ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
I feel somewhat silly asking this, especially as I'm in my 30s and feel that this should seem obvious (new tech) but I was thinking about getting something to take out on the balcony and you'd think the current lineup should be the go to. Then I see that it's all bluetooth speakers which means turn it on, also bring a phone, link them, select something, hit play and then have two devices to take in. And lose music if someone phones you.
Contrast to if I go online and get an old beolit or similar portable system from the 80s/90s. The it's "hit play" and that's really it.
I get that portable bluetooth speakers are popular but there's a lot to be said for physical media. What is the most modern all in one thing that B&O made? Ie not reliant on a subscription service on your network or a phone that you want to leave unharmed battery-wise.
I suppose this would be the bs3 or old bs1. The bs3 is more "modern" because it's mono
If you think of something to just pop in a cd to, you won’t find anything in the current range.
Go for the old BeoSound 1 - it is sort of portable, but you’ll need a power socket on the balcony.
And - depending on your location - you will have FM radio with that too.
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
BV Harmony 65 / Eclipse 55 / BL 50 / 19 / 18 / BS 2 all brass
BV Horizon 48 / V1 40 / BL 17 / Beoplay S3 all black
V1 / BL 3 / BS Essence MKII / Beoplay A3 all white
BS Moment / BS 3000 / BS 3200 / BL 400 all silver
Headphones / bluetooth speakers / BLC NL-ML / BLGateway
I know…B&O virus has grown on me !
Beolab 28s Beolab 9s Beolab 12-3s Beolab 1s Beolab 6000s 2 pairs Beolab 4000s Beovision 7-55 Beovision 10-40 Beoplay V1 32 inch Beovision Avant 32 inch Beosound 1 (CD player) Beosound 3000 Beosound 5 Core Essence MKII Beoplay M5
Sorry guys - the BS1 (new) would be fantastic there imo....
.....but since the op clearly asked for ‘
that is not the solution!
It would be much easier to give an advice, if the op had stated WHAT he wants, instead of what he does NOT WANT for his balcony.
I understand why you want something B&O, but for portability it's hard to beat an Apple iPod with a SoundMatters foxL...
Thanks for the response, to answer some points:
Wasn't one of the portable units from 5 years ago able to use SD cards too? The old BS1 is a good idea though, although I might look at getting an older BeoLit (radio/tape) shipped over from Europe. It just seems a shame that the current range is so obsessed with wife+phone, though I guess I'm more old fashioned than the sorts that keep the company afloat these days.
Calvin:Wasn't one of the portable units from 5 years ago able to use SD cards too?
I agree with two solutions alreay mentioned:- Beosound 3 with your favorite music simply put on SD cards. Try to get an old (and working!) Beosound 3. Unfortunately they wheren't very reliable but in our forum are some very good help tips to repair the top panel if it stops working.- Beolit 17 plus a dedicated audio player connected to the aux-in port. It could lay nicely on top of the Beolit 17 and nobody will bother you with calls and messages. :)Luckily the portable audio player market is offering very good devices since the rise of "High res Audio". For example: - Pioneer XDP series (you can find XDP-100 very cheap today. - Sony ZX series (ZX1, ZX2, ZX300 ...)- Sony NW Series- Sony WM1a- Astell & Kern- Fiio- ...The Sony and Pioneer don't need any aditional software, they work drag&drop on you Mac & PC. I don't know about the Astell & Kern yet.They all play MP3 files, too.
I have an iPhone 4 that I'd still be using as a phone except when I changed carriers it wasn't compatible with their data network. I use it as an iPod touch, connected to a Beolit 15 via Blue Tooth, for mobile audio. I load it with MP3 files, and can also do Spotify if I'm near my network.
I think a similar setup would work, not sure if the Beolit 17 has Blue Tooth but it it does, and it can apparently charge the phone too, would work well if you do something similar. Sadly, integrated tape/radio/CD player boomboxes are rare and no really good ones seem to exist today. Welcome to the postmodern stereo world.
The only thing I'd question is your first bullet point about B&O being built to last, perhaps not as true now as in the past. Ask anyone with a Beolit 12 who needs a battery about longevity.
Good luck finding a solution that works for you. I've been pretty happy with my repurposed iPhone and a Beolit 15.
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
Yes, the BS3 I remember that now, it was around the time of the recession so I lost touch of what the offerings were then. I've put in a bid on one on eBay!
Calvin: I want something B&O because I know it should last, and I know that it will look special, rather than some I picked up for $50 when I was in a store buying lightbulbs or kitchen roll.
The Beosound 3 is not really an item built to last (problems with touchpad and battery which is replaceable but not easily. Sensitive to modern MP3 files…). Sound wise it may not represent the B&O sound experience either…
I’ve had it a few weeks now and it’s a pretty neat little unit, maybe there’s a “survivors paradox” with the touch pads (the ones that work still are the good ones). But if a pain writing the flash cards to be compatible but now I have a half dozen genre albums.
For the most part my favourite things are that I can hang it easily which is nice in the garden but also that it’s metal, not the usual black thin cloth, so I don’t need to worry about it as much, especially with kids around. Looks cool as well!
I remember in 1992 seeing the Wim Wenders movie "Until the End of the World" wherein it showed music on something similar to an SD card. I remember thinking how amazingly futuristic it was! The same was true of the original BeoSound 2 with its use of the SD card. This seemed to make up for B&O missing the whole walkman/diskman era. Then, the iPod craze erupted and the BeoSound 2 with no display seemed so ancient.
Still, I like the idea of having favorite albums loaded onto individual SD cards and having them in an Hermès porcelain tray for guests to fish out. Since you're already loading music unto SDs, an original BeoSound 2 could be nice to have also. I would like to see pics of a BeoSound 2 laying on the top tray of a BeoLit 15/17 or next to a BeoPlay A1.
The BS2 was actually my first every B&O product! £500 I think it was back in 2004? At the time I actually had a 6GB hard drive Archos mp3 player which I 'downgraded' to the 512MB flash drive because the B&O was so awesome looking, plus the sound. A friend of mine has it on permanent loan and I now usually just listen to audiobooks/podcasts when I'm out and about so I don't really need a music player on my travels, though I'd recommend one as something a B&O fan might want to buy, try out and sell on after a few months if just for the experience of owning a bit of history.
TWG: agree with two solutions alreay mentioned:Luckily the portable audio player market is offering very good devices since the rise of "High res Audio". For example: - Astell & KernI don't know about the Astell & Kern yet.They all play MP3 files, too.
I thought I had already posted on this? Failure to load? Ah well.....
I work away a lot and also when not working sit on a beach a lot too.
I have invested in an Astell & Kern AK70 mk2 with a Beoplay P6 for my Camp room and a P2 when on vacation.
The A&K with a microSD 400GB (and 64GB internal) will put about 75% of all my FLAC-ripped CDs. It is an excellent sounding, robust (built like a palm-sized tank) and compact player. Highly recommend it.
I find it remarkable however, that in terms of form-factor it is very similar in many ways to the BeoSound 6. Ditto listening to my old BeoSound 2, the sound was and still is excellent and I think many were too quick to wax lyrical about the high-capacity (but naff sounding) iPod and its user interface.
PDP's seem to have come full circle and are packing very good electronics (DACs) with prices and specs ever-escalating to the moon like over-ear earphones have of recent with many PDPs + Ear Cans costing orders of magnitude higher that most of our B&O gear at home!
I'd look for a Beoplay A2 Active and an iPod, and maybe a portable battery to power both for much longer.
Beoplay A2Beoplay EarsetBeoplay H6 (Gen 2)Beoplay S3 (pair)Beoplay S8Beovox CX50 (2 pairs)Beovox RL 6000