Entered CNET Catalog: 12/10/2004
SKU: CNETBANGANDOLUFSONBEOSOUND2
Manufacturer: Bang & Olufsen
Manufacturer description
BeoSound 2 is a light and pocket friendly digital music player for use with PC and Mac. BeoSound 2 is delivered without the SD card allowing you to choose from different card sizes according to your specific needs. BeoSound 2 supports all available sizes. It has a form and size that allows it to sit as easily in your pocket as it does in your hand and it is delivered with a neck strap as standard.Product summary
The good: Sounds awesome; modern spaceshiplike design will appeal to some; included earbuds sound great and are comfortable.
The bad: Extremely expensive; horribly confusing user interface; cannot play DRM-protected WMAs; no LCD; no features of any kind; no internal memory.
The bottom line: The BeoSound 2 sounds absolutely superb, but there's nothing else to justify its sky-high price tag.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 03/10/2005
Yes, you read that right. The BeoSound 2 has no internal memory, despite weighing a rather hefty 3.2 ounces. Instead, you have to insert an SD card (available as an option from Bang & Olufsen) into a well-designed, flap-covered slot on the back of the player if you want to listen to music. Last time we checked, a 1GB SD card cost a bit less than $100. Some people will no doubt find the BeoSound 2's UFO-esque shape and polished stainless-steel body attractive (beware of fingerprints!), and we must say it feels comfortable to hold and is easy to control with just one hand. But our design praise ends there.
The player has poorly marked buttons that are no help in reconciling the fact that it has no LCD. A circular center button labeled Go is flanked by four other keys; the bottom and top ones are each marked with a single directional triangle pointing up and down, and they're used to skip tracks. The buttons to either side of Go are marked with double directional triangles (the traditional fast-forward/rewind indication) and serve to navigate folders as well as cue through songs. In theory, anyway--we couldn't get this function to work. It would have made more sense if the side buttons skipped tracks and the up/down buttons moved through folders, especially considering the lack of worded labels. Above and below the up/down keys are the volume controls, each marked with a directional carat (^).
While we've seen other players without screens, the BeoSound 2 is the first we've come across to lack even an LED indicator to show if the player is turned on or off or is in play or pause mode. And the player doesn't have the excuse of being tiny; it's 3 inches in diameter. Instead, it communicates with different patterns of beeps that we couldn't decipher and that aren't spelled out in the instructions, which consist of a pathetic two pages in English. On the plus side, Bang & Olufsen includes a nifty, alien-ship-landing-type dock, which features a wraparound LED that indicates the connection status of the player with different colors; these at least are called out in the manual.
Other than the fact that it plays MP3 and unprotected WMA files, the Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 2 has no real features to speak of, though it is compatible with both PCs and Macs running, respectively, Windows 98 and up or OS 9 and later. There's no FM tuner, no recording options, and nothing advanced at all, though we suppose that this ends up being a good thing because how would you ever be able to use them? You can at least lock the player by pressing and holding both buttons with the double directional triangles. A software CD is included in the box and contains BeoPlayer and BeoLink PC 2, which are used to manage music and transfer files to the player. However, we found these programs confusing and instead went with Windows Media Player 10.0 (versions 7.0 and up are all compatible). You can also use iTunes version 2.0 or later on a Mac.
To Bang & Olufsen's considerable credit, the BeoSound 2 sounds magnificent. In fact, the included ear-wrap 'buds are no doubt a contributor as they're the company's own and were on a par with--if not better than--our test pair. Audio sounded very clean and rich, with no noticeable background hiss and volume cranked beyond earsplitting levels. Hooking up this player to a full-size sound system wouldn't be a stretch. Because of the BeoSound 2's lack of a repeat function, we were unable to test battery life, but the rechargeable lithium-ion cell's rated eight hours is lower than average. Transfer time over USB 1.1 was a yawn-inducing 0.22MB per second.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27out of 27 user reviews
great design well thought !!!
Pros: MADE IN CHINA / Asia
Cons: not much to say......................
:((((((((((((((
out of 27 user reviews
Have it and love it!
Pros: Awesome design and quality. No sharp edges so that you can put it in your pants pocket. You can operated by not looking at the BS2. It will last a long time.
Cons: nothing yet...
out of 27 user reviews
Worth the money
Pros: Amazing sound quality, it's not an iPod, Extremely simple to use
Cons: Currently maxes out space at 2Gb
And as far as the con I put, only accepting SD cards up to 2Gb isn't terrible, it allows easier access to your music because you can organize the cards into playlists. That and there are talks of a firmware update that will allow more space.
out of 27 user reviews
Very high quality, magnificent sound.
Pros: The sound quality
Cons: Admittedly, lack of screen.
The navigational pad is actually quite easy to use: if you read instructions.
THe software that comes with the Beosound 2 is helpful in creating playlists which can be selected on the navigational pad. I think this device deserves a higher rating than the 4.3 given by the editor. Fantastic product!
out of 27 user reviews
Elegant minimalist device is overly minimalist...
Pros: excellent sound quality
Cons: few features to speak of
out of 27 user reviews
Some people don't get it.
Pros: Sound, Build. Earphones. user interface
Cons: nothing from my point of view.
Never once have a wished i hadn't bought it. I love this player.
So many comments say how amazing it sounds (and it really does) but then go on to say that it should do more, screen, blah blah blah.
The very best sounding hifi gear in the world is increadibly minimilist. Why should this be any different.
I kind of think of it as a high end ipod shuffle. My GF has a shuffle and it sounds like crap...
If you can afford it, the BS2 is excellent.
out of 27 user reviews
See ya iPod.
Pros: Best sound quality, easier interface than iPod
Cons: the existence of DRM (not the BeoSound 2's fault!)
The user interface, however, is absolutely supreme. I wonder if the CNET editors really made any attempt to understand the concept here? Screens crack, lights burn out, and I love the fact that the removable switchable memory is under attack the same as the built in battery in the iPhone. Which is it CNET!? Built in or removable? Anyway, the idea is that it doesn't leave your pocket, which is totally different from the iPod, which you have to look at to navigate through layers of menus. With the BeoSound 2, everything is right there on one level. The buttons are different shapes, so you can always orient your fingers correctly, just like the bumps on a computer keyboard. From there, the outer buttons control volume, and the inner buttons move between playlists or albums (left + right) and then from song to song within those playlists (up + down). I can't think of anything simpler. The iPod wheel is great for something with 80GB of music, because you need the screen and the menus. The BeoSound 2 is the purest form factor in that you don't have to even look down to navigate its contents.
Superb job once again.
out of 27 user reviews
SCULPTURAL SOUND
Pros: THE BEST SOUND EVER
Cons: NO SCREEN -
It is very simple to use and intuitive; now, the eternal display issue: try locating a specific song in a 2GB card among 200+ tunes, it gets complicated without a display, you are lost for 5+ minutes or just give up.
B&O should install a small led or a negative quartz display but never over do it like an ipod.
The B&O Beoplayer software is very unstable and filled with bugs but very cool looking if you play songs from your computer. They should add more features to it (like equalizer, crossfading and speed control) and make it bug-free.
out of 27 user reviews
You Really need to try it before you make comment.
Pros: Great Sound, Very Simple to use, Has own progam to save music in most formats
Cons: people who have not used it bagging it because of cost.
Even if you do not buy one you can download the Beoplayer and use it to control your music. For those of you who want to see what great comanys do for product support you really should look at this and give it a go.
With the beoplayer you control all your music in lists. i first made the mistake of just loading a heep of cds onto the computer and not looking at how i sorted them.
so starting again i made up folders of the type of music and them loaded them into the areas i wanted. any music i down load from like limewire i just put it into the folder that suits it. it really is good for managing my music.
when i got the Beosound 2 it just matches so well to the Beoplayer.
When it is on its docking station you can up load your music to it. Again by having set up folders on the sd card i just move my music in the right gernra folder and thats it. so when i am out and about if i want to change music styles a click of a button and i am into a new folder.
Click of another button and i am moving backward or forward in that folder.
Volume is controled by a couple of buttons big button loud little soft how hard is that.
If i am out and need to down load a song and not got docking station all you do is take out sd card and down load to that how hard is that.
i have a card for my music and my wife has a card for hers.
i use it most days at uni and never had a problem of it not lasting in the battery.
when i get home i just put it on the docking station and pug it into my sterio and can still listen while charging.
like i said this is not a product comparision as i have not used other mp3 players. But the Beosound 2 for me meets every one of my needs.
There are also a couple of other features that make it great if you have other B&O products.
Finally as for cost well yes it is up there but it does what it is designed for better than any one could want.
When compairing products at least compair apples with apples.
I am not sure why i would need a screen/display on a music player of the 1gb of music i manage on it as i change what music i am carring i just sort it into the folders and i navigate with a touch of a thumb.
out of 27 user reviews
the best sound ..... full stop
Pros: sounds amazing, looks amazing
Cons: wont appeal to everyone , battery life
The reason i got rid of it originally was that it was the only mp3 player i had, i now have several.
I have owned over 40 players since this and many have had better functions, longer battery life, movie playback, radios etc, etc , etc.
I have rebought it because none have touched the quality of sound this produces.
This is both good and bad, if you have poorly encoded music avoid this as the included A8s and the beosound will expose them so quickly yours ears will bleed.
192kbps + and this sings , honestly go to a b+o dealer and have a listen.
AAAAA+ just for sound
oh and beoplayer software is actually very easy to use.
out of 27 user reviews
As far as Sound-quality, this is the best MP3P ever.
Pros: THE BEST SOUND QUALITY EVER!!!, Great Design.
Cons: Too Expensive, No Display, etc.
But this BeoSound 2 makes much much much better Sound than the rest of MP3Ps I have.
This is it~! This is Everything that u've ever wanted for Portable Player.
"B&O BeoSound 2", the sound that it produces juss can't be explained with words.
I am telling you; You just go visit B&O shops and try it. Then you talk.
This MP3P is really second to none when it comes to either Sound making or Aesthetic design.
Oh well, right after I was done with basic settin, i played it real quick.. For a second there, i was like.. stunned by its unbelievably fantastic sound quality that i never ever heard from Portable before..
This is the sound that any other MP3 Player can never.. even dream~!!
The Sound that it produces is very natural and its output power so strong that you'll feel urself as if this product were something like "Portable Stereo", not a MP3 Player.
out of 27 user reviews
Best & most exclusive MP3 player on the market
Pros: Ultimate sound, exclusivity, and easy ergonomics
Cons: Stainless steel scratches
The price is there but if you own one, you are probably the only kid on the block (or neighborhood) who has one. And I think that is worth it !!!
out of 27 user reviews
The Frank Sinatra of MP3 Players
Pros: Avant-Garde Design and Stellar Sound
Cons: Has A Price Tag That Could End A Marriage
It's definitely a refreshing addition to the ever-widening throngs of mp3's cascading the market. Even more refreshing since everyone's caught the fashion fever of shaking the pom-poms to the theme of Apple's iPods. To Apple's credit iPods have a fashionably damn cool design and a fantastic interface hands down. But sadly even when paired with a set of Etymotic Er 6i earphones their sound is pretty unimpressive to say the least.
This is where bigdaddy B&O comes in and tells the iPod to pack up and head home 'cos it's past the iPod's bedtime and it's time to do serious business.
Aesthetically, the BeoSound 2 is in essence a technological sculpture that has an astounding epistemological value. Its plain shimmering steel plated disc design echoes of characteristic Scandinavian funky modernity and minimalism. The avante-garde funkiness can be attributed to it daringly lacking an LCD screen, which is definitely questionable. You might want to ask David Lewis (designer of the BeoSound 2 unit) about that.
So I do agree with CNET in this respect. But its simplicity is what adds to the mystique that is part of the B&O style.
But what's this gobbledygook about a confusing interface? If Cnet did a review on women, saying they had a confusing interface, i'd definitely agree. But surely they must have confused the BeoSound 2 with the cockpit of a Boeing 777 as it barely has 7 buttons, how confusing can it be?
If the manual resembled Sartre's L'Etre et le Néant and Cnet expressed trepidations on grasping the crux of Sartre's humanist existentialism I'd understand, but with no LCD and just 7 buttons, a manual that looks like an Ethiopian that's missed too many dinners shouldn't come as a surprise.
The sound department is where the BeoSound 2 really ticks all the boxes as the consummate MP3 player. It really is the chairman of the board here.
The unit is coupled with equally pretty intra concha aluminium earphones designed by Anders Hermansen, and you get a richly interwoven tapestry of sonic alchemy, that is notably superior to any other mp3 player under the sun. The richness and clarity are beyond the general spectrum spanned by current mp3 players, giving you a new experience and feel for the density of music.
Everything about this mp3 player bleeds exquisite quality for the hedonistic aesthetic and sonic conoisseur. The lack of the LCD screen will come as a shock to some, like it did with Cnet, but you have to keep in mind where it's coming from. Bang and Olufsen, the leaders of Scandinavian simplicity and daring minimalism in home technology.
However there's nothing minimalist about its pricetag.
What the mp3 player lacks in size, it makes up for it with a price tag equivalent to the GDP of Brazil.
I can see many dads saying to their little fockers "Kids, due to my recent purchase of a B&O MP3 player, I'm going to have to let one of you go".
I gave it 8/10 , which can be considered generous. Cars get you from A to B, MP3 players play audio material. Some people pay extra for a Ferrari, others pay extra for a Bang and Olufsen.
The BeoSound 2 is gorgeous and gives stellar sound quality.
But the marriage-threatening price gets in the way of its utilitarian value.
If you really appreciate fine sound quality, and are willing to shell out some serious doubloons for a fine piece of Danish engineering, then go for it. You got nothing to lose (except your kid's tuition fees..but they're your kids...they'd understand).
out of 27 user reviews
Love it more than anything
Pros: Sound..Ease of Use.. Quality..
Cons: There are no cons regarding this player.. B&O does it again!
out of 27 user reviews
For Those Who Want Design than Being Pratical
Pros: Sound Quality, Design, Craftmanship, Headphones Comfort
Cons: No Internal Memory, Internal Battery, Confusing Controls
Pros - The Sound Quality is Excellent, I don't know if it's the best but these sound so crisp and clear. It's also so light and comfortable to wear. The headphones won't fell like your normal headphones when you are walking or jogging etc. Craftmanship on these thing are noting but the BEST, the design and craftmanship is irreesistible. It LOOKS SOOO COOL!!! Also light and comfortable to carry and hold.
Cons - I hate wiping off my finger prints off the polished aluminum. No Internal Memory is not the best, should have external battery because the 24 month warranty does not included the battery. I can understand why it dosent come with LCD because it won't look as good. But by not having user friendly controls don't help the fact it dosent come with LCD Disply.
Overall you are buying this for the design and craftmanship which nothing can compare. The sound quality is up by the top if not the best. I hope I can get use to the buttons.
But Remember everything that B&O has done to this system is to make it to look as good as possible, thats why No External battery and no LCD, and if you are a B&O Style Customer, should'nt be a problem.
I've used my Beosound 2 for around a month now and I love it even more now compare to when I just bought it, heres why.
Now I can understand even more why there's no LCD Screen, because there's NO need for one! The design is so simple I can remember all the setting with the player on my arm band or in my pocket.
The BeoPlayer looks cool and it's also very very simple to use.
The only Cons I can still find is the Internal battery and there's no fast forward or backward on both the BeoSound 2 and the BeoPlayer, except that there's nothing else.
The price is sky rocket and I think B&O products are made to last in terms of design and quality so if you don't mind spending around $500 mark you should go for it!!!
out of 27 user reviews
Awesome Sound and Ease of Use
Pros: Sounds Great, Easy to Carry, Easy to Use
Cons: None That I Found Issue With
out of 27 user reviews
It sounds good enough
Pros: simple to use, good looking and the quality of sound is the best.
Cons: though the storage can be as much as the SD card technology can gives but unlike the ipod shuffle, it is not designed for long distant travellers as the battery only last for 8 hours and will need to be recharged with a recharger.
out of 27 user reviews
Best MP3 Player I've Used
Pros: I have owned the BeoSound 2 for about two years now and absolutely love the piece. The sound qaulity is amazing and it has the most intuitive interface I've used. I find it is much easier to find songs with the unit in my pocket than looking at the scre
Cons: Price will keep a lot of people from taking a look at this exquisite player.
out of 27 user reviews
BEST SOUND QUALITY ON EARTH
Pros: If the best audio you could EVER imagine is what you're looking for, then your SEARCH STOPS HERE. And it's easy to use -- you buy a one-gig chip from Costco for $75 (or get more than one, they're tiny & you can carry them with you) -- you throw on yo
Cons: No display but COULD CARE LESS/ALL ABOUT THE SOUND FOR ME -- Can't download music online from places like iTunes or Napster and, unfortunately, they have most of the music I want. You can use eMusic and I'm still finding other sites. But, again, COULD C
out of 27 user reviews
Example of why no iPod Killers on the marekt yet.
Pros: Another Bang & Olufsen product for snobs with more money then brains. Its $500, so it must be good darling!
Cons: Unfortunatly, we can't tell you why anyone would design an MP3 player for $500 without any built in memory, or any useable features at all. Do the buttons even work? Have you read the specs? To many faults for words. The iPod shuffle is 4-5X cheaper A
out of 27 user reviews
If you've got it, Flaunt it!
Pros: This has always been my motto, and B&O seems to subsribe to it as well. The Beosound 2 is a fantastic looking specimen. It get's noticed. And it sounds much better than my Ipod did. Plus, what other mp3 player can be wrapped in a leather carrying
Cons: Yes, it could be cheaper. But so could a Porsche 911 Carrera, or a date with Pamela Anderson. You get what you pay for in life, and the Beosound 2 is no different.
out of 27 user reviews
Design & ******* never looked or felt so good
Pros: 1. Design 2. Asthetics 3. Minimalism 4. Sound 5. Ease of use
Cons: 1. Price
out of 27 user reviews
A Brand Everyone Knows, But Hardly Anyone Owns!
Pros: It comes with the reputation of B&O, gets you recognised. Pretty solid thing, I like the arm band, the keys are easy to recognise and press the earphones are one of a kind. Plus I get to use a SD Card something I looked for specifically in a MP3 play
Cons: Like the editors said missing a screen and battery life could be better although I have never noticed the shortness.
out of 27 user reviews
High Price for High Quality!
Pros: No one else will have one unlike the Ipod. Sounds great and with SD memory getting cheaper, it's not a big deal.
Cons: Price is a big consideration. If you have it to spend...do it! If you don't buy something else.
out of 27 user reviews
King of Cool in MP3 players
Pros: Yeah, I know iPod is the ****. But with Bang & Olufson, they take it to a new level of quality and aesthetics. Fantastic sound, unequalled design.
Cons: If you need to know how much it costs, it probably isn't for you. ;)
out of 27 user reviews
This thing sounds amazing!
Pros: Besides being the only mp3 player that actually feels well built, this player sounds much better than any other I have tested. And it's Bang & Olufsen.
Cons: Could be less expensive.
out of 27 user reviews
Good for looks and sound...not much else
Pros: EXCELLENT sound, especially with the provided earphones. Great design, pretty easy interface.
Cons: Expensive, of course, but worth it. Lack of LCD, lack of storage space.
