The BeoSound Essence listed

£1500 for a glorified remote, thats looks a lot of money to me. (Is this the complete selling price, or + for the wooden case). As with the BL18 lamellas)

I have a feeling that we, users of the old ML will be disappointed. B&O has embarked on a new path. And now I look forward to the first specifications, to the extent that B & O this releases.

Yes I know, I look with caution to the arrival. Hopefully the built will be on a solid platform, in looking at their BM5. Official support for XP Embedded will end in 2019, and yet they continue to sell this platform, only five years to go ...

Beosound Essence can manage streaming from iPhone, but not send signal wirelessly to new WISA speakers. Transmitter 1 can send signal wirelessly, but can't "receive" streaming from iPhone.

Current lineup requires two separate products to support one of the most common ways to consume media.

B&O really needs to rethink their Beosound strategy and lineup. The price is too high, and their brand image too exclusive and lux to fail so miserably on mainstream tech convenience.

I wonder if the new audio system will combine the two?

I anticipate that it will or may I hope.

MJM

AnalogPlanet:

Beosound Essence can manage streaming from iPhone, but not send signal wirelessly to new WISA speakers. Transmitter 1 can send signal wirelessly, but can't "receive" streaming from iPhone.

Current lineup requires two separate products to support one of the most common ways to consume media.

B&O really needs to rethink their Beosound strategy and lineup. The price is too high, and their brand image too exclusive and lux to fail so miserably on mainstream tech convenience.

You know what, if that happens half here in the forum will complain about the price and how the system has features that they don't care about.

The WISA connection to speakers doesn't do multi room yet which is also something people want and it might require different chipset so having different components may work for us here.

 

 

Can the essence be implemented in a Beovision with 5.1 surround?

I was thinking of connecting the front powerlink outputs to an Essence through the line-in, and my front speakers to the outputs of the Essence. That way I would be able to use the Essence as it is intended, but it would also passthrough the sound to my front speakers when playing a 5.1 DVD. 

My question is: will the volume going from the BV be adjusted in the same way as the rear and center speaker?

To answer your question:

The sound would be adjusable/would have to be adjusted  in two 'places - 1: the BV, 2: the Essence.

And in some cases even in the app from the streaming device.

No 'elegant' solution!

And  the .1 (the sub) would not be heard when the Essence is playing.

 

How about doing it the 'other way 'round'? Connect the Essence (PL-out) to an analog-in of the BV, and adjust the volume level of it/the Essence, leave it there and control the volumen through the BV as you are used to with other sources.

I've been told that there is a setting (in the BeoMusic app), that lets you make a fixed line output from the Essence - this would be even easier to handle.

 

MM

What I want is to be able to come home and push one button in order to get music playing.

If I understood your suggestion, I might as well continue using my ATV3. I will have to turn on my BV anyway.

If the line input on the essence would start from 0 and go upwards with the sound signal feed from my BV it would work.

I only have 5.0. No subwoofer. So the signal would take full advantage of the speakers connected to the essence.

My question to B&O support:

Hi.

I am very interested in the Beosound Essence.

I currently have a BV7 with 5 speakers connected to it.

If I connect the front powerlink output from the BV/ into the line-in on the Essence, and the speakers I use as front speakers to the Essence´s speaker output, will this give me full usability?

If I understand correctly, this way would allow me to use the Essence´s remote to start music from spotify, but also pass throuh the sound from the BV7 when watching media with surround sound. My main concern is: will the Essence let the sound signal pass through so the volume will be adjusted by the BV7 when watching surround media? Or will I have to adjust the sound with the Essence remote?

The answer:

Thank you for your excellent question.

It has made foundation for a great discussion here at the office ;-)

However our conclusion is that you suggested set-up might work.

However it is not the way the product was intended to operate and this setup will also be a bit complicated due to all the circumstances.

Streaming from Spotify etc via your iPone has for instance 1. priority which will mean that music coming from your TV (line-in socket) will be overruled as long as a product is streaming to BeoSound Essence. If you for instance are using Spotify connect then you will have to make a restart of your BeoSound Essence as this is constant streaming compared to Airplay streaming.

So it is not just "plug-and-play" and we kindly suggest and advice you to get profound support from your dealer with this set-up. You find your nearest dealer here:

http://www.bang-olufsen. com/storelocator

I hope that this have given you some answers, it has at least given us many thoughts ;-)

You are welcome to contact me if you have further questions.

Have a nice day.

It would have been even nicer, if they had given some information on the 'well-hidden' use of the different ir-modes of the Essence-wheel!

These are mentioned in the faq's on the B&O website, but noone (at leat no dealer) has ever given any explanation of how these can/should be used.

Would be nice if one of those modes could trigger a command, that could open the A/V-port to which the Essence could be connected (see my suggestion above). 

If I had the opportunity to 'play with' these things, I would gladly test it - but I haven't got any spare money for buying an Essence

MM

I have been told by one store that the BS Essence will get an update next year and that it will make the Essence a much better product and more desirable, unfortunately they would not say what that was!

They also said the BV11 would be getting more updates and make that a much better machine, again would not say what that was either.

Let’s hope that whatever is coming for the Essence will make it more user friendly for people who want to connect it into a BV.