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
Most B&O speakers have an option in the app to limit the maximum volume, you should find it in the app under Product Settings > Configure > Sound > Sound Levels > Maximum sound volume
However, unlike my Stage, Level and BS2, I have a Beoplay A9 MK4 GVA that for some reason doesn't have this option.
This is quite annoying because I prefer to limit the max volume just in case. It happened to me a few times that, when using Airplay or Chromecast, due to bugs or accidental touches the A9's volume was set to 100 and I can guarantee you this is not fun at all.
Last week I could check with somebody who had an A9 MK2 and surprisingly, this A9 did have the max volume option. So now I really wonder why mine doesn't.
Therefore, if you have an A9, could you please check if you have this option and let me know exactly which version you have? Also if you would have another speaker without the option, please report...
Anyone with an A9 who could check?
My A9 MK3 has the Max Volume feature
LuffeDK: My A9 MK3 has the Max Volume feature
Thanks for reporting! Very strange they would have this feature for previous models and remove it from the latest. I'm starting to think this might again be one of these GVA specific things, although my Level with GVA has the max volume setting...
I made a request to B&O regarding this question and will report back if I get a response. So far it seems the option is only missing on the A9 MK4, I am not sure wether there is a difference between the GVA and non GVA.
For the MK3 there is even a support article describing the feature.
In my experience the max volume setting will be overridden by GVA commands, or when used through Chromecast. Had an Emerge on trail which acted like that. Kinda of annoying as the Emerge can easily be pushed beyond its limits, and needs to be limited in max volume.
This might be the reason why it's gone in mk4 GVA. Mine doesn't have it either.
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
Mikael: In my experience the max volume setting will be overridden by GVA commands, or when used through Chromecast. Had an Emerge on trail which acted like that. Kinda of annoying as the Emerge can easily be pushed beyond its limits, and needs to be limited in max volume. This might be the reason why it's gone in mk4 GVA. Mine doesn't have it either.
I just did some testing on my GVA Level which does have a max volume setting. I can confirm that with Chromecast you can indeed push it over the max volume setting if you use a Google service to change the volume (voice or app). When using the Halo or BR1 it will still be limited though.
I also tested with AirPlay and I couldn't push it over the set volume limit in any way.
Level and Emerge are of course a different platform, but even though it doesn't work perfectly with Google, it is still better than nothing...
Max volume available on: BeoSound 1 Gen 1, BeoSound 2 Gen 2 w/o GVA, BeoSound Balance w/o GVA.
And yeah I’d go nuts if my speaker couldn’t be volume limited. The BS2 & BSB especially can go into territories that WILL damage your hearing and my Balance in particular is limited to 66% and I rarely listen to it over 50%. It’s hilarious that the max volume is bypassed with GVA commands because from what I’ve read that’s where you’ll want it the most since we’ve had complaints here of the speaker thinking the user wants to up the volume to max.
Either way I’ve made my opinions on GVA pretty clear in the past and am glad to have all my speakers without it.
I meanwhile received an answer from B&O:
"We have been informed this feature is not available in the Beoplay A9 4th Gen GVA because it is an ASE 2.0 product."
So basically all ASE 2.0 (pre-Mozart) GVA products are missing the max volume setting for some reason. I personally consider this a safety issue but there is little hope it will be added in a future software update:
"Regarding your request to add the feature in the roadmap for ASE 2.0 GVA products, we can only forward this along the our technical team for future reference. We also wish to set expectations that not all feedback we receive can be implemented for future products."
I still don't understand if there is a technical reason why this feature can't be added. It seems that this should be fairly straight forward to implement given the availability on the non-GVA products as well as Mozart GVA products.
Regarding the Mozart GVA products, as mentioned before, the feature is there but can be circomvented if you use Chromecast or Google Voice. This is however still better than not having it at all.
It’s probably the same “technical reason”(lol) why a GVA speaker has Bluetooth gimped (read: disabled) unless you complete the totally-not-mandatory Google Home setup portion of the speaker. Unfortunately the only way this is likely to ever get resolved is if enough of us throw GVA speakers back to our dealers for frankly insane “technical” limitations which shouldn’t ever have existed in the first place.