead, which, again makes things quick.

At the time the Essence didn't have any sound controls, but they were added later with a software update.

I also considered the Beosound 5, if it weren't for the fact that it is obsolete (concerns about the parts availaibilty and service issues), I would have considered it more seriously as it has everything I was looking for: Local storage of music (no fuss with servers or DLNA), hands on control in a quick visual interface which gives the user a high level of interaction and control, unique design, and general look and feel of a classic B&O product. Very few compromises for what I wanted.

I ended up choosing the Essence MkII. Am I happy? Well, in some respects, yes, and in others, no. I feel there are a lot of improvements that can be made to BeoMusic to make it more user friendly, and the choice that B&O made in preferring a particular DLNA / upnp server software (Twonky) makes how a user interacts within the constructs of BeoMusic limiting. I think if there was a way to have a full search functionality from within BeoMusic would be wonderful, but I know that's never going to happen. 

Additionally B&O relying on third parties for their server component also takes some of the magic away from both devices (Moment and Essence), so I've for a while now been researching alternatives. I haven't pulled the trigger on the Auralic Aries Mini, though it has a pretty solid iOS app controller, and has space for an internal HDD as well for local storage of music. At under $600 it is also relatively inexpensive for what it is and does. Reviews have also been good. If I do end up moving away from the Essence, I'll be sure to post my experiences.

I guess I've just not been fully satisfied with the experience with this crop of B&O products than I have in the past. (ie. Beovision Avant (Lewis), Beosound 9000, Beosound 4000, era of products). I want control over my music library and a quick way to find, access and listen to the music I want to when I want to without a multitude of button presses, scrolling, waiting, etc. Maybe I have unreasonable requirements / standards. I wish B&O did have a solution for me; unfortunately I have had to compromise to live within the brand.

Good luck, I hope you don't have to compromise. With the prices we're willing to pay, compromises shouldn't be in the equation, especially when it comes to something seemingly as simple as playing MP3 files. LOL

Sal,

 

Thank you so much for your reply.  You have verified some of my concerns about the current B&O music server / control solutions.  To me for the price of the Moment there should be some local storage, 2Tb seems reasonable at that price point.  I will explore other options like the Auralic you mention.  For me ease of use, speed and design are important.  I need for my equipment to be beautiful and functional.

I think I am going to act on the speaker side of things first though, so I will begin buying there.  I am drawn toward the A9 but do have concerns there too.  Being an all in one device the whole issue of failure with any particular component (amp, touch control, wifi card, etc) means the device becomes unusable or in need of repair.  But then again there are the benefits that all that integration brings with it, and if is reliable and long lasting and sounds nearly as good as seperate components that is a huge deal.

Do you have experience with the A9?  I don't find many user experiences to go on, and that is probably a good thing, meaning that users are likely happy.

I have a feeling that I may need to drive the five hours South to the B&O shop in Houston.....though I don't want to.

 

Critter

critter wrote:

Is the A9 worth it?  Is it reliable?  MKII or MKI?  The MKI has no bluetooth but what else is it missing?

The A9 is very reliable - I've had mine for a few years now. I prefer the MK1 simply as I can use it with the Beo 4 remote. 

The only issue is connecting via wifi, where you have to fix an IP to make it a smooth streaming process.

I have a similar sized library on a MacMini server -- and have run Plex Pas (for a small monthly fee) to provide DLNA support

I have an Essence mk II and still believe it was a wise decision over the Moment ... however as previously noted it isn't perfect

I find that most days I airplay streamed music rather than use my own library

I also don't use the Spotify nor Deezer nor TuneIn (all built into the Essence) as much as I expected. I am considering cancelling all my "small fee" subscriptions as all up they become a fortnight's supply of cafe latte 😎

Based on snippets about ChromeCast in various threads I am considering playing around with attaching Google technology to the Essence.

I can't advise you on the A9 other than visually I think it is stunning. All my speakers are Beolabs on NL or ML that access the Essence (or the BVs and the BeoSound 4)

The A9 is if not the best experience for a B&O product

It's easy to use, reliable and customisable.

And if you get one you don't have to buy additional speakers.

If you're looking for an audio device and have your songs ripped why not buy an iPad and have all your music on there and play via the a9 - it's perfect

In this regard the iPad is like a "moment"

your instincts are correct i think, the A9 has generally been very well received from what i can see......its not small, so doesnt suit all, but its sound is excellent for a single unit......i have a MK2, yes its expensive, but seems as good as a one box speaker can be......so many of the competing products claim to have room filling sound, but to me that claim is very untrue.....the A9 does get much much closer though....you surely have to listen to one though....some find the B&O Play speakers to be a bit bass heavy, although i personally don't.....

the question of easy access and control of a large digital selection is, unfortunately, not that straightforward.....popular options seem to be a NAS drive + media server combo.... 

My digital music library is more than 1TB in size and I think I need to move away from the Apple iTunes ecosystem into something more open,  so I am not sure an iPad would suffice, though I may be wrong about that.  Regarding streaming services like Spotify and Tidal I don't see myself doing a monthly fee service when I already own more than 16000 tracks.  Part of my reasoning in making my music more accessable is to avoid nickel and diming myself with small fees that add up quickly.  My vehicles have Sirius and I never subscribe because my ipods are full and in the glove box.  The cars are the one place where I do have ready access to my music and It makes sense to me to make it just as accessable in the house. 

I do like the look and the idea behind the A9,  but I think I do need to hear one before spending so much on one device.  So, from the speaker side of things my course appears clearer....go and listen and experience my options.  Assuming I like the A9 experiece and get "spousal approval" that Smoked Oak Edition is a bit of a Siren luring me in.  Of course about the time I would choose to purchase B&O will have it discontinued and replaced with the new "Florescent Orange Edition".....LOL. The nearly as lovely Copper edition was short lived so I suspect the same for the Smoked Edition.

The music management side of things is still quite confusing as there are so many considerations and there is likely no single best option at any price point.  The Essence device is something that I do not understand, I look at that silver knob and don't yet see the complete control I envision.  It too is something I probably need to see in action.

 

Critter

Once you use it in your home you won't remember the money

I know that's gauche

But

I use it a lot. I love it. It sounds good.

It's way better priced than 2 BL3 and you can stream to it directly without another box. And it's NL enabled.

I've had some very hard times in my life and been more than most can actually bear and live through so I appreciate when something is expensive and I appreciate your thoughts but it's the best value for money (different than cost) speaker b&o have.

😐