[NQVHNWI]

If say 10% of B&Os  customers (hypothetically) provide 30% of their revenue, it makes sense to try and pump that segment in profitable or break-even times. That should grow the company.

The problem is when there is a decrease in discretionary spending by the other 90% who contribute the other 70% of B&Os revenue who feel financially pinched, perceive job risk, higher mortgage repayments etc….that segment can collapse very quickly, whereas building-up that 10% takes time even though the cost of purchase is effectively meaningless to them

[NQVHNWI]

I would imagine its because its a (IIRC) a 30-year machine and needs some TLC. I dont know if you can get parts but a good electronics service person may be able to look at it.

I remember my first B&O perchase many many years ago (a BS Century in gothic Green). It was a ridiculously expensive TV back then. kudos that you have one now.

[NQVHNWI]

I think their long term strategy will be something they regret. However, the current share price is probably a reflection of the current market sentiment in general.

I would expect, B&O is probably taking a lot of orders on their Ferrari range and Beolab8 so cashflow is probably ok in the short term but does not translate to immediate share price.

[NQVHNWI]

Yann,

We don’t know what will work until you try it.

I would say you have a very complicated setup full of multigenerational products.  You also have one of the greatest pairs of audiophile quality loudspeakers ever devised by man. What you are suggesting in terms of setup, frankly is ok for casual non-focused listening. That includes the Core and to a lesser degree the Theatre as a high grade sound source. They are not up to the BL50s.

personally,  my proposal for the BC2 (CD I guess) may work and it’s worth testing. Unless I’m missing something, the Theatre can do just as good for other digital sources for casual listening. Otherwise, I would be buying an Auralic, Linn or Lumin to listen to stored FLAC or  streamed music like Qobuz or Tidal.

[NQVHNWI]

Millemissen wrote:

You can not get anything but the sound of the cd player of the BC2 from the coax-out of the BC2/Master Unit. That is the reason to use the Core. If I understand the setup of Yann correct? MM

 

And after seeing Yanns wiring diagram…..I still think it is worth to try and  take the Core out and adding a Beolink IR to the BL50s. The BC2 acts as a 3rd Party Audio device and triggers the BL50 on digital signal.  You are still going to have to add a Beo4 to get any legacy product to play back into the BC2 through AUX – so there is the volume control. The NAS will play into the Theatre anyway (and sound better than the Core i’d bet through the BL50s).

From an economic point of view….If you have purchased a BS Core to do this and not try the IR option, try it. If it works, send the Core back to your Dealer and save £750!

 

 

 

[NQVHNWI]

YannChris wrote:

Here is a summary of my setup:

And here’s me thinking my setup is complicated.

[NQVHNWI]

Hi Yann,

If I perceive your setup correctly, assume the BL50 is the same config process as the BL90s then this is what I would try do do:-

1. Config the hardware as the photo below
2. Connect Legacy B&O to the BC2
3. Connect the BC2 to BL50 via Coax. Dont use the Core. I think it may confuse things for me.
4. Set the BL50 as per the photo below.
5. Buy or use a Beo4 to control the BC2 and Legacy B&O

Reasons to use a Beo4. The BR1 is ideal for BT enabled products but its quite a thumb work out to get it into IR/Beosound mode ans back out to use the Theatre. When Using the Beo4, I am not 100% whether the Coax will carry volume information. Rather than have yet another remote (the Halo is excellent for this, the Essence a bit laggy), an Beolink Eye into the BL50 may volume control for the Legacy B&O?

I think this solution possibly gets rid of the Core as I can only see it as a very expensive BT receiver for volume control via the BR1. However, the problem of controlling legacy B&O will remain.

On the BL50 setup, go into the configurator (or the BL90/50 app) and change the input priority. For my Auralics, I use XLR but I configure it subordinate to Powerlink and automatic selection. The XLR triggers on a voltage input, Coax and SP/dif trigger on digital signal. You need to put a kill-time (I think 60 seconds is minimum, otherwise, the BL50s may switch off and back on again with every track change or skip?)

This is what I would try. It may not work, it may not work to your priorities….

Edit: Just looking at the BL50 white paper, the BL50s have only one PL socket…which will be reserved for the Theatre PL in, (then DPL out to the Slave BL50).

It may not work or sound good but I wonder if you can use a B&O RJ45 splitter box (in reverse) i.e. connect the Theatre PL Fronts and the BC2 Powerlink output into the 2 RJ45 output sockets, and feed the RJ45 Input socket of the box into the BL50 PL input.

The Theatre still sends sound and volume control, the BC2 send on volume control (sound via the Coax/SPDif). This possible solution only gets rid of the Beolink Eye but it may cause unwanted problems in terms of volume control with the Theatre??

 

 

 

 

 

[NQVHNWI]

I’m away from my BL90 settings at the moment.

i don’t know why you would connect the BS Core and BS2 to the BL50s when the Theatre can do everything those two can do. Your setting yourself up for an overly complicated system that may not control as well as you think.

if I had your gear…I’d keep the BS2 standalone and sell the Core or re task it to another Beolab pair somewhere.

[NQVHNWI]

Update Beosound Theatre 3.2.1

[NQVHNWI]

Essentially, hardwire each satellite mesh unit to your Hifi/TV equipment and allow the mesh to communicate between each other (very fast transfer rates) but communicate with your TV/Hifi via cable. Dont use the internal Wifi recievers in the HiFi/TV devices.

Each mesh box will have typically 2 to 3 LAN ports.

 

[NQVHNWI]

I have an aging Zyxel Multy with 3 transmitters in my apartment. The Wi-Fi has to navigate 2floors in a compact apartment but one where all the walls are stone and over 1m thick.

As a mesh…it works flawlessly at 47mbs max.

My master mesh device…connected via cable to the router spans out to my HiFi gear via LAN cable. From there…a data switch feeds the Theatre and other gear.

The BL90s update wirelessly (those days may be over now) though I don’t use WISA for music playing with them. The bedrooms and downstairs office HiFi gear each have a Multy feeding them over air from the master unit.

Where I think an improvement may be made is to use the mesh boxes to transmit data between each other over distances you cannot wire together but then to wire your HiFi/tv gear directly the mesh boxes. ie don’t Wi-Fi from the mesh box to your HiFi directly use cable if you can.

 

[NQVHNWI]

I’d go so far as if the App development team want to reach out to me…I’ll design you multiple page presentations on how the BeoApp and the Halo should look (obviously, your team will have to code it) that 90 to 95% of BW and other B&O oriented forum users would be happy with. it will take me 1 to 2 days max.

oh…and I will do it for free.

[NQVHNWI]

I think its re-calculating all the sound parameters for the new duty.

[NQVHNWI]

CRDS wrote:

After updating Beosound theatre to software 3.2.1 there is a buzzing noise coming from the rear speakers, has anybody else experienced similar issues? Set-up is Beolab 5 front, Beolab 9 rears, and 2 pairs of Beolab 3’s as front and rear height channels, all connected via powerlink cables.

I have previously reported a very slight noise with the BL3 surrounds (pre-June this year).

The problems was solved but its worth checking through your system to see if things are OK.

1. The BL3 are very sensitive to cable interference. Their connection type makes it more so because of RJ45 to DIN Splitter to DIN Speaker input
2. The problem seemed to increase for me as I loaded-up the Theatre with Powerlink speakers (all 4). If I did fronts only – nothing,  add rears…noise increases (but almost inaudiable, add heights and I could hear very specific pulsing of the BL3s as volume was changed Vol+/Vol-
3. Ensure you are using very good (OEM/SH) cables. Dont use generic CAT7
4. Check the connections. Break the Y-splitter and reconnect if you use this type.
5. If you are using the RJ45 Splitter BT313204, check the location of the pins ands re-seat.

In the end, I found the issue was that a seated (and untouched) DIN Y-splitter on my rear BL3s. By unplugging, re-plugging this solved the problem but I was miffed why that was so as it was untouched. May be a cumulation of added speakers and that was a weak contact?

 

 

[NQVHNWI]

The biggest problem with the BeoApp (and this is in general and not 5.4.0) is that the whole interface is a mess.

The Front page – as I see it is a place for listing your equipment and for the front door for product configuration. You can go into deeper settings but there is not direct product control. You have to access that black bar (which is uncharacteristic in terms of styling from the rest of the App).

Unless you use the MyButtons, there is no why to control a Theatre. You cant CH+/CH- in live TV, you cant FFW/RWB on a streaming service or even control a PUC device. Further, you have to go to the most basic Player in any App in the history of all Apps.

As stated above, the BeoApp/Mozart is full of bugs, inconsistencies and certainly not a Luxury control interface or a luxury interface. But this goes on and on and on…with no end or real improvement in sight.

To me, it feels like the software developers are not in Denmark living and breathing with the products. More-over, its like they are in a Bombay call centre, trying to fix multiple and clashing software issues and the SW engineers only know that a “Bang” is the noise of an explosion and “Olufsen” sounds like an uncontrolled gas leak from somewhere untold?

That may be unfair……but the outcome is the same….Products cannot be controlled in a pleasurable and intuitive way like they were with the BL7000, 5000, Beo4 (or even Beo5/6).

 

 

 

[NQVHNWI]

I have to be careful what I say because of any potential NDA issue.

I have reviewed the operation of the new BeoApp 5.4.0 and gave comments back on its usability and other issues.

 

 

[NQVHNWI]

My reading is the new direction is going to take time, B&O have not installed “Luxury”/”First Class”/VHNWI product support. So top dollar for the same product. Wealthy people inclined to buy B&O will lose patience very quickly.

I think in general, B&O are making some of the best products ever – BL90, 50, Theatre etc…but I think they have seriously underestimated the design and subsequent complexity of the Mozart software infrastructure. They also seemed not to have invested early enough in software engineering when adopting Mozart and have to scramble to get the bugs out ASAP.

When people spend $15k on a soundbar, $20-135k on loudspeakers, any hint of being a problem and people irrespective of affordability will temper their buying impulses.

I think I seem to have been fortunate in the Software front with the Theatre and BL90s. But many here have not. Many of us are de facto beta testers and have to dial-in for support for problems that should not have ever come to market.

 

 

[NQVHNWI]

B&O are changing their target audience. Moving away from those middle-people who buy mid-tier BeoVisions, and Beolabs repeatedly every 4-5 years and looking instead to the kids to buy headphones and bluetooth devices and the VHNWI’s who will buy 97inch Harmony’s and 7.0.4 surround systems with 6 Beolab90’s coloured in atelier multi-coloured turd-sprinkles for that individual look in the NY and Miami penthouses at “whatever the cost”

The problem is the kids will give Beoplay’s 3 to 4 star ratings and the VHNWI’s will find the flagship gear so full of repetitive software bugs….they will be too dumb to fix, get frustrated and have the landscape gardener throw it all in the trash bin. It will be a tax-deductible (but profitable) loss and an “oh-well, who’s next” thing.

[NQVHNWI]

Millemissen wrote:

You could use one of the MyButtons for Live TV and set the startup volume somewhat higher there. Sure that does not solve ‘the problem’….if there is any – but it makes things less annoying. MM

I don’t think it does?

Sandyb’s problem is the sound format. Some channels on Live TV broadcast different lower grade formats……PCM2.0 to 5.1. this is where the “bug” lies. On the UK Freeview service, you can literally CH+/CH- and go 5.1, 2.0, 5.1, 2.0………..

“Higher grade” subscription services (Netflix, Disney, Amazon) can do 5.1, DD+ or Atmos. These subscription services tend to have a more consistent playback sound/volume (less format changes) and not the problem from Sandyb’s perspective and not where the PCM2.0 bug resided.

What I do find…is that specifically with Netflix, it tends to play quite a bit louder than others – and that can be solved by Mybuttons on source change.

The “bug” needs to be fixed by B&O PDQ.

What I don’t understand however is that reading across multiple forums is some people like myself have not experienced the volume dip bug as SandyB does in 3.2.1, or the switch to standby or a good deal of other bugs?  I do not recall the last time I noticed the PCM2.0 problem for many months (not just SW3.2.1 update).

Whereas this particular instance seems to have swapped one bug for another, from reading, SandyBs Theatre’s seem to be very buggy, whereas mine seem not to have (they have had issues – but nothing like SandyBs issues).

I have a hypothesis that this issue is a lot deeper than we know and a reason why B&O can never seem to fix the issues in Mozart. Old bugs never get written-out, or come back or new bugs replace old ones. I think the problem is the additive nature of Mozart and when peripheral equipment is added (speakers, Beolink, other Mozart devices or Set top boxes of any flavour or HDMI devices), specific code comes (configured) in and unintended consequences result. Add this speaker and this HDMI device…no issues. Add something else…or different speakers or a Set top box or an AppleTV combination…and issues appear?

 

 

[NQVHNWI]

Just ordered a pair today from my Dealer.

Natural Alu with Oak. Table stand included in the box I’m told.

Also told they WILL link with the Theatre wirelessly via WISA without sync issues.

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