The new Beosound 5 sound system from Bang & Olufsen has been a long time coming and is primarily designed to move B&O into the world of digital content management and while the system looks the part at $9,200 I think I would prefer a simple iPod touch.
Let me explain why.
After first seeing the system at a private media briefing I was sceptical about the price versus the way in which this system had been designed, so I went back to one of their stores for a second and third look, at this controller which weighs over 2.65 Kilo.
While the sound output was good, the issues surrounding this system are more about content management than the quality of the sound which ranked 4.5/5 anyway.
While it looks the part sleek, smart and well designed it operationally appears to be lacking in both functionality and capability and appears more to be the first revision of a great concept than a final version of a management system that is actually worth the $9,000 asking price.
One of the first things that you notice about this system is the display interface that is made up of a 10.4-inch 1024 x 768 LCD display screen and an aluminium scroll wheel which I instantly disliked because it was designed for right handed people and I am left handed. This made managing the content difficult and annoying because everything is reached via a right handed scroll wheel.
Another issue is that this system is primarily designed specifically for music content delivered to a music system when from day one it should have been designed as a total content system for the delivery of both video and music to B&O TV’s and music systems.
Music is stored in lossless formats, with connections on the BeoMaster including B&O MasterLink, IR input, analogue line-out, S/PDIF output, DVI-I, DVI-D (for the controller), YPbPr, S-Video, Composite video, three USB 2.0 ports (one for the controller) and Ethernet. It runs Windows XP Embedded. Meanwhile the BeoSound 5 controller itself has power, USB and HDMI/DVI connections.
Providing the power is the BeoControl 5, 500GB music server with internet connectivity. The whole system runs MOTS (More Of The Same) which is B&O’s new intelligent playlist system which is a tad like GENIUS from Apple however the big difference is that the Apple systems looks online for additional content for you to buy Vs the B&O system that looks up similar songs already on your system for you to play.
Basically MOTS analyses tracks by rhythm, syncopation, key tonality and vocal harmonies, and creates automatic playlists that evolve as you choose music and add to the list. In a demonstration that I was given this worked really well and is a big highlight of the overall system which is why B&O have at least two patents pending on the technology.
Supported formats include WMA, WMA Lossless, MP3, WAV, ASF and AAC, together with internet radio streams in WMA, MP3, ASX and M3U. It will also show video in MPEG, MPE, MPG, AVI, WMV and VFW formats.
Bang & Olufsen describe the BeoSound 5 as an audio player with a high IQ. All the digital music files, covers and internet radio stations accessed on BeoSound 5 are actually stored on a black box designed to be discretely stored out of sight.
The system also incorporates the latest generation of signal and audio processors that supports lossless music while delivering quality that is close to the original recording.
When I first saw this system I asked B&O executives as why they were not designing it with open standard connectivity so that it could be used as a hub to multiple home systems or as a management system that could be integrated into a home automation system.
The answer was simple “at this stage you have to buy Bang & Olufsen speakers to experience the Beosound5” they said.
In other words they want to sell you all the gear that is attached to this system in the same way that the big IT Companies like Digital, Compaq, Wang and Data General did in the early 1990’s. The only problem is that these Companies are no longer around because the buyers of their gear rejected the proprietary approach for an open standard approach.
For example an iPod Touch which costs sub $600 delivers almost 90% of the software capability of what the $9,000 B&O Beosound5 does however the big difference is that it can also be plugged into high end sound systems as well as content systems for the playing of video. An iPod can also be linked with an attached 1TB drive and while the B&O system has 500GB on onboard storage which is enough room for over 28,000 songs stored losslessly.
While B&O make a big issue of Lossless formats and FLAC files they are not necessarily popular formats unless you want real high end quality.
An iPod and iPhone plays AIFF files, however they’ll take up a lot more space than an MP3 or an AAC file. FLAC is the Free Lossless Audio Codec that is most popular with those who trade concert recordings on sites like Dimeadozen and The Trader’s Den, and it takes up huge amounts storage space which is why I believe that B&O should have gone with a 1TB drive which in reality would have only cost them around $150 more.
A lot of people say bother with lossless files? True, they take up a LOT of space. But the files sound better generally, especially with recordings of live performances. If you want to listen closely to say, the pianist in symphony, or the bassist in jazz band, you’ll have an easier time of it with a lossless file and a good pair of headphones which is why B&O is keen to support this format.
Very few online sites in Australia sell any music in lossless formats. The download times would be extremely long and bandwidth sucking for the consumer and for sites like the iTunes Store servers it would probably eat up more resources in hardware and bandwidth that it would warrant in sales. So I am intrigued as to how B&O expect s customers to access lossless content online.
At the end of the day this is a great looking system and for a great deal of B&O customs it’s more about the looks and the brand than the functionality of the gear. With a lot of people brand is far more important than the way the gear plays which is why B&O is still here today.
The question is that if I had the money and could afford this system would I buy it? The answer is no because this system still has a long way to go in the development of software and what’s under the bonnet. This is very much rev 1 and what B&O has to do is re visit the functionality of using the system so that it is as easy for a left hander person to use as a right hander and they need to look at things like wireless and Ethernet connectivity along with additional storage.
So at this stage I prefer to stick to my iPod Touch and a high end receiver at least I would have $4,000 in change.
