New BeoSound Stage!

Sandyb:

Hardly the most difficult installation.

Plug sound bar into power, join to TV and thats it.

Not sure thats worth paying for.

If that is all that you want,  you might also get the Stage from a third party dealer at a ‘better’ condition.

However, setting both devices up to work with a BROne and connecting it to (your) other B&O/NL devices might be a bit more challenging for some people.

MM

andybandy:

"I still see Sonos as technically more attractive from that perspective."

I wonder how you can say that, when you see the specification side -by side will Stage beat it in all way.

Hello andybandy,

I didn’t want to jump on the “Let’s all say what B&O should do” bandwagon but... well, here’s my personal opinion.

I presume B&O is targeting the demographics of non-B&O customers who:

- wants to upgrade the audio capabilities of their premium TV’s (LG OLED, Sony OLED, Samsung QLED and The Frame etc.);

- prefers a simple and straightforward all-in-one solution;

- uses the same system for listening to streamed music;

- have barely heard of B&O, never been in an affiliated store, don’t have any B&O home video/audio product, don’t have a Beoremote.

Sonos is the elephant in the room, they are the market leader in this segment.

From what I’ve read on internet, their soundbars are performing well, don’t have any major issue with the software, offer an easily scalable solution (on a later stage you can add fronts, rears and a sub very easily and wirelessly), have almost all the streaming services built in, have smart speaker capabilities (Alexa but they should be able to add Google Home and maybe Apple Siri sometime in the future.

There’s no WiSA but this market segment has no audiophile requirements.

Now I understand that there are difficulties for B&O to catch up the competition because the Sonos guys are already established in this specific segment, have an ecosystem that it has been set years ago and it is well tested over that time, have higher visibility (you can find it every MediaMarkt) and last but not least have financial resources, needed to pay support and all the compatibility services/features listed above (Airplay, Alexa and Spotify, to name a few, don’t come for free).

In order to be competitive and get the attention of these potential customers (NOT us BeoWorlders!) they would need to differentiate the product.

Sonos is a boring black or white box, the Stage is very nice from what I’ve seen in the websites.

And yes, maybe the Stage is beating Sonos in terms of audio specs if I read through the tech summary but I wouldn’t bet this is a major differentiating factor.

Only beware because I have talked about Sonos but there are also Bose and B&W in the arena!

We still miss some of the remaining ingredients the B&O special sauce made of:

- Beoremote, this is not an accessory, it is the cornerstone of the B&O ecosystem, the device with a unique tactile connection with the user, no one else has something like that;

- the Magic, such as some sort of moving part or other effect with a cause (the curtain on the BV [:\'(], the BS 9000 cd positioning system...), not just for the sake of it;

- the ease all the B&O products should connect to each other (e.g. check how the AirPods pair to an iPhone).

All this made the customer feel welcome and special everyday when using a B&O product, then you got addicted and infected by the BeoVirus!

Sorry for the long post but please do not misunderstand, the time all of us spend for this conversation is a clear demonstration of the respect and the attachment we have for this brand.

Olivier

I have been looking forward to the BS Stage for sometime for use with my Sony A1 OLED.  My Sony is on a piece of furniture and the design of the television has an easel stand at the back and as there is no 'frame / bezel' or stand the TV sits on, and therefore the picture goes all the way to the bottom.

If I installed the BS Stage in front of the TV it would cut off the picture.

There would be a lot of customers like me where they don't have a television mounted on a wall where the soundbar wouldn't obstruct the vision.

So at this stage, I won't buy a stage for my front room.  

I do really like the product though, the design, the craftsmanship. I am a believer that simple is hard to design. 

I google and the design of A1 is nice.

Aussie Michael:

I have been looking forward to the BS Stage for sometime for use with my Sony A1 OLED.  My Sony is on a piece of furniture and the design of the television has an easel stand at the back and as there is no 'frame / bezel' or stand the TV sits on, and therefore the picture goes all the way to the bottom.

If I installed the BS Stage in front of the TV it would cut off the picture.

There would be a lot of customers like me where they don't have a television mounted on a wall where the soundbar wouldn't obstruct the vision.

So at this stage, I won't buy a stage for my front room.  

I do really like the product though, the design, the craftsmanship. I am a believer that simple is hard to design. 

If you waited for it, but also knew that the picture go all the way down to the bottom, what exact soundbar-design were you hoping for? Just curious.

OlivierC:

Hello andybandy,

I didn’t want to jump on the “Let’s all say what B&O should do” bandwagon but... well, here’s my personal opinion.

I presume B&O is targeting the demographics of non-B&O customers who:

- wants to upgrade the audio capabilities of their premium TV’s (LG OLED, Sony OLED, Samsung QLED and The Frame etc.);

- prefers a simple and straightforward all-in-one solution;

- uses the same system for listening to streamed music;

- have barely heard of B&O, never been in an affiliated store, don’t have any B&O home video/audio product, don’t have a Beoremote.

Sonos is the elephant in the room, they are the market leader in this segment.

From what I’ve read on internet, their soundbars are performing well, don’t have any major issue with the software, offer an easily scalable solution (on a later stage you can add fronts, rears and a sub very easily and wirelessly), have almost all the streaming services built in, have smart speaker capabilities (Alexa but they should be able to add Google Home and maybe Apple Siri sometime in the future.

There’s no WiSA but this market segment has no audiophile requirements.

Now I understand that there are difficulties for B&O to catch up the competition because the Sonos guys are already established in this specific segment, have an ecosystem that it has been set years ago and it is well tested over that time, have higher visibility (you can find it every MediaMarkt) and last but not least have financial resources, needed to pay support and all the compatibility services/features listed above (Airplay, Alexa and Spotify, to name a few, don’t come for free).

In order to be competitive and get the attention of these potential customers (NOT us BeoWorlders!) they would need to differentiate the product.

Sonos is a boring black or white box, the Stage is very nice from what I’ve seen in the websites.

And yes, maybe the Stage is beating Sonos in terms of audio specs if I read through the tech summary but I wouldn’t bet this is a major differentiating factor.

Only beware because I have talked about Sonos but there are also Bose and B&W in the arena!

We still miss some of the remaining ingredients the B&O special sauce made of:

- Beoremote, this is not an accessory, it is the cornerstone of the B&O ecosystem, the device with a unique tactile connection with the user, no one else has something like that;

- the Magic, such as some sort of moving part or other effect with a cause (the curtain on the BV [:\'(], the BS 9000 cd positioning system...), not just for the sake of it;

- the ease all the B&O products should connect to each other (e.g. check how the AirPods pair to an iPhone).

All this made the customer feel welcome and special everyday when using a B&O product, then you got addicted and infected by the BeoVirus!

Sorry for the long post but please do not misunderstand, the time all of us spend for this conversation is a clear demonstration of the respect and the attachment we have for this brand.

Olivier

I completely agree with you, Sonos is THE benchmark if B&O wants to survive. Simplify the app, add spotify again (sorry deezer), make the stage compatible more easy with other multiroom speakers (in the app add speaker groups).

Only with full operational comparison with Sonos, the added value of design/beoremote/upgrade further up in the B&O speaker range will be noticed by a much bigger group of potential buyers.

And main issue, get the stuff sold apart from the outnumbered dealer network. They are there mainly for the real stuff and brand image. Together with a strict price policy, the dealers and main street retail should be able to live together.

Just my non-expert vision

Fansastic:

I completely agree with you, Sonos is THE benchmark if B&O wants to survive. Simplify the app, add spotify again (sorry deezer), make the stage compatible more easy with other multiroom speakers (in the app add speaker groups).

Only with full operational comparison with Sonos, the added value of design/beoremote/upgrade further up in the B&O speaker range will be noticed by a much bigger group of potential buyers.

And main issue, get the stuff sold apart from the outnumbered dealer network. They are there mainly for the real stuff and brand image. Together with a strict price policy, the dealers and main street retail should be able to live together.

Just my non-expert vision

Only thing I can agree with you there is the Spotify part!

I am pretty sure, that the Stage is not meant to beat Sonos - it is more an alternative for people who want something different.

You can not make something a ‘full operational comparison with Sonos‘ unless it is a Sonos!

The Stage has got to have something to offer, that is not just Sonosish.

You can use the Stage with any AP2 and/or Chromecast compliant speaker system on the market........just add it and use it with Google or Siri, if you please.

The Bronze and the Aluminium versions are supposed to be sold by the ‘main street retail’ - should be rather visible in the market then.

If it has added value (control with BROne and integration with an LG-tv) for those who are more into the B&O stuff, this can’t be bad, or?

MM

I've read the article MM mentioned, but it causes some confusion.

 

WhatHiFi states that for using Dolby Atmos or TrueHD you need an eARC hdmi connection on your panel. For virtual height sound production. Only newer panels will have that eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) connection with the newer hdmi 2.1 specifications.

B&O doesn't mention that the Stage needs an eARC connection on their site, just ARC. So, is it capable to reproduce some kind of virtual height sound which is done by some sort of algorithm?

Which leads me to the question: Does anyone who already has bought a new panel for the past months/time also experience the True HD and Atmos formats?

Beobuddy:

I've read the article MM mentioned, but it causes some confusion.

 

WhatHiFi states that for using Dolby Atmos or TrueHD you need an eARC hdmi connection on your panel. For virtual height sound production. Only newer panels will have that eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) connection with the newer hdmi 2.1 specifications.

B&O doesn't mention that the Stage needs an eARC connection on their site, just ARC. So, is it capable to reproduce some kind of virtual height sound which is done by some sort of algorithm?

Which leads me to the question: Does anyone who already has bought a new panel for the past months/time also experience the True HD and Atmos formats?

 

If your TV does not support eARC, you cannot transfer Atmos from the TV to the soundbar - that's how it is. However, if you have a source that support Atmos, you can connect it to the HDMI in on Stage, and then picture is passed on the the TV, and Atmos is passed to the soundbar.

 

Millemissen:

Only thing I can agree with you there is the Spotify part!

I am pretty sure, that the Stage is not meant to beat Sonos - it is more an alternative for people who want something different.

Hello MM,

Then the point is to define that “something different” that demographics is looking for.

If I have to reduce the idea to the bone, my concern is that the Stage might be perceived as a less complete (no Spotify, no smart capabilities) but better looking soundbar at x3 the price of a Sonos competing product.

Then this might be snowballing down to:

why not Bose or B&W (or Sonos if I can live with the look)? —> the differentiating factors would be brand recognition, aesthetics and price.

And the final step would be the old refrain that all of us hate and have heard in the past: B&O is just all aesthetics and low specs/value for the money compared to less exotic and mass marketed products.

IMHO, as usual!

Olivier

P.S. MM thank you again for the support you gave me with the V1, the sentence in your signature is 100% true even if I have a “poor man” BV!

christiank:

If you waited for it, but also knew that the picture go all the way down to the bottom, what exact soundbar-design were you hoping for? Just curious.

Good point.

I don’t know.

But! I may have a plan and a hack. And maybe another idea for STB brackets after I won their previous competition for a stand idea for the V1.

christiank:

Beobuddy:

I've read the article MM mentioned, but it causes some confusion.

 

WhatHiFi states that for using Dolby Atmos or TrueHD you need an eARC hdmi connection on your panel. For virtual height sound production. Only newer panels will have that eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) connection with the newer hdmi 2.1 specifications.

B&O doesn't mention that the Stage needs an eARC connection on their site, just ARC. So, is it capable to reproduce some kind of virtual height sound which is done by some sort of algorithm?

Which leads me to the question: Does anyone who already has bought a new panel for the past months/time also experience the True HD and Atmos formats?

 

If your TV does not support eARC, you cannot transfer Atmos from the TV to the soundbar - that's how it is. However, if you have a source that support Atmos, you can connect it to the HDMI in on Stage, and then picture is passed on the the TV, and Atmos is passed to the soundbar.

 

Which again leads to the question:

If you have an UHD-player (only - legal - way to get Atmos within a Dolby HD container) connected to the LG-tv (which supports eARC), how about the port on the Stage.?

On the device itself it is labelled as ARC, but in the specs sheet shown in the Flatpanel article both ARC and eARC are mentioned.

Which is right: labelling on the device or the specs on that website?

Wired Connectivity HDMI (HDMI 2.0 HDCP 2.2) with eARC and ARC support.

HDMI in (HDMI 2.0 HDCP 2.2 with support for 4K HDR 50/60 Hz)

 

MM

Beobuddy:

Which leads me to the question: Does anyone who already has bought a new panel for the past months/time also experience the True HD and Atmos formats?

Please be aware that Atmos is not a sound format....it’s a set of informations, that can be added to a Dolby Plus or a Dolby HD stream (these are the sound formats).

Generally the streaming services use Dolby Plus - you can find Dolby HD on the (UHD)Bluray discs. Both can have added Atmos informations embedded.

MM

Millemissen:

If you have an UHD-player (only - legal - way to get Atmos within a Dolby HD container) connected to the LG-tv (which supports eARC), how about the port on the Stage.?

E.g Netflix, iTunes and Amazon provide Atmos in their services, right?  At least Netflix use the DD+ container. 

Will the sound soundbar work with this LG monitor? (It is HDMI 2.0, HDCP 2.2 Compatible)

link:

https://www.lg.com/levant_en/monitors/lg-43UD79-B

 

Thanks

 

Will the sound soundbar work with this LG monitor? (It is HDMI 2.0, HDCP 2.2 Compatible)

link:

https://www.lg.com/levant_en/monitors/lg-43UD79-B

 

Thanks

 

Price of smoked oak version seems to have gone up already I think.....now on B&O website at £1,900, thought it was going to be £1,750 but maybe wrong......edit....sorry was wrong was £1,900....!!

First video I have seen, where the BROne functionallity with the LG/C9 is shown.

https://youtu.be/uMW8y83MXL4

MM

Hi everyone,

I have spent a day testing the Stage at B&O Cambridge and I filmed the results, so I hope that this video will help to answer some questions about connecting and using the Stage in different setups:-

https://youtu.be/nYPfGGBVwcQ

Kind regards, Steve.

Thanks for taking your time to make the video.

For an audio-only source this is a nice way to use the analog input port, no doubt!

However, how many of those who wants to buy a BS Stage will have a tv without HDMI/ARC capacity?

You mention that the analog input doubles as optical input.

Can you confirm that - in the specs this is not mentioned (even if it is common practise in the latest BeoSounds)?

Also, if you want to use the optical output of a tv, you normally have a fixed output from there........and will have to control the volume on the Stage respectively will have to buy a BeoRemote One for that.

 

Since a lot of users nowadays use an AppleTV as their goto device, it might be an option to use AirPlay for the connection to the Stage - how well that works, other tests will have to show.

 

MM

Hi MM,

Yes, I can confirm that Stage can work with any of the following setups:-

1) TV with HDMI-ARC

2) TV with headphone socket, SCART output or other analogue audio output via the 3.5mm analogue input

3) TV with optical output via the 3.5mm optical input

Also, Stage works well as a speaker for a classic B&O audio system via the 3.5mm analogue audio input.  When using optical or a fixed analogue signal to the Stage, you would control the volume via the B&O app or BeoRemote One.

However, I don't recommend using Stage along with other speakers for surround sound unless the AV receiver can add a "speaker distance" setting of approx. 23 metres to the other speakers (to account for the 67mS latency within the Stage).

The Stage does support AirPlay but I haven't tested the latency via Airplay - this may cause too much of a delay to the audio when used with Apple TV.

Kind regards, Steve.

Sorry, I should have asked this question (https://archivedforum2.beoworld.org/forums/t/38363.aspx) in this topic...

At my dealer they didn't know an answer, they get their education on the Stage later this week. But I guess this would be a feasible setup:

Apple TV to HDMI IN (as recommended by Apple for Atmos-setups (https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204069)
Projector to HDMI OUT

Big question for me is volume control. Could I use the Apple TV for volume control (via CEC)?

3 new videos (set up etc) from B&O:

https://youtu.be/c38AczO4Yps

 

MM

And in stock on B&O website now......

Millemissen:

3 new videos (set up etc) from B&O:

https://youtu.be/c38AczO4Yps

 

MM

 

I've tried at several different stores some (4K) content on an USB stick.

All the movies I tried had different audiotracks. like DD, DTS, DTS-Ma and True-HD . Some of the latter should carry the extra Atmos information.

But at all the Stages I've tried, only the DD and DTS tracks gave music, where the DTS-Ma and True-HD went silent on the Stage. After pluggin the same USB stick into the Harmony's, these same movies could be watched with music with the same audio-tracks.

Both LG panels (on the Harmony and L9 above the Stage) had the same (passthrough) audiosettings. The L9 should be capable of passthrough the Atmos information without decoding/etc. The Stages were connected to the e-ARC hdmi of the L9 at the side of the panel.

So, does the Stage get an update so it can handle the more exotic audioformats? Until now I haven't experienced the promised Atmos experience.

I urge to say that I've tried these Stages about 2 weeks ago, so it might be possible in the meantime that the Stages received a softwareupdate.

As Netflix braodcasts in DolbyDigital + and is able to provide the extra Atmos information as an option, All the panels weren't setup with an account to try. So, that it still a question for me.

I 've tried an USB stick directly into the L9 panels and also used "Infuse" on an ATV4K which should be capable of handling the DTS-Ma and True-HD without decoding the information. Same result with the Harmony and Stage.

 

BTW, I forgot to mention the most important: an impressive sound! That's the impression I got while watching several music (opening)scenes.

Over my dead body I would by one for list price. 14000kr here in sweden when out of stock. 15000kr when you can buy.

I have an A1E - 65 Inch. The Stage might actually work well. You can set the stage above the TV and use the setting where the TV outputs to all devices - the Acoustic surface + stage. The sound will be amazing. Currently I have it set that way - except it sends audio to a pair of BL 8002 + BL 2 which are to the side. I would have preferred to have the sound above or below the TV mainly because the Acoustic Surface does a great job where speech literally seems to come from the mouth of the speaker. Having the sound come directly from the TV screen is great. However, for the Atmos and surround effects you need something like the Stage. Placing it on top of the TV (either on a shelf or on the wall) might work...anyway, there is the Sony A8 OLED with a stand that would allow for perfect placement of the Stage on  the table in front of the panel

I really like Sonos and had our whole home wired with Sonos. But recently I started using AirPlay 2 with B&O and it has replaced each and every Sonos speaker system! B&O hardware is great but the software is OK. So every B&O system I have is fed via an iPad, AirPort Express, Apple TV or iPhone...never use the BO App for any device except occasionally for the H9 headset and that too because the on headphone touch control isn’t 100% reliable...Sonos software is flawless. Their hardware is OK.

I wonder if Beosound Stage can be set up and used without the Google Assistant? I saw in videos GA setup is one of the first steps... ...but can it be skipped?

I believe so, look at the online setup on B&O website......

https://bogo.custhelp.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/1058112/session/L3RpbWUvMTU3NDc1NDUyNy9nZW4vMTU3NDc1NDUyNy9zaWQvZlVzTl9xc0FRMGVGanEzTnNJWmtkMW1Cbnp3SExIQk1fbGVLQzhxSnpBQzFwcER3RGI2RGNSemMzMkVoZklNR1BiZXBxTHhDMVd1RTh4OW40OXVrb2dVWWRmWV9tNnJaaHByQ2VXYlBmWWw2Qm9mU3pYbGY0cVRBJTIxJTIx

I shall use it as a linkroom speaker.

Really cool and very good sound!!

 

 

 

Did you intend to place it upside down? The controls are meant to be upwards when wall mounted.

 

best

 

Bendix:

Did you intend to place it upside down? The controls are meant to be upwards when wall mounted.

best

Yes I want the tweeters to face down becuase it mounted so high!

Bendix:

Did you intend to place it upside down? The controls are meant to be upwards when wall mounted.

 

The tweeters and midrange are angled for Dolby Atmos, firering the sound into the room, both when Stage is vertical or horisontal mounted below the TV.

But when mounting Stage this high, this would cause the sound to be projected on to the ceiling.

If you turn the speaker upside down, the sound will be sent in to the room instead.

 

 

   Regards, Lars

The Stage got some really nice reviews here:

https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/bang-olufsen-beosound-stage

Lars: In your review of the stage at your website recorders. Did you notice any lip sync issues? I have em at Cable tv (stofa) and sometimes at Apple TV 4K. It’s driving me nuts, you don’t mention it in the review, so nothing on your C7? 

Lars Ladingkaer:

If you turn the speaker upside down, the sound will be sent in to the room instead.

Wouldn't a high mounted Stage in an upside down position result in a opposite channel dispersion for L+R? Or are there controls to switch that (which would be classic B&O!)?

 

Bendix:

Lars: In your review of the stage at your website recorders. Did you notice any lip sync issues? I have em at Cable tv (stofa) and sometimes at Apple TV 4K. It’s driving me nuts, you don’t mention it in the review, so nothing on your C7? 

No, didn't notice lipsync issues.

   Regards, Lars

Earle:

Wouldn't a high mounted Stage in an upside down position result in a opposite channel dispersion for L+R? Or are there controls to switch that (which would be classic B&O!)?

This is selectable. This speaker has an option to lie down or to be wall mounted.

When its lying down, then the left and right channel are opposite, of when the speaker is wall mounted.

So when placing 'The Stage' like this, upside down, you would "cheat" and tell the app thats the soundbar is lying down, causing the channels to be at the right position.

  Regards, Lars