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
In order to help B&O determine how many Halos are affected, shall we start a discrete thread on the issue?
If you have a rattling Halo, please:
1. Submit a Hardware category inquiry to B&O via the B&O app; AND
2. Respond below indicating your:
a. Halo build date (stated on the bottom of your Halo (tabletop))
b. Color
c. Tabletop or wall
Currently: BeoLab 17, BeoLab 18, BeoSound Core, Beosound Level, Beosound A1 2nd Gen, BeoPlay S8 Connection Hub, Halo, Essence Remote
Previously: BeoSound 1 non-GVA
Jan 2021
Silver
Tabletop
Eclipse 65V1-32Beosound M5Essence MK2BLI
What exactly is the problem you are having?
--
BeoLab 18's. Beolab 3's. A8. A9. A2. H7.
I'll put Willie Satanek's down on his behalf as he confirmed to me directly on Instagram and on the podcast recently:
Nov 2020
The volume wheel is not tight to the rest of the chassis. It rattles. It has play in it--more than one would reasonably find acceptable. You can push and pull the volume wheel gently in place and it moves around and rattles. If you shake the entire unit itself, it rattles.
This is something that has been discussed on Henrik's (BOTF) channel in two videos recently. It has also been the topic of discussion on BeoTalk (Mikipedia) across the last 2, maybe 4 episodes. Apparently, a number of Halo examples are affected so we thought it would be helpful to attempt to quantify that more clearly.
Again, if your Halo is affected, please submit a Hardware inquiry to B&O through the app and also respond to this thread with the information stated in the first post. It would be helpful, I hope.
Cheers!
I have a Bronze table top Halo built in Jan 2021 that rattles. I did not file a Hardware inquiry because a replacement unit would very likely have exactly the same issue.
I checked out a few Halo's at a local dealer and literally all the latest versions have exactly the same issue, only the older models feel differently, more solid.
We wonder if manufacturing tolerances were changed on purpose--for example, to extend the life of the product.
If that's the case, that would be fine. We just would like B&O to indicate that explicitly. Replacement under warranty is not the only acceptable outcome--good communication also suffices. :)
If enough affected users submit inquiries, it may prompt a response from B&O, which would be a wonderful outcome. So, IMHO, submitting an inquiry is worthwhile.
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 !
I have to say, I have two other products at home with a similar type of wheel, the Beosound 2 and Nest thermostate. Both products have a rock solid wheel with not the slightest movement and very nice haptic feedback. That was what I expected from the Halo as well, but when I unpacked it I was disappointed because I immediately noticed the wheel was loose. Meanwhile I have kind of accepted it, I still think it's a stunning beautiful product. Maybe the Halo is just more complicated because the top is open.
I agree more open communication would be nice, but no company would admit that their build quality is not on par nor publicly state that every single product over the last year or so can be replaced.
October 2021 bought an anthracite halo table version. went to collect and remembering henrik’s information about them , i got my dealer to open it in the showroom before i even contemplated taking it away. the ring was loose . He opened another and that too had the same issue. he was super about it to be fair , organised a replacement but when that arrived , it too had issues ! so that has gone back and i have been offered a refund . Very disappointing
Wow, glad I did not pull the trigger on the Halo. Picked up an essence remote wheel from a dealer quitting and clearing stock and could not be happier. Only paid 100 EUR and use it with my Level. Volume control, pause/play and track skipping, All i need and the feel and response of the rotating wheel is just perfect. Would recommend these things to anyone for use with the bigger Beoplay speakers. Now on the hunt for a separate aluminium baseplate , if anyone has a spare ;)
Henrik asked that I add his to the list:
xx 2021
Anthracite
Wall
Ouch. This is why I am no longer buying a Rev 1 of any new B&O products. Ive been burned too many times with issues like this.
Curly: We wonder if manufacturing tolerances were changed on purpose--for example, to extend the life of the product.
You could be right. Mine doesn't rattle, but it's one of the first models, and the wheel is also quite tight. One thing I notice is that it's hard to get an exact volume. It can often skip ahead too quickly as the wheel is a little (or become a little) stiff. It's hard just to notch the volume up a couple of levels, for example. Will often jump 4 or 5 levels.
I'll also add that the wheel feels like it's going the same was as my Essence, which cesead up/got super-stiff after a few years to the point where you couldn't even rotate the wheel. The ball bearings start to work less well. I guess humid air affects them?
moxxey: Curly: We wonder if manufacturing tolerances were changed on purpose--for example, to extend the life of the product. You could be right. Mine doesn't rattle, but it's one of the first models, and the wheel is also quite tight. One thing I notice is that it's hard to get an exact volume. It can often skip ahead too quickly as the wheel is a little (or become a little) stiff. It's hard just to notch the volume up a couple of levels, for example. Will often jump 4 or 5 levels. I'll also add that the wheel feels like it's going the same was as my Essence, which cesead up/got super-stiff after a few years to the point where you couldn't even rotate the wheel. The ball bearings start to work less well. I guess humid air affects them?
If that should be the case, it should be very easy for B&O to explain in public.
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
Maybe a coincidence...I have a pair of Beoplay H95. The wheels for volume and noise cancellation had a nice firm touch, felt rock solid.
As my H95 had a mechanical problem, they were replaced. The new set has very loose wheels and they have play. This just doesn't feel premium.
I would not buy the H95 again. The quality overall is not what I expect from B&O at that price point.
December 2020
Natural silver
Table Version
The Halo goes back to the dealer
Maybe he had a new one without a loose ring
Beolab 50, Beolab 8000 x 2, Beolab 4000 x 2, BeoSound Core, BeoSound 9000, BeoSound Century, BeoLit 15, BeoPlay A1, BeoPlay P2, BeoPlay H9 3rd Gen, BeoPlay H6, EarSet 3i, BeoVision Eclipse Gen 2 55", BeoPlay V1-40, BeoCom 6000 and so much else :)
Michael:I don’t have one mainly due to it not having an oled screen. It simply looks so old with a backlit black and white bad contrast screen. Hope the next generation will be better!
Hope the next generation will be better!
NOT having an OLED screen is a big PRO for the Halo and a very good decision from B&O! LCD live much longer, has no burn in problems, stay readable in direct sunlight (depending on the used LCD variants) etc.
Did somebody get feedback from B&O about that "rattling"? Maybe it is dramatized here in the forum and that construction is intended to prevent faults like on the Essence remote?!
No feedback from B&O that I’m aware of.
TWG:NOT having an OLED screen is a big PRO for the Halo and a very good decision from B&O! LCD live much longer, has no burn in problems, stay readable in direct sunlight (depending on the used LCD variants) etc. Did somebody get feedback from B&O about that "rattling"? Maybe it is dramatized here in the forum and that construction is intended to prevent faults like on the Essence remote?!
Agreed, OLED is plenty robust enough, small scale devices or larger ones.
The other issue with the screens B&O use is that are not responsive in the way we are used to, especially as we all use modern mobiles.
The Moment was laggy as hell, and my experience with the Halo was not massively better.
Its certainly not a modern touchscreen experience.
Michael: TWG: NOT having an OLED screen is a big PRO for the Halo and a very good decision from B&O! LCD live much longer, has no burn in problems, stay readable in direct sunlight (depending on the used LCD variants) etc. Did somebody get feedback from B&O about that "rattling"? Maybe it is dramatized here in the forum and that construction is intended to prevent faults like on the Essence remote?! Is that so? I have oled on my iPhones and no issues, same with my eclipse tv. And my Fuji camera and even my BeoRemote ones have an oled screen so the black won’t glow in the dark. Not sure why B&O think halo doesn’t deserve a better screen. And graphics from the windows 3.1 era. I hope they make them more beautiful in the future, feels a bit rushed today.
TWG: NOT having an OLED screen is a big PRO for the Halo and a very good decision from B&O! LCD live much longer, has no burn in problems, stay readable in direct sunlight (depending on the used LCD variants) etc. Did somebody get feedback from B&O about that "rattling"? Maybe it is dramatized here in the forum and that construction is intended to prevent faults like on the Essence remote?!
Is that so? I have oled on my iPhones and no issues, same with my eclipse tv. And my Fuji camera and even my BeoRemote ones have an oled screen so the black won’t glow in the dark.
Not sure why B&O think halo doesn’t deserve a better screen. And graphics from the windows 3.1 era. I hope they make them more beautiful in the future, feels a bit rushed today.
Michael: Is that so? I have oled on my iPhones and no issues, same with my eclipse tv. And my Fuji camera and even my BeoRemote ones have an oled screen so the black won’t glow in the dark. Not sure why B&O think halo doesn’t deserve a better screen. And graphics from the windows 3.1 era. I hope they make them more beautiful in the future, feels a bit rushed today.
Personal experience: No longevity, useless in direct sunlight, false colors, fading brightness much sooner than LCDs. So, it's a good move from B&O to use LCD in their products.
The responsiveness has nothing to do with the display technology and is indeed an issue that has to be adressed by B&O.
Back to topic: Perfecting (mechanically and software side) the HALO. :-)
Agreed - the responsiveness is nothing to do with LCD vs OLED.
Which is why I said "the other issue with the Halo".
As for burn in, its never mentioned as an issue with small screens like iPhones, so it should also be irrelevant for something small like the Halo.
TWG: Michael: Is that so? I have oled on my iPhones and no issues, same with my eclipse tv. And my Fuji camera and even my BeoRemote ones have an oled screen so the black won’t glow in the dark. Not sure why B&O think halo doesn’t deserve a better screen. And graphics from the windows 3.1 era. I hope they make them more beautiful in the future, feels a bit rushed today. Just do a search for OLED burn in. It's an issue with all those displays. They burn in and they'll fade out faster than any LCD. It's a known fact and companies use measures to reduce the effect as it can NOT be eliminated, only prolonged. That's why e.g. LG TVs aren't allowed to be removed from the mains completely as the TVs take measures to protect the display and reduce burn in (stated in some user manuals). Even Apple tells you about it: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208191 Personal experience: No longevity, useless in direct sunlight, false colors, fading brightness much sooner than LCDs. So, it's a good move from B&O to use LCD in their products. The responsiveness has nothing to do with the display technology and is indeed an issue that has to be adressed by B&O. Back to topic: Perfecting (mechanically and software side) the HALO. :-)
That's big news.
I haven't received a response to my inquiry and that was way over a month ago.
Well, perhaps not a surprising response. But it's good to be acknowledged.
Beozip: December 2020 Natural silver Table Version The Halo goes back to the dealer Maybe he had a new one without a loose ring
Today I got a new Halo Remote from Struer over warranty ...
May 2021
... and with a loose ring
I am speechless