Beosound Balance and Dolby Atmos

21 replies
Is it just me or is anyone else interested in B&O bringing Dolby Atmos to the Beosound Balance. Not for Movies, but simply for Music recorded with Dolby Atmos?
I dont think it makes any difference whether a loudspeaker can do Atmos for Video or Audio only - its the same. I think that all B&O speakers over the last 20-30 years can be integrated into a BS Theatre - which is Atmos enabled. The problem is with the Mozart group of products which include the Balance which for some reason cannot yet link as either a front or surround loudspeaker to an Atmo soundbar? The BL28s can do it (with the same engine) but Balance and Level cannot?? I think B&O are protecting product financials by closing off these "less expensive" products from being used with a Theatre or Stage. There has been plenty of noise yelled at B&O over the execution of the Theatre. I am one. You buy a SoTA Atmos-enabled soundbar with the ability to link external loudspeakers......but B&O dont make any suitable surround speakers. I purchased 3 pairs of white BL3's. They are the smallest most compact loudspeaker available. Its a 20year-old design. I cant hang 2 pairs of BL18s from the ceiling? BL17s are probably next in size. In my mind, it would take someone in B&O literally a minute to make the Balance switchable from Mozart-Master to Beolab-slave (and let the Theatre do the DSP). They so far have chosen not to?? But then, even the Balance is rather chunky as a surround. I suspect (from my sources) that B&O are working on a range of compact (and less compact) dual-purpose Beosounds - either as a single all-in-one source speaker or as a Beolab slave. I do not expect that any one of these "possible future" Beosounds will be standalone Atmos enabled. I think you will still have to buy a soundbar of some specific type for that to happen.
Just to be the devil's advocate, BL28 can be interfaced with BS Theatre because BL28 (just like most other Beolab speakers) have a WiSA receiver module - something that the usual speaker from the Beosound range just doesn't have (at hardware level). Currently, they don't "sync" with BS Theatre over the Mozart platform itself.
I think B&O are protecting product financials by closing off these “less expensive” products from being used with a Theatre or Stage.
What I just wrote above however doesn't mean that the products (Mozart or even AES Beosound speakers) can't be integrated in a surround system with Theatre via other means (just like other competitors do it, i.e. Denon/Marantz/Heos, Yamaha MusiCast, Sonos, DTS Play-Fi, Bluesound, Bose - all without WiSA and just over the 802.11 Wi-Fi standard), and for this reason, I agree.
I’m not sure of the specifics but there is a technical problem with WISA and WiFi modules in that they have to have antenna separation over 1m apart. However, that should to my mind not preclude a wired option if their role is expanded to surrounds?
Do you mean that if I connect a pair of Beosound levels to a Beolab Reseciver 1s, I could use them as surround speakers with BS-Theatre? If yes, how about the room correction? Would Theater recognise that it is connected to a pair of BS-Levels?
I don’t know if a BS Level has any connections other than the power dock, and no connection to the BReciever1. All for the reason I suspect to reduce the cost of the Level and possibly to push Theatre Owners to higher-end beolabs. I.e. 2 pairs of BL28s in the opening marketing campaign.
Beosound Levle has input connections, see picture
I think the RJ45 is wired ethernet, the usb-c is i think another power-option without the charger puck. Both the RJ45 and usb-c are intended for permanent wall mounting. The manual - as im sure you have seem already makes no reference to Powerlink connections. Interesting that there seem to be different connection boards too?
https://support.bang-olufsen.com/hc/en-us/articles/5575956235537-How-do-I-access-the-connection-panel-on-Beosound-Level- MM

Location: Flensborg————Danmark

It Seems like Steve from SOund Heavenly has already solved the problem with Powerlink https://soundsheavenly.com/music-output/177-powerlink-to-beosound-level-emerge-balance-stage-core-edge-shape-cable-link-your-bo-audio-system-to-your-new-speaker.html
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