Bang & Olufsen's BeoSound 2 MP3 player

You gotta respect the brazeness of Bang & Olufsen. Not only does their new $460 stainless steel BeoSound 2 MP3 player not come with any of those fancy extras like a built-in FM tuner or voice recording or, you know, a screen (money quote: "We've made BeoSound 2 so simple to operate that you don't even have to look at it while you're using it."), what's even more perversely decadent is that it doesn't actually come with any onboard storage either—you have to add it yourself via an SD card. We'd knock it, but it's almost like they're playing a joke on the rich debutante chicks who'll be getting these for their sweet sixteens.

P.S. - Anyone else notice how much the BeoSound looks like that mock-up for the iPod flash that was circulating a few weeks back?

[Via Sensory Impact]

[Afra @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

It looks more like Creative PMC buttons..

[Lars @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

first off B&O has a reputation 4 being expensive yes. but they also make some of the best (and cutting edge) sound systems around. add the design and its often worth the price. most of the technology is what you can�t C. like the fact that the Beosound will support *.ogg files in a future rom update. Also why would you want build in memory? this a puritan gadget not a Swiss army knife. i have to say i love it, it sounds good it integrates with the Beocom home system, and it look even better then they iPod mini. i do miss the screen though.

oh and this thing has been around way longer here in Denmark, then the ipod flash concept has been up.

[gorkon @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Anyone who buys one of thes from B&O should be shot. Really....

[Vigo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Have you seen it? it looks like part of a spaceship, and its made from real chrom, not that cheap plastic like ipaq material. I think it looks great, the circular Led, the cradle everything about it. The Beosound II realy looks like alien technology to me.

[Brett Favray @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

B&O was kutting edge in the 70's.

However, nowadays tech moves so fast these days, it's gotta be tough for them to keep up.

Good thing they left the storage options up to the end user.
Could you imaging paying that much for say, 256 -- or worse 128 -- MB of non-removable, non-upgradable memory?

[cmoney @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

uh, isn't the beosound 2 like 2 years old? i think the only thing that was new about the original article is that louis vuitton is making a case for it. and don't they make one for the ipod also?

[0ccam @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

This is the Beosound 2. The Beosound 1 looked just like this and was well before the iPod flash mockups hit the web, by at least a year.

[cmoney @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

No it's not. The Beosound 1 is a current product that's basically a boombox. Introduced several years ago at a price of $999.

It's here: http://www.bang-olufsen.com/sw1585.asp

[Olav @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Anyone notice that the iPod totally copied the UI wheel and center button from the B&O phone?

I just wanted to mention this because not many people even know B&O makes phones.


As for the Beosound 2 I think there is a Mac OS X client for it along with a Windows client.

[slacker @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

iPod fangirls and fanboys rejoice! Now you have another useless piece of overpriced steel to lust over.

"Ooooh ooh I want one! Its so shinnnnnyyyy!"

[Jason @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

The BeoSound 2 has been out for at least a year already. So its not really new. If you buy B&O stuff you know your paying alot just for the name and the design, but you also know its gonna be a quality product.

[Peter Charlesworth @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Sorry to be argumentative; this aint a new product. It has been around for years now - along with the awesome B&o earphones 'A8'.

Part of the rationale for making this player was that many MP3 players� designs are based around the principle that bigger (storage) is better. B&o says, well, why would you make a player that holds 6,000,000 songs when you can only play 50 before the integral rechargeable battery packs it in, or that you need to spend 5 mins looking through an on screen file system to find a single track you may like.

With BS2, recharging takes place while you manage your favourite music into the player on your computer. The battery life (10 hrs) matches the capacity of storage - and your capacity to remember what it is you have transferred to the player. Operation then becomes a snap, where you don�t even need to take the player out of your pocket to change tracks, folders or volume. You just run your finger over the surface of the player and you know where you are (controls).

As an owner of this product - and a 'design fussy' ex-employee of B&o (7 years service), I can report that Bs2 is a stunning product. Particularly when combined with the A8 earphones. And before you shoot me down for being biased, there are a number of B&O products that have missed the mark.

B&o has a philosophy that considers all design elements to be equally important. Materials, longevity, operation, power consumption, environmental impact, integration, emotion, sound quality, adaptiveness etc. All elements are equally attended to.

Someone with a propensity to purchase a product such as the BS2 would see that something like an I-pod is �design biassed� toward storage size and 'design' looks for a WOW factor that generates sales. (BeoCom 6000 may remind you of something???). A B&O owner would also be unsatisfied with the quality of sound produced by the stock earphones that come with an Ipod.

A technophile (a sheep) can�t come to terms with such a holistic approach (hence the comments about voice recording etc) � and will always buy or reccomend what seems to have a feature that is newer, bigger or shinier.

Rich people buy B&o because
1. They can afford it.
2. They are smart � which is why they can afford it.
3. Because once they have owned a B&O product, they don�t ever go back.

Only our friends in Denmark could produce something 3 odd years ago that is so beautiful that you can (ignorantly?) pass it off as new today and no one blinks.

I�d say they can chalk up another win.

[PfX @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

You can't seriosly say it looks like B&O have ripped the design of the Ipod Flash!

BeoSound (1) has been around for a few years now - even before Ipod 1 - and the 2. looks almost like the first one. So if anything Apple have been inspired by B&O. (Quite possible since B&O are pretty much the most succeful elktroniks designers in Denmark and... Most of EU even.)

[Editor's Note: That's because I DID NOT say that. Please read more closely]

[Andrew Grossman @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

I'm not sure about the BeoSound, but I can say for sure that iPod + B&O Form II headphones (not their earbuds) = happiness.

The sound quality (and, oddly enough, price) is comparable with a set of Grado SR-80s and the iPod can drive them well w/out an amplifier. Their sound is much brighter than the Grado's but not at all tinny.

As for the value of B&O gear, I also have one of their early linear track turntables. The sound really is amazing and wear on the records is around nil.

[Brady @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

I agree with most of the posters, this POS has been around for almost 2 years now. When I last looked at one in the B&O store in Palo Alto the best argument the sales person could make about this device vs. the iPod was that it was tougher. He said that you could throw it like a hockey puck and it'd be ok. That's great, but not compelling. I think the news here is that its price point has been lowered. Obviously B&O realized that its previous price of $600+ was ridiculous when the design and usability is far eclipsed by the iPod. C'mon really... the iPod is great because 1) regardless of the capacity you can access all your music quickly 2) it is good looking in its simplicity. Arguing people don't want to carry more than 500mb of songs is bogus.

I will concede one point however, B&O did have the scroll wheel interface before the iPod. Too bad their patent lawyers dropped the ball. I'm glad Apple has finally released something as simple and elegant as the iPod, without the markup and BS of B&O.

[the hole @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Who ever buys this piece of overpriced tripe has the iq equivalence of the same guys who bought the elvis water or the virgin mary grilled cheese.

"but the sound quality with the headphone is far superior to the ipod's stock headphones"

Great now we can hear all those little digital gremlins in those 128kbps songs! Digital music is only as good as the source. Oh okay so you argue that instead you can just encode in a higher BR or VBR... Well now you're taking up more of the limited flash memory you've got.

It'll cost ya about 550$ to get this device with 1gb of flash VS. the ipod mini at 250$. Use the extra 300$ you save with the ipod and get top of the line Sennheiser headphones and the sound quality becomes a non issue. Plus you get all the added features like 3GBs more space, a SCREEN, 2 hours more battery life, and interface with one of the best legal download solutions available.

The arguments in buying this would be like buying a buick for 100,000$ and arguing its a good car. Sure it's ok, but you got ripped off about 75,000$.

I pity the poor fools who buy this dollar burner.

[Leon K @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

The importance of this device is that a lot of folks are suddenly finding this solution (i.e. not having a screen) worth considering. It's very cutting edge in that sense.

Some Korean manufacturer came out with the coin-shaped, screen-less player a while ago - the idea has since spread and I use the BenQ 102R (search Engadget, you'll see it) as my daily driver. And now Apple's supposedly not putting a display on the iPod flash. BeoSound2 provides you with the means to jump between playlists (AFAIK). I think that's really all you need to navigate between your songs - having and not having that makes a world of difference.

You know what, if and when Apple comes up with a design of this type all of you might suddenly find it appealing - and roughly half of you might have no choice but to live in denial and bash Apple for as long as that product is sold, because in your values it's too expensive to not have a display, it costs as much as a pair of Shure E3s/Ety ER-4 etc. All the more power to you :-P

And boo to the editor who thought this is a new product. BOO! :-)

[Brad @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

I bought one of these when it was released two and a half years ago. I wanted a small player with removable storage (preferably SD), and the only other choices at the time were the Panasonic SV-SD75/80/85 and the MPIO FL100 -- all ugly and plastic. Although it's expensive and lacks the features of other mp3 players, the Beosound 2 is still the best looking player on the market.

If I wanted an ipod, I would've bought one. I wanted a ufo-shaped hunk of stainless steel, so that's what I bought. There's no need to pity me -- I'm a grown man and fully capable of making my own gadget-buying decisions.

[Peter Charlesworth @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Yep it was over-priced, and yes the Ipod is superior in a few (only) aspects of design.

The Ipod is a good design - not a great one.

Also to those of you commenting on B&O and the thumbwheel on the BeoCom 6000 - a patent on this device isnt possible as the technology has existed for decades in the audio and movie industries - just no one else was smart enough to apply the idea to a consumer product.

[darx @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

ipods suck, this thing sucks, go buy a rio karma :)

[WSTE_M @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

uhhm... just so you know; the iPod flash thing was hoax. The guy posting it on the macmind website was fired even.
(Suits him right IMHO)

[Adam @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Wow!

Beware of the fanboys Mr.Charlesworth!

[Sebhelyesfarku @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Interestingly I've never seen any good review about any B&O product in any audiophile publication. B&O is overpriced design p.o.s. just like Bose. For rich morons.

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Chris Glass, YOUR an Ass. It is never very hard to find a die hard Mac fan. One would have thought that the B&O employee was talking trash about your mom.

I own an ipod and the Beosound 2 and the Ipods sound quality does not rank!!! This ones for you Chris Glass, defender of all those slighted by elitists...

See that big screen on the front of your ipod and feel the disk drive inside that white brick spinning. Those all create a lot of electronic noise. That is noise that the marginal D/A converter in the Ipod must contend with. Add to that the interference caused by the touch sensitive buttons and you have an electronic noise generating machine.

Now Chris, this might be a little to elitist for you, so cover your eyes (uhh, I'm kidding). I have a class A power amp for my stereo. It is extremely sensitive to electronic interference. When I pass the ipod over the amp with the amp on and the ipod on, it actually creates a buzz in my speakers. When I do that with the Beosound 2, there is no sound.

Ultimately, the Beosound 2 sounds better. Just because you have a hard on for all things that are made by Mac, does not give you the right to spew your intellectual nothing at everyone on this board.

P.S.
I will admit that buying B&O equipment has nothing to do with intellect, actually intellect would keep you from buying some of their gear. There is not a piece of B&O audio equipment that cannot be bested in audio sound quality for half the price. But what really gets me are the plasma TV's! Don't people realize that only 6-7 firms in the world manufacture plasma TV's, B&O is not one of them. There are two clich?that come to mind with B&O gear. 1) A fool and his money are soon parted and the second being "Bullshit baffles brains".

Good Day

[Tyler Durden @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

You are not your shiny overpriced crippled toys.

[Derek Zoolander @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

I think they should settle this with a walk-off.

[Get a grip on what's important! @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

So, over 120,000 people have died over the last 3 days, and you're arguing over aesthetics and A grade amps? Wow, you have a lot of time on your hands and more than enough money to spend.

Keep doing it! You're saving the economy!

[Lars @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

ohh fck.. off more people then that die every day, in Africa and all over the world because of blind sighted visions of right and wrong. the US itself has its share of homeless starving people.

oh and arguing price in this case (ipod vs beosound) must B the peak of hypocrisy. Both are insanely expensive. Mac is the B&O of computing so quite this Jihad and get over it.

[Lars @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

sorry didn�t mean to sound like it isn�t a horrible thing. I�m just saying just because its on TV everybody gets crazed and talks about the horror of it. But actually if talking a walk in the Paris metro system or the like, and you�ll se real suffering.

[Peter Charlesworth @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

You idiot - read it again.....

"Someone with a propensity to purchase a product such as the BS2 would see that something like an I-pod is �design biassed� toward storage size and 'design' looks for a WOW factor that generates sales. (BeoCom 6000 may remind you of something???). A B&O owner would also be unsatisfied with the quality of sound produced by the stock earphones that come with an Ipod."

I am being objective....you stupid mule.

I'm not saying that it is right or wrong either way. I am commenting on the rationale used by a buyer at that end of the market.

My feedback was directed at the original post
1. Not a new product
2. It may be bought for rich kids and stockbrokers - but that is what B&O wants. Because it is the rich kids and stockbrokers that will be able to shell out $$$ later on when they deck out their homes in the best integrated AV system that exists. :)

The comments about rich people was designed to 'flesh out' people like you Chris G. By simply implying that people who arent rich are stupid...and up pops Chris!! I remember the sort of people that used to come into my showroom spoiling for a heated discussion about technology, because they thought their knowlege was superior to what they saw as an elitist operation and product. I used to take great pleasure in winding them up over the course of an hour or so and watch their blood pressure rise, knowing full well they would never get past their ego, to understand what was in front of their eyes. The reality is that in a B&O buyers mind, they are making a decision that sets them apart from the mainstream 'swill' - they want to feel they are achieving beyond the norm. I am sorry to inform you that they see something like an Ipod as mainstream.

I agree on the pricing issue......it was overpriced. Operation would be tough for retarded people - you do seem to fit that category based on your reply.

Now surely you have to conceed that everyone goes OOOOHHHHHH.... when they first understand the capacity of the Ipod. That makes it the primary design element. If they went OOHHHHH over the price, that would therefore be the main grabber. If you disagree with that you ARE handicapped.

Do you like it when the little bars come up on the TV when you alter the volume - because youre eyes hear very well don't they?
PS..to the other Chris...

It might amaze you to know that your Ipod contains components that weren't made by Apple!!!....Really....Shudder. A smart company like Apple, and countless others, build their products out of componentry sourced from their suppliers...components that fit with their intentions for the product. B&O is no exception, however they (no I am not an employee) choose to put part prices lower down the priority list to save on end quality as they have an advantage as their clients have more to spend. Therefore the products are mostly superior - with all design elements receiving equal attention.

[iMagicster @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Anyone who buys the Bang & Olufsen�s BeoSound 2 MP3 player is an idiot. It has NO ADVANTAGE over the ipod! Ipod is cheaper, easier to use, has more space, looks alot more sleeker, and oh, did i mention accessories? Its no wonder iPods own 95% of the MP3 HD players...

Oh and Charlesworth, your an idiot as well, if the ipod's HD makes too much noise then compare it to a flash MP3 player such as the Creative Muvo series. In my opinion these players are smaller, easy to use, require no software to transfer MP3's over, and oh yeah, $300 cheaper.

[Peter Charlesworth @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

umm iMagicster
I said nothing about HD noise you spaz
AGAIN.....I am being objective...all I am doing is talking about a buyers rationale at that end of the market.
I guess tech heads cant read...as per all of your responses.

[bjarke rune dahl @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

First of, thanks for all your comments, i quite enjoyed reading it...

Secondly we can all (i hope) agree in a fair fight that what you get in hardware from BS2 isnt worth $460 (sure one could argue that the sound quality might be better...still isnt worth $460), but then again a Nomade Series leather case by Louis Vuitton for the BS2(which is $630) isnt actually worth that. What you pay for is the name and the fact that not every person in the world can afford it. And for some thats worth $460.

oh btw happy newyear

[Queendaline Ogoke @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Please, I'ld like to know if your company produces mobil phones like the 'NOKIA,SONYERICSON'ETC. Please i need an urgent reply.If yes,please download all brands/models and thier prices to my mail-box for my options.I'll be most grateful to receive a reply from you cos I love your products.
Thanks,

[pammybee @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

With all these bad comments about BS2, I am seriously thinking of retracting my bid on one @eBay *sigh* I did own an iPod 20gb then some bastard stole it!(along with the b&o A8 attached to it) All I can say is, I never get to use the iPod that much as I find using it is too much of a hassle and the wheel is too sensitive eeewwww!!!! I tell you the A8 didn't help augment the sound either. With the 3,800 songs stored, i dunno where to start. Amazingly enough, I end up listening to the same song anyway - it's what u get for having too many choices.

Actually, I will give this BS2 a go. And this "elitist" bullshit oohhhh puh-lease! one doesn't have to be rich or a genius to be able to afford b&o gear. We don't smoke, drink, gamble or do drugs - so we can afford it. We work hard so we can buy little luxuries such as b&o. Plus the sound man! - is tres magnifique!!!, there's the sleek looks and they're such a gr8 space saver.

[Kikimara @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

If you read this thread, you will see what people want: High quality sound. (For those with expensive headphones, even higher quality.) The Apple Lossless format comes to mind. Plug in an ipod Nano. So there's no hard drive and pure solid state storage. But with navigation. For the street you take the B&O headphones, (they match the black ipod nano) because, well, they do really turn some people's heads. For the airplane you get either the Apple in-ear buds, and plug in those orange Sure e2 tips, or if you are a rich kid, you get a custom mold of your ears and get some real in-the-ear phones. Both will cancel out more sound that any of those noise canceling cans. For the home you get a big pair of old school cans, which you leave at home, to listen to while your girl friend is sleeping. Th

[Chris Glass @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

I've been using mp3 players since the very first one was released. I still have my Rio PMP300 in my top computer drawer. It had a simple interface, ran on a single AA battery for countless hours and, much to Petey's amazement, could ALSO have the buttons pressed through the fabric. AMAZING! Look. That device is an overpriced hunk of generic metal. There's 30 other Korean companies nowadays that make rechargable usb mp3 players. There's hardly a reason to pay more than a C-note for this.

I was thinking Peter Charlesworth was insane, until I read that he was a company employee.

Maybe it's old, but I don't see any reason to pay any more than $50 for a feature-less memory-less screen-less device. Why bother with removable storage? The whole purpose is to add more memory, but when you do, you go beyond the 30 song limit. And past 30 songs, lacking a screen is not a smart design choice.

Seriously. Your post leaks with such elitism that it's damn near sickening. You claim that rich people are smart. Those two can be mutually exclusive. In your world, you assume rich people are smart in all areas of life. Good to know stock brokers are making the right choice in Feng Shui shopping with you. I'm sure your decadent house is covered in Monster cables and everything is insured with the Best Buy warranty plans, right? Because you can just throw money at any problem when you're rich?

Whatever, just go back to getting your rock concert headphones to try and hear the static on your 128 kbps mp3s you got off of Kazaa. (Rich people refrain from "ripping" cds, it sounds too degrading. "Sharing" is a much more proper term.)

I'm fairly well off myself, and work with smart/rich people all the time. I know how "rich" people use technical devices. They DON'T. I've repaired countless devices for them folks that can't be bothered to learn new things.

And what about saying "the Ipod(sic) is superior in a few (only) aspects of design?" That's bias, pal, a sick, twisted, and sad bias. Looking at the reflective Pac-Man knock-off above is fairly laughable. Holding in the hands looks to be awkward as your pinky or ring fingers become disaligned with the other two. The buttons are unclear as to their purpose. (No Play/Pause or even an indication of which one affects volume? Is throwing arrows on something your idea of superior design?) Heck, look at that travel charger! It needs that huge brick! Have you seen the charger for an iPod? It's a white firewire cord and a small square white power block, THAT'S design, not a power cable that looks like something for a laptop. On top of that, the docking station looks like a joke. I can't even see all of the device, but it seems that the back of the device has some connections on it. Way to focus on design when the back of the device is ruined with an unsightly plug. The iPod has a mirror finish on the back ONLY (Where fingerprints will be less apparent) and a simple logo. The Bs2 is also two seperate pieces with a definite gap between the halves. The iPod is flush all around. And a hinge to put in the SD card? Come on! Not even just a hinged cover to go over a push-in section, but a full-sized one. What about docking it? I can't imagine that lining up the ports will be a simple slide-in operation. It just doesn't seem to have an easy way to line it up. An iPod easily slips into the dock. No confusion. The site mentions a Hold/Lock function. Good to know. The first mp3 player ever made ALSO had that. I can point out a lot more design flaws in Bs2 than I can in an iPod.

I'll end this with a comment on this paragraph:
"A technophile (a sheep) can�t come to terms with such a holistic approach (hence the comments about voice recording etc) � and will always buy or reccomend what seems to have a feature that is newer, bigger or shinier."

The ONLY person complaining about lack of features was the original post. Every comment before yours focused on the ridiculous price and an overfocus on design to sell it. You are visiting engadget.com. This is a site about the most up-to-date technology available. The story above this one is about a robot festival in Japan. But go ahead and insult us for pushing the world forward. With your mindset we'd never go beyond Apple IIe's and 5 1/4" floppy disks because going above that isn't being design-centric. We're the ones that make your life easier. Just don't complain next time your computer locks up because you don't know how to upgrade it without taking it to the Geek Squad or just buying a new one.

Maybe I'm a bit harsh about this, but this ex-employee hit a nerve when he said the iPod was focused around storage design. iPod sales were up four times more this year than last year. Millions have been sold and it has the lion's share of the hd music player market. It's reaching FAR beyond the "technophile" demographic that you are complaining about. The iPod was ragged on for lacking features and being overpriced and still is, but the Bs2 takes it to a new level of stupid trying to justify headphones and a steel case for a $460 player.

[slacker @ Dec 19th 2005 12:08AM]

Hahahaha! Not only did we hear from the rich snots who are rich because they are smart and buy $400 paperweights, but now we've also heard from the "vacuum tubes are better for music" audiophool as well.

Maybe the rich guy and the top shelf Amp guy should hang out and drink $150 margaritas together?? Tell you what, you give me a time and a date, and I'll arrange everything else. Oh and all beverages will be served in gold plated thimbles. Research shows that gold accentuates the taste buds and that the thimble size servings are better anyway as they increase the appreciation of the drink. As for the drink, I'll only serve the finest grade A tasting margaritas, made by the finest German engineers (who also happen to work on BMWs). All this and delightful company (I'll refer to you as "Sir" and will gladly discuss the topic of 3rd world countries and how they are ruining it for the rest of us). We'll call the occasion our B&O Fiesta (no poor people allowed of course). What do you think? If you think this is a great idea (and which you should, as you are classy, rich and smart), email me at [e-mail]. Hope to hear from you soon!