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
Hi,
I purchased an A9 before Christmas and have some experiences to share in the hope that some questions will be answered.
I had to switch my network settings from WPA2 - TKIP, to AES to get the A9 to connect to WiFi
The ping pong noise it makes when registering on a network occurs randomly about twice a day. Sometimes in the early hours, almost like it is dropping off the network, then re-registering. B&O advised me to buy a new Cisco router as they can only confirm compatibility with the routers they test with.
When playing via Airplay the sounds drops out randonmly. I've switched to a LAN cable to see if it was the WiFi signal and it still does it.
If you look closely there is an optical input next to the LAN port. This isn't advertised so I expect a firmware upgrade in the future may activate this allowing an optical input.
Some DLNA clients work well and adjust the volume, some don't control the volume at all. Its worth checking before you buy one.
Stereo separation isn't great but having a single unit allows for some great placement options.
Replacing the cover is very simply but you need to smooth the edges to remove any ripples in the fabric
Overall I love the A9. If anyone can shed any experiences that would resolve the above points I'd be greatful.
No, the B&O shop were pleasant but not very helpful
Thanks Gavin - good feedback; and BTW welcome to B&O and Beoworld
I am not sure which one of the two is more addictive
You said
Do tell us which one you settle on
BeoNut since '75
Hello Gavin
First of all how old or new is your router. As I had a problem when connecting a A9 to a old router and the unit kept cutting out and sometimes lost connection. I done a firmware update on the Router and all the problems were solved.
As for DLNA streaming software UPNP Bubble is a good one.
Hi Gavin,
I would definitely consider buying a new router, if upgrading doesn't help!.
Coax-input? There is a hole for resetting... I haven't heard of any coax..
Could you make a picture of it, perhaps?
BubbleUPnP is Android by the way - for iOS I would recommend PlugPlayer
Greetings Millemissen
There is a tv - and there is a BV
I also have the A9 and have experienced the same problems as you describe.
I too have noticed that the A9 seems to reconnect to the network at random. Havn't noticed any real pattern and it hasnt effected my use of the A9. The only reason i noticed it, is because if the ping pong sound when it starting up. To me it seems like its restarting, not reconnecting. This sounds like a bug of some sorts.
Regarding the sound drop outs, I've tracked the problem down to my iPhone 5. My hand is enough to block the signal. My router is about 2-3 years old and is up-to-date in firmware.
But enough with the negative, my postive feedback is similar to yours. Love the sound, though the stereo separation could be better. A trade off when buying a single unit. Some reviews are complaining over ripples in the fabric. I have had none of those problems what so ever. My guess is that they suck at mounting the fabric, which by the way isn't hard at all.
Beovision Eclipse gen2 (GX) w/ floorstand, Beolab 14.2, 4 speaker Shape and ATV4/Chromecast.
Beoplay A9mk4 GVA, Beosound 1 GVA, H2, H3, H8, E6, Beoplay EQ
Bluetooth technologie is better like Airplay ! Why Beo don't use and integrate it ?!
BeoBoy68: Bluetooth technologie is better like Airplay ! Why Beo don't use and integrate it ?!
You're kidding right?
In case you're not kidding:
Bluetooth is poor -as in "really, really bad" - for both range and bandwidth (and thus poor audio quality), not to mention security.
Still waiting for 'AirPlay over Bluetooth 4.0'
Millemissen: Still waiting for 'AirPlay over Bluetooth 4.0' Greetings Millemissen
Yeah, at a maximum of 200kbps in the best case scenario - So much better than WiFi, lol!
Thank you all for your responses.
I do have the option of using a network cable but I was hoping to keep the wires that cross the floor to a minimum.
My router is the best Billion Router I could purchase. It has many features and I don't want to replace it unless I have to. It is about 2 years old with the latest firmware.
I understand the suggestion that it is my iphone or ipad, so I've ordered a new ipad. My logic is that the old device could be struggling with sending data over WiFi to both the NAS and A9 simultaneously. I also own a Samsung Galaxy S3 so I'll see if it has the same symptoms.
Did anyone else find the optical port or is it just mine? The B&O tech didn't even know it was there!
Gavin
H Gavin,
??? Optical port in a B&O-product???
That would be the first time ever.
Really?
I thought some of the high end speakers (Beloab 5) had optical in
Regards
Gavin: Really? I thought some of the high end speakers (Beloab 5) had optical in Regards
No, the digital in is coax in the BL5s.
Yes, Bubble is one of the better DLNA Apps. I think the Samsung default Music player can stream to the A9 but cannot control the volume for some reason. Or maybe I'm just not using it correctly.
I also find it takes several seconds (5?) for the streaming to start. Like it is buffering for too long? My SONOS system is about 1 second and works flawlessly via the RCA inputs.
Hi, I have the static electricity noise too. I switched to ethernet cable to eliminate wifi but I now suspect that the device I was playing the music from (ipad or iphone) was the problem as it was still on wifi and the source of the music was either a NAS or Spotify which is ultimately data from the internet.
What WiFi network are you using - 802.11g, n or both?
Next I will try a dedicated wireless network for music streaming (n only) and leave the 'g' network for other equipment.
I will update over the next few weeks.
Hello,
in addition I would like to add that I tried following without success :
watching movie on apple tv using airplay to stream sound to A9 or letting sound pass trough the TV and using cable connected to rca does not eliminate the interference. so it's not a case of using airplay and it's there and using cable and it's gone. The movie itself however is being streamed wireless from NAS to appleTV.
Gord
I must say it's quite disappointing that the A9 lacks support of n-networks
With the insane requirement to network stability when using Airplay, it's almost impossible to understand why they only implemented b/g.Considering the price point, it's a no-brainer.
The 2.4 Ghz spectrum is really crowded
@ MikaelHansen
What problems has lack of n-network connection caused you?
I've just moved my A9 onto a 2nd WiFi network and it works great. Before the A9 my router was only using Wireless-n but when I introduced the A9 it switched to both 'n' and 'g'. This was the cause of some of my problems which also slowed all my other devices.
How did B&O release a product using older technology?
I'd like to send the A9 back and wait for the upgraded A9 with Wireless n and optical input. I suspect they rushed this to market thereby upsetting many customers and destroying the reputation of such an iconic brand. Pity because the A9 had such potential.
I connected the a9 via cat6 a week ago hoping this would solve the disturbing cracking noises (like static discharge) maybe in the wireless signal but no result. it's less but still there. Even when receiving sound from TV via RCA.
i think only thing left is to send it back unless anyone found a solution for this
To be fair, the antenna in the A9 is pretty good. Most of the problems in playback is caused by my iPhone 5. But my A9 is also placed close to my router.
BUT the A9 is the only b/g only unit I have on my network, which forces me to have a b/g network active. This means a poorer range and higher risk of interference from neighboring networks.
For an instance, inSSID gives my b/g network a "link rating" of 30 at best. This rating depends on signal strength and other networks on the same channel. My n network on the other hand have a perfect 100 score.
The problem with b/g is not the bandwidth, it's the overpopulated channels which decreases the range and stability of the network.
I love my A9 and after some intense network setup the connection is stable, but not withouts faults. If I had the opportunity to use a n network does stability issues would be non-existing.
The A9 is still a killer product, but the price justifies top notch technology!
but all modern wireless routers can operate on b, g or n simultaniously and having a g-device present should not slow down n-devices.
my wirless router is just a few meters away from the a9 before switching to cat6 and even then when checking th wireless signal in the beoplay app it said marginal..
so why if you play via iphone 5 trough airport extreme wireless (all N devices) to the a9 connected to this airport extreme via cat 6 is the sting still unstable ?? do i need to start watching star trek to look for solutions
Plugging in a product that is marketed as WIRELESS is just wrong.
I have no problem operating b/g and n devices simultaneously on my network. My router can handle that without any problem. But it doesn't change the fact that the A9 could be positioned much more freely if connected as a n-device. Because of the massive interference on 2.4 Ghz bandwidths the A9 needs to be relatively close to the router to have a strong enough signal.
You cannot change the fact that n-network has a much higher capacity and range. I would expect such a protocol to be included in a premium product.
Don't get me wrong, the A9 does what it says on the package. My problem is that it would do it a lot better if it had the newest technology.
Airplay is a technology with lofty goals and potentially spectacular results that just doesn't seem fully baked and kind of sucks in the end. I agree that Bluetooth's bandwidth is not sufficient for top quality audio but I sure experience less dropouts and easier connections when using it on some of my equipment. In fact, I have a product in my BATHROOM (yes I like to have music in there) called a SoundFreaq which is a cheap Bluetooth compatible iPod dock and radio with surprisingly good sound quality. I can have music playing in my bathroom, take my iPhone out of the bathroom with me when I'm done in there, and walk all the way into the living room without any dropout from the Bluetooth signal. As bluetooth is only advertised to work best at 30 or 40 feet I'm not sure how this is possible through a wall and easily 75 or 80 feet away but it does work.
I can also confirm that I have an AT&T branded 2Wire wireless router and in order to solve a lot of my Airplay problems (to my AppleTV, I don't own an A9 or any BeoPlay product) I had to force the router to use N only. When it was allowed to run in compatibility mode for older wireless devices the performance of Airplay was significantly degraded. And even now, I find that in the late afternoon I get Airplay dropouts. I'm going to try connecting the Apple TV via ethernet straight to the router when I get a chance in order to eliminate at least one point of failure, but these things should really work as advertised and I find it interesting all of the people who say that Airplay worked much better in iOS5.
That said, Airplay from my Retina MacBook Pro won't behave any better when the iPhone is cutting out. So it's probably just a general congestion issue on my end.
I can not WAIT for the Wireless Speaker and Audio (WiSA) technology to be implemented by B&O and others.
Just learned that the lack of wireless n support is caused by the Airplay chip, as this does not support it. The chip is supplied by an Apple manufacturer.
Mine still resets it self now and then. Haven't really timed it, but its about once a day. The "bang" noise have stopped though. After changing to an Apple Airport Extreme any dropout in sound is extremely rare, and my setup seems to be very stable.
The Airplay chip and the network chip are two different parts as far as I know. Don't know if B&O have made any changes to the network part. The Airplay chip is unchanged as this is dictated by Apple.
There is a new firmware update in the pipes. It seems to be a bit delayed, but you should see it before Christmas. It primarily concerns a new Spotify feature, but B&O might make some adjustments based on customer feedback.
But it's still disappointing that Apple doesn't update its Airplay chip and protocol to support n (and now AC) networks. It would really help with Airplay in areas with very congested wifi networks. If it wasn't for my A9, then all my devices would use n-network and I could shutdown my g-network.
rob08:Airplay chips supports n networks. Just look at their own airport express. I believe it is up to B&O to select which network speed
This is Apples own products where the network connectivity primarily serves a different purpose. One is a router, the other connects to the internet for content.
I'm talking about the Airplay chips which Apple forces other manufacturers to use if they want to label their products with the Airplay Logo.
Here is another manufacturer tweeting about the subject:
https://twitter.com/Libratone/status/338983191274741761
Just our of curiousity, if anyone have experienced the same: after few days of standby, my Beoplay A9 won't connect anymore to home WiFi but blinks indefinitely both LEDs.Once unplugged from mains (and then plugged back after 30 sec), it kind of "restarts" and normally connects to WiFi and works spotlessly again.
Why would that "extended standby" cause it? When I play it daily, it never falls into that kind of problem - only with few days of standby. :D
Reminds me of the Tamagotchi-thingies, that my kids once had.
They had to nurse them, care for them - otherweise they sickened.
MM
Hahaha, MM you made my day! ROFL
An undocumented AI is sleeping inside of A9. :D I have to play with it every day, feed it and keep it happy - otherwise no music for me. ;)
Update: I have been contacted by relevant person from B&O being responsible for A9. I will share my findouts and logs to help figuring out in which situations my "problem" could happen.
I couldn't believe top B&O people are reading this forum and are so proactively dealing with potential issues personally. Honestly, I wouldn't expect it ever - and this is why B&O has so much magic for me.
<3