BeoMatthew
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In terms of going wireless, you’ll need the BeoLab Wireless 1 transmitter that will connect to the Core. The Core doesn’t output WiSA itself. Otherwise I’ve found that to be a perfectly stable connection and the sound is great.
1) Need to connect up my turntable as this is my main and most enjoyed source. It’s on the other side of the room from where the speakers will be and can’t be relocated. Ok.
2) I use Roon for streaming. As I understand it the Beosound Core will show up as an audio device via Chromcast in Roon so all good there. Correct. The Core is not Roon Ready, but would use Chromecast as you describe.
3) Does the Core have its own in-built volume adjustment? I.e. I can connect my phono preamp into the Core’s analogue input and control volume in the Core via the B&O app or a B&O remote if I get one? That’s correct. It’s a fully integrated audio system in that regard.
4) What are opinions of the quality of the analogue to digital conversion in the Core? Am I still going to get a high quality result from my analogue front end? I use a BeoCenter 6500 with one of mine and the sound is terrific.
5) What’s the best way of connecting from Core to BL18s assuming the Core is positioned near the TT and optical isn’t an option*? Would I be right in thinking I could use the Cat6 as a power link cable, so I could go from Core to right hand BL18 (this would need a short RJ45 female to RJ45 male extension to get to the speaker) then another Cat6/powerlink cable between the speakers? Is there any advantage to going wired vs Wireless these days? There are a lot of correct answers to this, because the BL18s have a wide variety of inputs. You categorically CANNOT use Cat6 as a direct replacement for PowerLink (such that you would connect it to the RJ45 ports on either the core or the speaker, however you can use RCA baluns to get your signal to the other side of the room using a Cat6 cable.
You’d go RJ45PL to RCA adapter -> RCA balun -> Cat6 -> RCA balun -> RCA cable to each speaker
6) I believe the powerlink cables even the new RJ45 style connections send an analogue signal, is that right? They send an analog L+R signal, plus turn-on voltage. The speaker line-senses when connected via RCA
7) *It’s a bit convoluted but if having a wired digital connection is the decisively best option then I could go Core>optical to coax converter>coax cable>installed coax cable>coax cable>coax to optical converter>BL18. Not sure if it will even work through all those connections. You’re not going digital to the BeoLab 18s. Don’t worry about this step. You’re analog from the time you leave the Core.
8) Are there any decent 3rd party alternatives to the Core that will be Roon compatible and allow the connection of an analogue source? Any streaming preamp I suppose, which is essentially what I already have, but I presumably wouldn’t have any option to run the BL18s with a BL19 in optimal/intended fashion. The Bluesound Node is a terrific option and dispenses with having to translate PowerLink adapters and such. So long as you don’t care about the BeoLink Multiroom ecosystem it would be a great alternative.
9) Does anyone know if there are any plans to update the Core as it’s very highly priced for what it is, has limited input options (just 1 really, a choice of analogue or optical), so if there’s a chance it will be updated then I’d hold off. Only the faintest of rumors as far as I can tell. Since they’re moving to more “intelligent” speakers I almost wonder if they’ll phase that sort of product out eventually, but it would be ludicrous considering they’d need something to drive in-walls/in-ceilings, etc. to complete a whole home. But definitely nothing worth waiting for.
I worked with Marc and Paul at Atlantic Systems for over 10 years when I was a dealer. If it’s fixable they’ll fix it. I’ve seen them go above and beyond and even harvest parts from other dead products (which they keep a good inventory of) to get things working. B&O is in their blood. At least give them a call and see what they can do.
Yes, it’s been officially discontinued a few months ago. Replacements are the Level and the new A5 – both sound much better than Beosound 1 to be fair, even though in terms of design they’re far less iconic.
I have to disagree on this point. I tried a BS1 head to head with the Level, and the Level was not that much better to my ears. I know initially, the BS1 was pretty weak, but I believe it got much better sounding as it matured (and B&O upgraded the software). In my testing, yes, the Level sounded better when you were in its not very large “sweet spot”, but otherwise was comparable to the BS1. At least in my kitchen with my ears. I’ve had one for about 2 years, and I agree it works great in the kitchen.
It’s funny to read this because while I was still selling B&O I recall not being very impressed with the sound. Sometimes to the point that I hesitated to demo it. Now I own three and I think the sound is really quite good. I wasn’t aware they changed the tuning in firmware updates but it makes sense!
About 1.5-2 years ago I spent some time to audition a variety of “just-add-speakers” style streamers with a few pairs of BeoLabs I own – specifically BeoLab 9s and BeoLab 3s.
I was considering departing the BeoLink multiroom platform.
I auditioned the Bluesound Node (current gen), NAD M10 V2, Sonos Port, and the Naim Uniti Atom.
The Port was a non-starter. Maybe the worst sound quality I’d ever heard out of a streamer. My wife asked if it was defective.
The Node & M10 V2 were basically interchangeable and both sounded great. The sound stage was lively and spacious and the lows were powerful and well defined. I like these pieces a lot and often recommend the BluOS ecosystem to anyone looking to kick the training wheels off from Sonos.
The Naim Uniti Atom was excellent. This is my go-to streamer before departing into the silly territory of high-end integrated amps and about as much as I’d spend before wanting to separate my components for the sake of longevity.
All that being said, the BeoSound Core was the undisputed winner. NOTHING came close to sounding as rich and powerful as the Core. No matter what attribute I was listening for, it was superior on the Core.
That was my last real dalliance with the idea of leaving the BLMR ecosystem.
I would say that inputing the Core directly into the digital input of the BeoLab 5s might give you the best operability because it would use the on-board DACs (thereby negating much of what I just talked about), but would also let you stream directly without fussing with the BeoSystem 3 and also potentially build out a multi-room system should you have any desire to do so.
It’s not that the A9 doesn’t work with mesh networks, it’s that mesh networks are often deployed because more stable network configurations can’t be. So many are, by nature, compromised. The A9 doesn’t uniquely have issues with mesh, so you’d be advised to explore the possibility of moving to a more robust and stable traditional network topology.
I appreciate the reply. At the moment they’re still in good enough condition. I just wanted to potentially get ahead of them. Maybe I’ll just wait until they get really gross and throw caution to the wind.
This is absolutely the case. All of these companies want the sort of anticipatory gossip that companies like Apple have cultivated. It’s good for B&O that there’s enough interest to share and discuss these leaked images.
It actually doesn’t matter that much. Most of these companies have an 18 month go-to-market timeline. Seeing something a month before it launches is just fun gossip for fans. Most people knew what the Sonos Era300s for 6 months or more before they launched.
Not all AirPlay boxes are created equal. Your BeoLab 9s are certainly nice enough to register the difference between products with various DACs on board. There’s a difference, for example, between the Essence MKII and the Core that I can easily notice on my BeoLab 9s.
Also consider the multi-room advantages of AirPlay 2 and whether they’d benefit you.
I came here to ask this same question. I haven’t been able to find an answer. I also asked on Reddit. If I hear an answer I’ll post here.
I owned a pair for many years and while they were wall mounted with my BeoVision 12 I didn’t care for them much at all. The sound was one of the flattest and least impressive of any B&O speaker I’ve owned.
Then…
I came into a pair of floor stands (more like feet) and wound up standing them a foot in front of the wall. At that point they became some of my favorite speakers ever. I kept them that way for the last few years I owned them.
If I could have justified a home for them in my new house I’d still have them and if a slot ever came up I wouldn’t hesitate to buy them again! I actually kept the floor bases just in case.
Commonly available source switchers are analog affairs, which means that you’d need to insert DACs into the signal chain and immediately lose any potential improvement over the BeoSound Core’s internal DAC from the AirPort Express.
If you were connecting a turntable and a CD player you’d have an easier time of it.
Now that being said, you’re not going to beat the DAC in the BeoSound Core as far as I’m concerned. I’ve connected my BeoLab 20s to an NAD M10 and a Naim Uniti Atom and the Core whooped them both handily using AirPlay 2 as one of the test inputs.
I’d connect your TV and enjoy the AirPlay 2 natively.
