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
Ok, so I did it. Yesterday I got a Smoked Oak A9 MKII. My earlier posts were obviously pretty serious as I now have one in my home. I picked this up because I was given the opportunity to try it for 30 days and return it if I did not love it. So far I'm not completely in love. But let's start with what I do like and / or love.
Yeah, it's gorgeous it's absolutely even more beautiful in person than I had anticipated it would be. The quality of the finish on the metal bits, the cloth cover and the wood are all so, so, so nicely done. Even the black back plastic is very nice for being plastic. The black back is more appealing to me than the white plastic was after seeing the two version.
The oak legs are amazing...I learned yesterday that they are called Smoked Oak because the legs actually get their color from being smoked and then rubbed with a Danish Oil. So I love this part of the product, it's that extra effort that makes B&O stand out. These legs (oak, maple, walnut) are quality furniture grade wood and it shows.
The cloth cover on this model is also exceptional, love it. This blended weave adds a bit of dimension to the cover that takes the A9 up a notch in appearance. Also, I noticed after seeing a White and Black A9 model that their very sheer covers, at times, reveal a bit of the circles cut into the plastic below the fabric, this blended Kvadrat fabric does not do that as it hides those small holes from showing through. The Kvadrat cover is a big improvement over the standard cover and if you have considered buying one for your A9 I would say it's worth the cost.
The top controls so far are a "Like", it's nice that they are there but it's really easy to use them wrong or accidentally bump and change the input source, etc. I suspect that it's just a matter of getting used to those controls and how they work. It's just natural to want to walk over to the A9 and touch it without thinking about it and suddenly you've changed input or volume, etc.
Sound.....still debating there. The system so far is not as loud as I had anticipated it would be. Also, I found the bass to be lacking when free standing. I've now placed the unit in the corner of our dining room and put the selection switch into free standing mode. With the unit in the corner and in free standing mode there is much more bass available and I like the bass sound then. The quality of the sound is really good, maybe great. However, honestly where the sound quality is concerned I need to put more time into listening to my favorite sounds through the A9 before I can decide. I have not had enough time in to determine how it is going to perform across my quite varied music interests.
WIFI connectivity. The unit does connect consistently to my wifi however, I notice that the radius that I can connect within is not very large. When I first set up the A9 I was going to set it up and test it in our Master Bedroom. I was able to connect to the A9 with the setup app and get my WIFI settings put in but the unit would not connect to my wifi and would only yield a solid red network light, I thought I did something wrong and reset it and set it back up twice before I realized that it was simply not connecting. I have other WIFI connected devices in my Master Bedroom that regularly connect and stream media (to the TV) without issue. My Sony Blue Ray Player is App ready and I stream Vudo and Netflix all the time to my TV there via WIFI without issue. The A9 was not able to see my network in that room, I had to move it to a part of the house closer to my WIFI router but really it being in the main part of the house is better anyhow. I just wanted to test the unit in the Master Bedroom before moving it elsewhere in the house.
Now for the bad, really bad. The Beo Music app for Android is just flat out non-functional. Initially, the Beo Music app would see the A9 and I could play a track or two but the app would quit. I would then try to connect again and the Beo Music app would simply search and search and NEVER FIND the A9. I could go and tap the A9 to put it into the Internet Radio mode, the A9 would be streaming music just fine but the Beo Music app would say it's not on the network. I could connect to the A9 with the Setup App and find it just fine and its status would show to be normal with Excellent WIFI signal but to the Beo Music App the A9 just does not exist. If I uninstall the Beo Music app and reinstall it the app will work again for a short time but ultimately stop seeing the A9 again.
I put the Apple version of the Beo Music app on my iPad and it worked better but not great. The volume control would sometimes not work.....I could move the volume right and left but no change in volume would occur......now to be fair this iPad is older (second generation) and perhaps the app is not intended for that version of iOS....I have not checked that out.
The new "Bang & Olufsen" app (the one still in Beta) would see the A9 too but it will only offer me streaming music sources. I don't care to stream internet content at all, I want to play my own music on my server. When I can fire up the A9 with the Beo Music app the new Beta app will see that it is playing a track from my server and give the queue list and name of current track but you cannot use the app to browse your Twonky server and initiate play.
So what am I supposed to do with the beautiful and expensive system? I'm not readily able to control it with the Beo Music App for Android. I have a nearly a month yet to decide but so far as far as I can tell....it could be going back. If this Beo Music Android app would work reliably I would be quite enamored at this point. Right now I'm concerned that I might not be able to control it with the necessary app.
I need to figure out how to post pictures to this forum and I will post a few for you all to see.
Critter
critter: Sound.....still debating there. The system so far is not as loud as I had anticipated it would be. Also, I found the bass to be lacking when free standing.
Sound.....still debating there. The system so far is not as loud as I had anticipated it would be. Also, I found the bass to be lacking when free standing.
Wow. I've owned pretty much all the BeoLab/BeoPlay (bar BL90) speakers and I'd put the A9 at the top. Goes louder than I'd ever need and the bass is fantastic.
Your experience of your A9 is almost the opposite of mine.
Did you see that I did mention that by placing it in the corner, in free standing mode, the bass availability improves.
What are your experiences like with the Beo Music App? Or is there some other (non B&O) app out there there works as a replacement?
Thanks!
critter:Did you see that I did mention that by placing it in the corner, in free standing mode, the bass availability improves. What are your experiences like with the Beo Music App? Or is there some other (non B&O) app out there there works as a replacement? Thanks!
Hey,
The Beo Music app for Android is not in beta....that's the only app available right now that's not Beta. The "Bang & Olufsen" app is still in Beta and I have it too. It actually runs good on my device but it does not have functions for accessing DLNA content on my twonky server. My phone is currently up to date with its OS....It's a Galaxy Note on Verizon networks.
I have just purchased the BubbleUPnP app and am having some luck with it. I have more experimenting to do definitely, but if I can find a good substitute app that will allow me to simply direct the music on my Mac to the A9 I'll be loving it. The BubbleUPnP app is not quite as friendly interface wise and it does not seem to see my iTunes playlists but I think I need to spend some more time with it to be sure about that. But so far with it I have been able to use my Android to control the A9 for the last hour and a half or so and that's making me quite happy.
I just managed to listen to Agnetha Faltskog sing "Maybe it Was Magic" on the A9 and it just about brought tears to my eyes it sounded so good.
Michael,
Thank you. I am having quite the adventure here trying to test functionality of DLNA apps all while trying to "Listen" to the A9. I've managed to tweak the placement and settings to a point that has the sound it is generating is just stellar.
The Black with Black Walnut legs was my initial choice too and I would have changed the cover just as you did. When investigating that model's availability I noticed this Smoked Oak model and knew that it was the way to go for my wife and me.
I've found two apps that allow me some decent (though not perfect) control of the unit. The BubbleUPnP is working pretty well but it won't let me use my existing playlists. However, BubbleUPnP allows me to quickly make a "current playlist" of sorts and it plays through that list just fine.....it even lets me add to the list as I'm listening and I like that. The BubbleUPnP app was $4 or $5 bucks.
I've also found an app called GinkgoDlna and it works ok too, it can see my playlists but when I start playing one it won't automatically go to the next track, and the volume control is not so good with this app. This app was free however, so it's hard to complain about a free app.
I think the more I've had this A9 running this afternoon, the more I've enjoyed it as it seems to be loosening up and the bass is rounding out to my ear.
Some pictures below.....took these a few hours ago....have since adjusted its placement a bit.
Powering down....Do these things go to a power off mode by themselves after a period of inactivity? Or do you all power them off after use?
I see that no matter what the network connection light stays illuminated white.
critter:I think the more I've had this A9 running this afternoon, the more I've enjoyed it as it seems to be loosening up and the bass is rounding out to my ear.
Most speakers need a run in period .... or perhaps our ears do
Here's a slightly cheeky suggestion ... use your local Apple store's 14 day return program to test controlling it via a current iOS iPod - it should be able to run all the B&O iApps. That way you can verify the software's usefulness for you. At least it is software ! eventually it will get fixed ....
BeoNut since '75
Hi,
You should also consider issues with your router : I am fighting at the moment with Beocare and Asus support for my RT-AC88U.
I have a few multiroom devices and the experience is a nightmare.... Either B&O are definetly not good at all (yet) at multiroom software or Asus have issues with B&O (and maybe other router manufacturers.)
My experience with the ASUS router is that the applications (Beomusic on IOS or Android or the new bang & olufsen app) won't work at all using the 2.4 Ghz (even with everything connected on same network, no discovering of the speakers, even if I can access them with a browser from a computer or with Chromecast). They are working on the 5 Ghz channel but sometime capricious (for exemple this morning, no way to access the M5 of the bathroom from other app than the beta bang & olufsen one on Android)
BeoCare are saying this come from the router, Asus are saying they don't filter anything on the internal network but what I can see is that nothing is working !
Maybe you have the same kind of issue with your router ?
Beolab 1, Beovision 7-32, Beosound Moment, Beolab 18, Beolab 19, Beoplay A6 Grey, Beoplay A6 Black, Beolit 15, Beoplay H7, Beosound Essence mkII waiting for speakers :)
critter: Did you see that I did mention that by placing it in the corner, in free standing mode, the bass availability improves.
Mine isn't in the corner and the bass is absolutely fine.
chguillarme: Hi, You should also consider issues with your router : I am fighting at the moment with Beocare and Asus support for my RT-AC88U. I have a few multiroom devices and the experience is a nightmare.... Either B&O are definetly not good at all (yet) at multiroom software or Asus have issues with B&O (and maybe other router manufacturers.) My experience with the ASUS router is that the applications (Beomusic on IOS or Android or the new bang & olufsen app) won't work at all using the 2.4 Ghz (even with everything connected on same network, no discovering of the speakers, even if I can access them with a browser from a computer or with Chromecast). They are working on the 5 Ghz channel but sometime capricious (for exemple this morning, no way to access the M5 of the bathroom from other app than the beta bang & olufsen one on Android) BeoCare are saying this come from the router, Asus are saying they don't filter anything on the internal network but what I can see is that nothing is working ! Maybe you have the same kind of issue with your router ?
I don't think it is a router issue with mine. I think if that were the case none of the other apps that do work with the A9 would be working. Right now, the A9 is working with BubbleUPnP, and the Gingkodlna software and also the beta "Bang & Olufsen" App works and so does the BeoSetup App. I can have all of these apps open at the same time and all will see the A9 except the Beo Music app....it just makes a swirling circle saying "searching" and never finds it. Of course if I uninstall and reinstall it will work for a short period and then no longer find the A9.
I am going to get the opportunity to test out the Apple Version of the Beo Music App later today on a new iPhone 7 that a friend is bringing by. If it works with that then I'm sure that the problem will be the Android version of the Beo Music App.
I can make due with the options I have found until B&O finishes the new, still in beta, Bang and Olufsen App. As I said, I do have that on my Android device and it finds the A9 just fine, but it just offers internet streaming right now....no DLNA.
Works but still beta so no DLNA: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bang_olufsen.OneApp
Works fine: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bang_olufsen.BeoSetup
Works: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bubblesoft.android.bubbleupnp (purchased license too for full fuctionality)
Works Ok: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ginkgosoft.dlna.ctrl
Moxxey,
There are many variables that affect speaker performance just the difference in small things can play a big part. With the current placement of the A9 the bass is quite good for my place. When it was free standing in my living room it was not the same. Keep in mind that my living room is a very big volume...it's 24 feet x 24 feet and it has an 18 foot high ceiling it's a big volume. Plus I have no (zero) carpeting anywhere in my home. Does your A9 not change in the way it sounds if you move it to another room? I'm pretty sure that the new Beo Sound 90 wouldn't exist as it does if speaker location, environment, placement, etc all didn't impact sound so much, but since it does the beautiful BS90 has loads of technology and drivers in place to account for the many variables that affect sound quality, etc.
By moving mine to the location that it is currently in there is a big improvement in bass response for me and I'm so glad for that.
Also, you many like less bass than I do, there is subjectivity in these matters as well. It's like music, some people love RAP, I cannot stand it however. So it can also be a personal preference too.
critter: Sound.....still debating there. The system so far is not as loud as I had anticipated it would be. Also, I found the bass to be lacking when free standing. I've now placed the unit in the corner of our dining room and put the selection switch into free standing mode. With the unit in the corner and in free standing mode there is much more bass available and I like the bass sound then. The quality of the sound is really good, maybe great. However, honestly where the sound quality is concerned I need to put more time into listening to my favorite sounds through the A9 before I can decide. I have not had enough time in to determine how it is going to perform across my quite varied music interests. WIFI connectivity. The unit does connect consistently to my wifi however, I notice that the radius that I can connect within is not very large. When I first set up the A9 I was going to set it up and test it in our Master Bedroom. I was able to connect to the A9 with the setup app and get my WIFI settings put in but the unit would not connect to my wifi and would only yield a solid red network light, I thought I did something wrong and reset it and set it back up twice before I realized that it was simply not connecting. I have other WIFI connected devices in my Master Bedroom that regularly connect and stream media (to the TV) without issue. My Sony Blue Ray Player is App ready and I stream Vudo and Netflix all the time to my TV there via WIFI without issue. The A9 was not able to see my network in that room, I had to move it to a part of the house closer to my WIFI router but really it being in the main part of the house is better anyhow. I just wanted to test the unit in the Master Bedroom before moving it elsewhere in the house. Now for the bad, really bad. The Beo Music app for Android is just flat out non-functional. Initially, the Beo Music app would see the A9 and I could play a track or two but the app would quit. I would then try to connect again and the Beo Music app would simply search and search and NEVER FIND the A9. I could go and tap the A9 to put it into the Internet Radio mode, the A9 would be streaming music just fine but the Beo Music app would say it's not on the network. I could connect to the A9 with the Setup App and find it just fine and its status would show to be normal with Excellent WIFI signal but to the Beo Music App the A9 just does not exist. If I uninstall the Beo Music app and reinstall it the app will work again for a short time but ultimately stop seeing the A9 again. I put the Apple version of the Beo Music app on my iPad and it worked better but not great. The volume control would sometimes not work.....I could move the volume right and left but no change in volume would occur......now to be fair this iPad is older (second generation) and perhaps the app is not intended for that version of iOS....I have not checked that out.
On the base - have a play with he sound setting in the web menu. That will tune it in to your liking. You couldn't want for 'more' sound or equalisation opportunities. I would suggest thats a.problem on the device you are streaming from maybe
On the WIFI; the Mk II is super rock solid in both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. I also have an A6 with the same controller in it. Routers like Netgear are not great products and you'll often find they are the problem here. Try a Billion 8900 -2400 or 1600, Draytek 2860 (although its modem is rubbish) that are more expensive but there is a reason for it.
I totally agree with you on the Bet Music Apps - not intuitive or reliable. I must try the new App - thanks for pointing it out.
What router do you have. I've experienced the top 10 sellers in the UK and most have some kind of varying issue that I suspect is the source of your issue.
critter: I am going to get the opportunity to test out the Apple Version of the Beo Music App later today on a new iPhone 7 that a friend is bringing by. If it works with that then I'm sure that the problem will be the Android version of the Beo Music App.
For years I was an Android user. Then I bought a Playmaker and struggled for months to get it working satisfactorily with Android/DNLA - tried loads of different apps with no success. Have since purchased a few iDevices and it just works!
Guy: For years I was an Android user. Then I bought a Playmaker and struggled for months to get it working satisfactorily with Android/DNLA - tried loads of different apps with no success. Have since purchased a few iDevices and it just works!
Guy,
I suspect you are on to something there, yesterday, I was thinking the same thing. I used to have an iPhone 5 and I liked it a lot, except for the small size and my big hands. When Apple kept delaying larger screen models I left and went to an Android Note because of the size. I am a big guy and my hands are big enough to use my Galaxy Note one handed LOL. Well, for the big screen I loved the Note but for nothing else. Since I've had it (about three years now) I've had a lot of trouble with it software wise. Android updates have fixed many issues since I've had it, but I know I would never buy another Andorid device now. My previous iPhone worked fine all the time, my Android didn't. Yesterday I couldn't help but wonder about a new iDevice and the BeoMusic app so I asked my friend to come by and help me test.....doing that today.
I have been planning on replacing my Note phone with an iPhone again this year, however I want to wait to see what the next generation of iPhones are like before deciding and that's probably another six months at least for the announcements from Apple.
I will let you all know how it goes with the BeoMusic App on the new iphone.....I suspect it will work.
C.
The Beo Music app on the iPhone 7 worked just fine. There were some minor issues with the Apple version of the app but it worked nicely over all. Clearly, the issues I had earlier with this A9 are because the Android version is just poor.
So for me, if I choose to keep this A9, I will need to make due with the BubbleUpnP app until I can get another new iDevice or until the new (still in Beta) Bang & Olufsen app is done and supports DLNA.
I have been really enjoying the A9 though and the more I listen the better it sits with me.
critter:The Beo Music app on the iPhone 7 worked just fine. There were some minor issues with the Apple version of the app but it worked nicely over all. Clearly, the issues I had earlier with this A9 are because the Android version is just poor. So for me, if I choose to keep this A9, I will need to make due with the BubbleUpnP app until I can get another new iDevice or until the new (still in Beta) Bang & Olufsen app is done and supports DLNA.I have been really enjoying the A9 though and the more I listen the better it sits with me.C.
w5bno123:As per my previous post the Android version was released recently as a Beta version and the stable release version will be available early March along with the new iOS version. When I tried to connect a android device to an A6 the problem was with the Samsung tablet and not the A6 or my Draytek router. The A9 is an awesome product and needs a good router/wap for it to function correctly if running wirelessly. Please contact your dealer for more advise if you find that you're still having issues.
When I tried to connect a android device to an A6 the problem was with the Samsung tablet and not the A6 or my Draytek router.
The A9 is an awesome product and needs a good router/wap for it to function correctly if running wirelessly. Please contact your dealer for more advise if you find that you're still having issues.
I understand what you are saying. However, we're talking about TWO different apps. The Beta version you are talking about, named "Bang & Olufsen" is indeed a recent app and is not fully finished yet.....it works and connects to my wifi without issue and I can definitely use it for streaming cloud based content, but it does not yet play via DLNA which is what I need.
The PREVIOUS Android app, named "BeoMusic", which is still available too, is the app that does not work and has given me so much trouble. The iPhone version of it does work though and works well. I'm not having any issue with my wireless network at all. The only issues I have had are definitely related to the BeoMusic for Android app. The new (beta) app which is (not called "BeoMusic") named simply "Bang & Olufsen", is still incomplete at this time but it works for streaming from the cloud. However, until this new Beta "Bang & Olufsen" app supports DLNA it is of no use to me.
The (Beta) "Bang & Olufsen" app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bang_olufsen.OneApp Works fine with my wifi but no DLNA.
This is the non-working Android "BeoMusic" app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bang_olufsen.BeoMusic This does not work.
This is the Apple version of the "BeoMusic" app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/beomusic/id825918897?mt=8 Works fine with my wifi.
I have found two other apps that work with my wifi too, BubbleUPnP and GinkoDLNA so it's not my wifi....it's the Android "BeoMusic" app.
Right now for Android the ONLY app written by B&O that supports DLNA does not work as advertised, but the Apple version of it does.
Until the new Beta "Bang & Olufsen" app is finished and supports DLNA, Android users are likely going to have trouble unless they use another app like the BubbleUPnP or buy an Apple IOS iDevice of some type.