How to Revert back to the original Firmware of the S3 Speaker?

Hi everyone,

I own a couple of S3 speakers for about 11 months right now and I absolutely love them both. However, I have recently made the mistake of upgrading their firmware software to the latest version using the windows utility available on the B&O website. FYI, I upgraded the firmware on both units. Unfortunately, I have had nothing but problems ever since. I have listed the many problems I have been experiencing since below.

Problems:

01 - Daisy-Chain Sequence: The hardware key sequence for putting the two speakers in daisy-chain mode (holding down the B&O button until the lights turns into blinking Amber) will only function 2 times out of 6 attempts. you can hear the speaker been three times which should mean you are in the daisy-chain mode but the blinking light will only blink white as opposed to amber. This was not the case before the firmware upgrade.

02 - Daisy-Chain Pairing Light Sequence: Once you finally get both speakers into the pairing mode (blinking amber light) pressing the B&O hardware button on the master speaker (Speaker 01) will stop the blinking amber light on the master speaker but the one on the slave speaker turns white, before double beeping and the speakers get to be online. Originally, the blinking amber light on both speakers turned into solid Amber light for a while before beeping twice signaling the successful daisy-chaining

03 - Slave Speaker Volume Drop After Pause: The most annoying of all the problems which have been showing themselves after the new firmware by far is a massive volume drop on the slave speaker after a short silent pause (5 to 10 seconds). The volume is alright for as long as there is a constant source of audio from the computer but as soon as you want to skip the track in the time it takes the next one to play the massive and supper annoying volume drop happens on the second, slave speaker. This was also not the case prior to the firmware upgrade.

So, what I would like to know is that if anyone else has been experiencing similar problems or not. Also more importantly, is there a way to revert back to the original firmware these two magnificent speakers came with!?

P.S.

This is how I have set them up:

Physical Setup:

Speaker 01:

Connected to my Windows 7 Desktop via a gold-plated USB Micro-B cable.

Connected to Speaker 02 via a gold plated 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm cable - From Line-Out Mini-jack port

Speaker 02:

Connected to Speaker 01 via a gold plated 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm cable - From Line-in Mini-jack port

Speaker Configuration:

 

I have set up my two speakers in the Daisy-chain mode where my speaker 01 with the USB connection is the master, left channel and the Speaker 02 is the slave, right channel.

I have exact the same problem, dropping the sound after about 10 seconds .... the only reply i got from beocare is that they will pass it to development . But no new firmware since than ... they replied to me already more then 4 months ago ...

Nico

Thank you very much for the reply dude, It's good to know that I am not the only one.

I sent an email with pretty much the same content that show up here to the support as well but haven't heard from them since. I have to mention that I did send the email on Friday.

It is very annoying and has made the speakers completely useless to me. such a shame for such amazing little speakers!

 

Hi Nico,

B&O support got back to me and asked me a few clarifying questions about my problem which I answered. The interesting part of the email was that the support staff that got back to me (Thomas) mentioned that he had not heard of other people having issues after the upgrade and that it is impossible to flash the original firmware back on this device.

I did tell him about this post and also that you have mentioned that you have had the same issue and that you have already passed it on to the support staff. I also provided him with the URL address of this page so that he can check it out for himself if he likes to.

Felt like letting you know that it seems like your earlier submission might have been forgotten. I will keep you posted on further developments and like I said I had already mentioned it to Thomas, but you might want to fill in another ticket stating the same issue so that they know that there are more than one people with this issue after the update.

Cheers.

Hi, I answered in the S3 thread, but I didn't mention this:

I also contacted support before discovering this forums. I complained about the volume, and the answer I got was that they never heard of a problem such as this. That it must be an issue with my set. They even asked me my serial numbers. They said they tested and couldn't reproduce the issue. But I experience exactly the same that you carefully described. I'm glad is not only me, but it's annoying it seems is not being addressed.

A shame, the speakers have an increible potential, the sound is completely amazing. But not being able to use them just like regular speakers with a cable is... a total shame.

Sorry double post I don't know why

 

Hi,

I am still engaged in a back and forth of emails with the support and I was also told how they have not had any other person report this to them. I was also asked to provide them with my serial numbers. I did provide them with the serial numbers and I also provided them with the URL address to this and also the other thread to show them that there are at least three of us so far talking about the issue.

Thomas, the support staff I was in contact with finally suggested sending them back to Amazon and ask for a replacement to make sure that it is not a speaker issue. These are AMAZING speakers and their build quality is impeccable, too bad how their massive connectivity issues and that damn quick standby time stops you from really enjoying them.

By the way, I officially asked for the standby time to be increased in a future firmware, and I was told that others had also asked for it and it will be considered by the development team. 

I strongly suggest to you and Nico to reopen another ticket with the support and give them the address of this link so that they know that there are others and we want them to look into this more seriously and not shrug it off as a something which has not happened to others.

Cheers.

I wanted to ask you a couple of questions though:

1. when did you buy yours exactly?

2. have you also updated the firmware?

3. did the same issues exist before the firmware update? (That is if you did infarct updated the firmware)

I bought it last monday, on the prime day. They were already updated, so no firmware available to update (I tried). I can't compare then...

I don't know exactly what are you refering to with the standby issue, I don't think I have that? Also, I didn't notice the issue with the volume the way you explained, like being normal for minutes and then the volume going down. Is not that it didn't happen to me, but I find it difficult to know it so precisely. I just noticed a random behaviour, but at the end, the volume on the slave speaker is not as loud. So I reset and try again... and same thing, but it's true I think I got it working, then it changed... so maybe it is what you explained, that it works for some minutes before dropping volume.

 

The Standby Issue:

 

• These speakers have a very small window of being Idle before they go into stand by mode to save power. This is about 10 to 15 seconds of not receiving any audio signal from the source, and around 1 minutes or not receiving a Bluetooth beacon from a Bluetooth connected device. 
• The Bluetooth beacon is essentially this signal the device sends to the peripherals connected to it via Bluetooth to check and make sure they are still connected.
• if you hook up your speakers to your phone or computer via a USB or Auxiliary cable (3.5 mm Jack) you will notice the speakers going into the standby mode should there be a long pause in the video you are watching or in between the music tracks you are playing.
• The issue is not the idle status itself, but the fact that it will take the speakers a few seconds to power back up which means that you won't be able to catch the first second of the next track or when the people on the video you are watching start talking again. 

 

The Volume Drop Issue:

 

• USB Connection:
  • The right channel (Slave speaker) drops in playback volume after a pause of 5 to 10 seconds between the playback of my music tracks or during periods where there is no overlaying audio on the clips I am watching
  • The best way to notice this is to do a left-right channel audio test like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M05w0gIDQVM as soon as you notice the drop.
  • It also helps if you are in a listening / acoustically sound room or in a quiet setting with low to no ambient noise. 
• Line-in / 3.5 mm Auxiliary Connection:
  • The right channel (Slave speaker) drops in playback volume (but to a much lesser extent compared to the USB connection) after a pause of about half an hour to about an hour.
  • This happens regardless of the audio source, Android Phone, Laptop or desktop.
• Bluetooth Pairing Connectivity:
  • I do not have the volume drop issue on the Bluetooth connectivity to my phone, laptop or desktop
  • However there is a very annoying processing lag on the speakers themselves that makes it impossible to watch a clip while the audio for the clip is is being played back on the speakers as the video and the audio are completely out of sync

 

I personally think that it is all very much related to the aggressive power management worked into the logic of these magnificent little speakers. I wish they would totally eliminate the damn power saving feature, I have no issues with the power bill and it will not destroy the earth so let me enjoy my music please!.

Also, another thing you might want to try are the individual volume buttons on each, in particular the right channel that drops in volume. To my experience, when the pairing has been done correctly, increasing or decreasing the volume on either one of the speakers will change the volume on both, but when the right one drops, it no longer responds to the volume change done on the master speaker. At such times it will only respond to its own speaker volume buttons.