matteventu
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I did notice that (on my M5/M3, but not for the Essences)….and I thought, well that’s the new look. I can’t say that I am impressed ? I did not dig as deep as you did, though – but I see your points. The Sound Settings – Startup Volume/Max Volume – are gone too. Again – where are the heading with the app? What do they have in store for us? MM
You’re right, also the max and default volume settings are gone! Fantastic, for that (+ speaker placement) we need to resort to the web UI ?
Do your Mozart devices have this UI or are still with the old/normal one?
By the way, the “optimal” sound mode that you can see in the screenshots, I’ve created it.
It was no longer present by default lol.
Seriously guys you haven’t seen what has changed with the 5.5 version? ?
Major redesign of the device screen for speakers (at least, ASE, not sure if they’ve changed it also for Mozart.
I personally appreciate them trying to modernise it but… It’s awful. Literally, awful. Requires more taps for the same operations, plenty of empty space (I know empty space can have a purpose in UI design, but this is not the case here), fewer customisation options (i.e. the “listening modes” presets can’t be re-sorted, or deleted).
Gone is the option for speaker location (corner/wall/free).
They instead brought to the main screen the option to change the name of the product… Something that (in 99% cases) the user literally does one time for the entire lifecycle of the product. Why bring it to the front of the UI!?
Headphones UI are unchanged.
I dislike the beta version 5.4.1. It’s horrible and the changes from v5.3 seem unnecessary. And it doesn’t work well at all. I hate the ugly horizontal volume control; the previous circular one was easier to use, especially for fine tuning the volume. It also looked much nicer.
This can’t be stressed enough.
The new volume control bar is tiny and is a major downgrade compared to the stylish and accurate bar of version 5.3.
New pair of headphones. Two pairs of earphones. Two pair of Cisco-branded devices.
Not sure about speakers 🙂
If you select a Theatre in the app to control, there is a drop down at the top of the black Now Playing screen. Looks like this drop down should contain all the sources (as the 3 dots have until now). But all it shows is Line In and USB. I barely use the app beyond settings, so none of this especially bothers me – but it would nice if the rollout was not regressive in some respects.
Out of curiosity, can you post a screenshot of the source drop-down that you get on Theatre?
(both in opened and closed state)
I have to be careful what I say because of any potential NDA issue. I have reviewed the operation of the new BeoApp 5.4.0 and gave comments back on its usability and other issue.
There’s no NDA on the Beta app 🙂
I came here as soon as I tried the new player.
First I have to say that I work in software, so I know users are often against change for dumb reasons.
However.
B&O really needs to fix fundamental issues with the app before updating the playing screen in such a way that massively affects performances.
B&O app has always been laggy in some menus, with horrible scrolling stuttering (for instance, the “add new product” screen). At least, on Android.
The new queue system they’ve implemented with the new player has the same scrolling stuttering issues. I could accept it in the “add new product” page, as it’s something you use once in a while. But for something as central as the queue tray, that’s not okay. B&O should first rewrite the app and clear up the codebase before redesigning something like this.
I see your screenshots of the iPad version. On the smartphone version the layout of the home page hasn’t changed as much.
I personally don’t dislike the new redesign, but it has some issues.
- Source selection/standby button missing
- Queue tray is extremely laggy and the “move” songs (drag & drop) action is completely bugged
- Swiping on the cover art to change song previously was perfectly smooth, now this is laggy too (animation has extremely low frame rate)
- The new volume bar is okay in terms of looks, but a regression on how easy it was to finely adjust the volume level previously (having the swipable area been reduced now to about 1/4 of what it was before)
- When you’re playing from Chromecast, it no longer shows the name of the source service / “Chromecast” at the top (in place of the Deezer/Spotify logos)
- …can’t say whether it will show “Optical” or “Line-in” correctly, as the source button is missing at all so you can’t switch source lol
- Prev/play/pause/next buttons now don’t offer visual feedback when tapped
- When the song title is too long and it needs to scroll, the scrolling speed is too high and the frame rate is very low
- When sources that don’t support/show the seek-bar are active (i.e. Chromecast, B&O Radio, and I guess all external sources), the positioning of the cover art, titles and prev/play/next buttons feels quite unbalanced
So, in a other words, the new player feels extremely cheap. Not very Ultra-High-Net-Worth-Individual worthy.
I say “feels” (instead of “looks cheap”) because it doesn’t necessarily have to do with the look. Look is okay.
Implementation/coding is instead very very poor.
Again, I know this is a beta, but this is the kind of things I’ve always seen passing from beta to stable without any change, so I really doubt they’ll fix everything before pushing to stable, or in the near future at all.
Disney+ should be available for webOS 6 TVs.
Ensure that you’re on the latest firmware.
You can’t upgrade your TV to (let’s say) webOS 7, but you can upgrade the firmware (which will remain on webOS 6).
Not to offend anyone, but “review” is in the title, and despite that I couldn’t find a single word in the post that talks about sound quality – other than the transparent “in my opinion they sound like shit” (which, to be clear, is an opinion I fully respect) – or sound preferences.However, to be able to discuss with you in more detail what could be done to improve the sound to your tastes, or what other products may be better suited for your listening, we need you to tell us more about what exactly you don’t like (alert: saying “everything” doesn’t really help).Comparisons with other products in the same segment that you instead liked a lot would also be very helpful.I will also say that mine sounded much better after listening to them for a while so I believe there is a break in period regardless of what some people say.
There is indeed a break-in period, but it’s not in the headphones. It’s here -> ?
Surely the BL8 announced last week is what you talking about?
Beolab 8 doesn’t have any height speaker drivers.
So C1, CX and C9 are supported but no C3? Is this a real technical limitation or might other LG OLEDS also work?
That list is not up to date, also C2 and C3 series work.
Unfortunate though that the other high-range non-OLED LG series (i.e. QNED85/86/90/91) are not enabled to work with the B&O app.
Hi, Please don’t worry – I checked with B&O and both Airplay 2 and Chromecast are built into Beolab 8 – this was just an error in the spec sheet which will be corrected shortly. Kind regards, Steve.
Funny how they literally make that specific mistake every. single. time. For basically every new multiroom speaker they launch.
Then again, maybe not, since they don’t have an analog line-in for my turntable.
To be clear, the USB-C input is analogue (if it’s anything like Theatre, new Beosound 2 and A9). It just needs a 3.5mm aux-in to USB-C adapter, but it’s a “dumb” “passthrough” adapter, just a matter of wiring the wires to the new connector form factor (USB-C).
It’s not like Beosound A1 or Explore, which support/require a source outputting USB-C digital audio.
Edit: as noted below by others, A5 actually is like A1/Explore and unlike the rest of other recent Mozart products, i.e. it’s not analogue but rather uses USB-C digital audio.
I like the look of these very much. Not too interested in the top controls if you had a pair or full surround but that’s how Mozart goes I guess.
I assumed that the top controls are disabled (by just switching off the backlight) in case the speakers are used as part of a surround setup. Or that they would always be hidden unless you get closer to the unit, at which point they’d light up.
But not sure if this is actually the case.
Wow, UWB is used to actively adapt the sound to your exact position (iPhone only). Have to hear it!
That’s exactly what I guessed it would be when that name came out for the Beosound A5 ?
This feature only applies for 2.0 music, not when they are part of a surround (e.g Theatre) setup. From what i read.
Which makes sense as Theathre (and all other Beosound and Beolab speakers, except Beosound 8 and Beosound A5) don’t have UWB connectivity.
Will it have the same delay issues as the older mozart-based speakers?
It won’t have any delay if used “as a Beolab”, i.e. with Powerlink/WiSA connectivity.
But if used as a Beosound speaker (i.e. USB-C line-in, Bluetooth, Chromecast, etc) it will very likely have the same delay.
This feature only applies for 2.0 music, not when they are part of a surround (e.g Theatre) setup. From what i read.
Does this apply to the Beolab 28 also? I wonder what other Mozart features are not available when used with the Theatre? I think it would be nice to be able to Airplay to my rear Beolab 8 speakers without having to Airplay it to the Theatre and have a speaker group set up and selected for the Beolab 8’s.
No, BL28 don’t have Ultra Wide Band connectivity, which is what “Fluid Sweet Spot” requires. That doesn’t mean thought that it can’t come in the future, with a hardware upgrade of the Mozart module to the same version used by A5 and BL8.
Can we then assume that the mozart system will be updated soon on older mozart beosounds (as been rumored) so it can be mixed and paired with other beolabs in multi room setting without delay issues?
No, we can’t assume that because of the launch of Beolab 8.
Beolab 8 uses the same “legacy” connectivity that (for instance) Beolab 17 use, in order to achieve lag-free sound when used synced in a surround setup (Powerlink/WiSA). So, no, this Beolab 8 being also a Mozart-based speaker doesn’t mean Mozart platform itself has gained lag-free wireless sound capabilities.
However, a the same time, this also doesn’t exclude that in the future B&O may achieve that on all Mozart speakers – but that wouldn’t have anything to do with the tech inside Beolab 8 itself 🙂
That said, the launch of a dedicated speaker (BL8) for surround satellite purpose (one of many purposes…), may strengthen the theory that B&O is not working on releasing a firmware update allowing all Mozart speakers to work as surround channels, as otherwise there would be too much overlap between Beosound 2, Beosound Balance and Beolab 8.
It appears that some of the press release sites are reporting the price not for the pair but individually. T3 The Beolab 8 can be yours from £2199/€2499/$2749, Forbes The Bang & Olufsen Beolab 8 is available in Silver/Natural Aluminium, Gold Tone or Black Anthracite, combined with speaker covers in oak, light oak, dark oak, or fabric. Prices start from £2,199 / $2,749 / €2,499.
In that case, it would be serious competition for Beosound 2 as a standalone “Beosound-like” speaker.
Not as much of a design statement, but better sound and connectivity, also enabling it to be used in the future as component of a larger home theatre setup (with Mozart Beosound speakers don’t allow), and a lower price.
Some say a BL3 replacement, some say BL17 replacement, some even say a mini BL28 form-factor. I would not be shocked at a £5-8k price point and that it’s actually a Powerlink Beosound (I.e big brother to the Balance). For me, adoption will be based on form-factor. Something very compact and easy to hide high-up on a wall or ceiling. Something as complicated design-wise as a Balance or BL28 won’t work for me. Expect it comes to market between now and the end of October. Next week is also CEDIA….we could be lucky but it seems too near to the Ferrari SE launch for me to think it definite?
Could the not also enable Powerlink via one of the two Ethernet ports Beosound Balance has? ?
Beosound Emerge up to £799 LMAO.
Anyway, I agree B&O marketing is terrible.
B&O social pages specifically, are absolute shit.
70% stories about those fucking racing partners nobody gives a shit about, 25% about some random “””influencers””” nobody ever heard of, and just 5% about their products.
Literally money flushed down the drain.
I was unaware that B&O had re-targeted its product line to VHNWIs. It is fair for any company to re-target its product offer, if it thinks a better business opportunity lies there. According to the magazine Forbes, in the U.S. market, this describes households with liquid assets between $5m and $30m. The website Insurance Newsnet says that these households are heavily concentrated in the 55 to 74 age group… and further defines this group as the famous, much derided 1% (!). Well, it looks like we might all be, either by legacy or by recent purchase, one-percenters. Congratulations are in order, one can hazard? Did B&O announce when do they expect to complete this transition? Because I have news for B&O: it is a bit questionable that Explore and A1 are suitable for this market, even if a rather gauche prancing horse happens to be pictured in the casing, except, perhaps, as party favors for the hired help. I’d even put an asterisk by the Emerge. Same goes for Beoplay EX, methinks, and Beoplay HX —for, if the target truly is the 1%, why does HX even exist? What kind of skin-flint one percenter would buy HX, and why, when good and proper H95s are available? As to the Stage, well, who knows, perhaps true one percenters could have it installed it in the servant’s luncheon area. To show some magnanimity, you know, and besides, ostentatious displays of equity are all the rage. But what really gives me pause is that Bang and Olufsen is included in the Audi A4 Premium Plus which retails for $45,400… this is below the price of the average car in the U.S. Do one-percenters get around in compact conventionally fueled sedans? Questionable. On the other hand, they may buy this vehicle for their daughter as she departs for university, so it is not like 1% households would never own an A4. —— Please take no offense, this brief essay is written with tongue fully planted in cheek. In all seriousness, I am glad B&O still offers entry-level products and most of mine are, in fact, entry-level items. And my current cars cost a fraction of what an A4 does.
“Cheaper” products (HX, Explore, etc) are aimed at Gen Z and young millennials with the purpose of raising brand awareness and interest in people which may later in life become VHNWIs to which B&O will then feed the more expensive Beosound and Beolab range.
Same for the B&O audio systems in cheap car.Oh, and if you freak out for the B&O audio system in the Audi A4, let me give you a heart attack: B&O Premium Sound System is also available in the £22.000 Ford Fiesta ?I’d like to clarify one fact: while an NDA is technically “agreed to” when you enter the “official” B&O beta programme hosted on Centercode (https://tester.bang-olufsen.com/welcome/), i.e. for beta firmware updates and for — guess what — testing in-development products, the Bang & Olufsen app beta release is in no way related to that.
To have access to the beta versions of B&O app, you just need to opt-in via the Play Store or App Store page, and there’s absolutely nothing you need to agree to keep confidential. Anyone can do that freely.
So logic would say that either:
- B&O stops using the beta feature provided by App Store and Play Store (which assumes the beta releases don’t contain any confidential information that can’t be disclosed and openly discussed on the web), and implement a beta programme for the app via other means where before entering it you’re required to sign an NDA
OR
- B&O learns how to develop an app that doesn’t require an update of the whole app just to show the tile of a new product in the list of “products you can add”, which frankly is even pathetic to just mention as the current way is literally how a 5yo would develop the app (they could add the stuff “behind the scenes” in the app and not add the product to the “add product” page, or making it appear there only after a combination of “secret taps” known only by B&O employees, or very easily they could set-up the new “in development” products to appear in the “add product” list only for specific B&O user accounts that have been previously whitelisted after signing an NDA, etc, there’s thousands of ways to implement that in a way that makes sense and without repeatedly committing the same stupid mistakes)
To be clear, I’m saying this in regards to the “stuff is under NDA” comments above. No, it’s not under any NDA 🙂
On a separate note, I won’t comment B&O’s ridiculous attitude of reaching out to a tiny forum which basically makes up 90% of their actual brand enthusiasts, requesting to delete a thread because of “confidential” information (that confidential is no longer, once they’ve made the mistake of making it public via a public beta programme).
Oh, and to be clear, “confidential information” = literally just the names “Beo*** X” (I won’t put the actual number, so it remains confidential ?), XX-XX and XX-XX for other two products, and XXXXX XXX for a fourth one.
It’s not like their competitors can get anything useful out of the product names.
Competitor worker A: “Oh, you know, B&O is now developing a new set of [insert product category B&O operates in]”
Colleague of A: “No shit?”
The only actual thing that happens following their kind request to delete that kind of “confidential information”, is that B&O makes themselves look like complete dorks.
Hope the tone doesn’t offend anyone.
