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This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022

 

The essence of...

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The Beonic Man
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The Beonic Man Posted: Tue, May 12 2020 9:55 PM

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

B&O products are V1-32, BS2, H95, E8 and an Essence remote.
11-46 now replaced with Sony A90J 65”, Sony HT-A9, Sony UBP-X800M2 and Sony SRS-NS7.

 

Millemissen
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The Beonic Man:

...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.

https://beointegration.com/uploaded/Google_Home_and_BangOlufsen_ver1.1.pdf

 

MM

There is a tv - and there is a BV

The Beonic Man
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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?

B&O products are V1-32, BS2, H95, E8 and an Essence remote.
11-46 now replaced with Sony A90J 65”, Sony HT-A9, Sony UBP-X800M2 and Sony SRS-NS7.

 

Razlaw
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Razlaw replied on Wed, May 13 2020 1:15 AM
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.

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

leosgonewild
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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.

"You think we can slap some oak on this thing?"

Tassos
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Tassos replied on Wed, May 13 2020 7:18 AM

leosgonewild:
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!!!!!

Duels
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Duels replied on Wed, May 13 2020 9:57 AM
Razlaw:

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.
Duels
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Duels replied on Wed, May 13 2020 9:58 AM
leosgonewild:

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.
ngnear
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ngnear replied on Wed, May 13 2020 11:21 AM
..And back in the POTS days you could turn down the volume using the Beocom before answering it.
Jaffrey2230
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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 🙂

B&O in my life 😊: 

 

  • Beolab 8002 + Beolab 2 + Beosound Core with Essence Remote (Office)
  • Beolab 6000 + Beolab 11 + Beosound Core with Essence Remote (Bedroom)
  • Beoplay A9 Mk2 (Living Room)
  • Beosound 1 with wireless dock (Portable)
  • Beosound Balance (Dining)
  • Beoplay H95 (Focused listening, travel)
  • Beoplay H9 (3rd gen) (retired)
  • Beoplay P6 (Portable)
  • Beotime wall clock (hallway entrance)
  • BMW X5 50i with B&O Audio Package (Commute/drive)

 

 

 

moxxey
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moxxey replied on Wed, May 13 2020 12:53 PM

The Beonic Man:

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

Good luck with those. I have one and it was the biggest joke so far - the ball bearings or whatever it uses have ceased up, so it's a chore to turn. A lot of money for something that ceases up so easily.

moxxey
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moxxey replied on Wed, May 13 2020 12:54 PM

leosgonewild:
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

With the BeoSound 2 there's a big friggin volume dial on top! Also, it's controllable by volume from your phone? You really do not need a traditional remote to control it - complete overkill.

Stan
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Stan replied on Wed, May 13 2020 4:16 PM

moxxey:

With the BeoSound 2 there's a big friggin volume dial on top! Also, it's controllable by volume from your phone? You really do not need a traditional remote to control it - complete overkill.

Completely disagree. 

I have my BS2 in my office, but it is out of reach from my desk chair.  I have an essence remote next to my computer so I can fine tune the volume from where I'm sitting, instant mute when the phone (or more frequently now, the computer) rings and easily skip ahead when my streaming service decides to play something I'm not into at the moment. I guess GVA could do the last two, but I don't have GVA.

Even if I didn't have it in my office, I have always liked the ability to fine tune the volume from my listening position (especially now with streaming where some songs are louder or softer than others - even with the setting that is supposed to minimize this, at least I experience this with Spotify), and I don't always care to fiddle with my phone to do it - you only get fine volume control from within the B&O app.  Using the volume buttons on the phone always seems to make it too loud or too soft.  Also, I guess I'm too uncoordinated to effectively and consistently use my phone to mute the music while also receiving a call.

leosgonewild
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moxxey:

With the BeoSound 2 there's a big friggin volume dial on top! Also, it's controllable by volume from your phone? You really do not need a traditional remote to control it - complete overkill.

Calm your ***, man Wink

"You think we can slap some oak on this thing?"

laseralex
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laseralex replied on Thu, May 14 2020 3:41 AM

moxxey:

The Beonic Man:

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

Good luck with those. I have one and it was the biggest joke so far - the ball bearings or whatever it uses have ceased up, so it's a chore to turn. A lot of money for something that ceases up so easily.

The first one I got had that happen, but it was replaced under warranty.  I currently have nine Essence Remotes spread around my home and they are all still working great.

Sources: 2x Beosound Moment • 4x Beosound Essence Mk II
Speakers: 3x Beolab 8000 • 2x Beolab 6000 • 2x Beolab 3 • 3x Beolab 2
Integrated:  1x Beosound 2 • 1x Beosound Level • 4x BeoPlay M5 • 1x BeoPlay A6
Control:  16x* Essence Remote  • 1x Beoremote Halo

* Yes, really! 🤦‍♂️

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