Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsMore trouble than enjoyment
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2024
As an audio engineer with over 25 years of experience, I've always had a passion for medium to high-end equipment. Despite my initial excitement for the Beosound 2, my experience with it has been nothing short of frustrating. Bang & Olufsen, in my opinion, falls into the medium consumer device category, regardless of their $120,000 pair of speakers or their $22,000 TV, which I've seen many times at the Mandarin Oriental and found lacking – it's old tech with aluminum and a motorized gimmick.
Setting up the Beosound 2 was a nightmare. I spent countless hours with customer support, who seemed utterly clueless about the setup for the 3rd Gen model. Their only advice was to use a pin to reset the unit at the bottom, which was ineffective and incredibly frustrating.
The most aggravating issue is the unit’s tendency to disappear from the Bang & Olufsen app. This happens every single week without fail. I am forced to spend several hours troubleshooting this persistent problem, attempting to reset the device in various ways, only to face the same issues repeatedly. The firmware and software are highly unreliable, and it feels like a constant battle to keep the unit connected and functioning properly. When this happens, the Beosound 2 becomes nothing more than a very expensive paperweight – albeit a cool-looking one.
When the Beosound 2 decides to randomly stop appearing in the app, it becomes virtually useless for anything other than playing the radio. You can't stream Deezer or any other services unless you go through the cumbersome process of hooking up an external device to the line input. This is not what I expected from a high-end audio system.
Support is another major disappointment. It's literally some person in Eastern Europe following a script, and most of the time, it's the wrong script. The support experience is frustrating and does not help resolve the issues effectively.
What’s even more disappointing is that this level of unreliability is unacceptable for a product in this price range. Other audio equipment with a similar price tag does not have these issues. For nearly $3,000, I expected a seamless and reliable experience. Instead, I am left with a piece of equipment that requires constant attention and troubleshooting.
In conclusion, the Beosound 2 is not worth the trouble. Its frequent disconnections and the constant need for resets make it more of a hassle than a luxury. Save your money and invest in audio equipment that actually delivers on its promises. The Beosound 2 is a regrettable purchase, and I do not recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable and high-performing audio solution.