Pre purchase Qs

[Grant Randall]

 Hi,

I'm thinking of a new B2... 

Some question first please... 

1) I gather a CD is initially ripped as Wav then automatically converts to FLAC... 

What is the minimum space required on the B2 drive when loading, say an average CD? 

2) how does the B2 cope when you ask it to rip a CD when there is not enough room to handle the process or store the final FLAC? Will It tell you before it starts or do a fraction of the CD and swear and crash as it bumps its head on the final byte? 

3) Can I stream Amazon music to the B2 amplifier? Is this only via Bluetooth? 

Could I say to Alexa or Google "play to Brennan" and have the B2 switch to the correct inputs? 

4) My current Hifi is a 15yo TEAC (2x 25W) Aways loved the sound but it has tech problems.the speakers are 6Ω. I gather 8Ω is the optimum for the B2. How well would this work with the B2? The B2 only has 2x 15W per channel. Would I find that enough in a 25 m^2 room? Will the B2 distort at higher volumes with my TEAC speakers or be louder or quieter than with 8Ω speakers? 

I hope that is not too much in one go! 

Thanks a lot, 

G

[Daniel Taylor]

Hi Grant,

Someone else may well reply before I finish typing, but I will make an attempt to answer your questions.

1) Yes, the B2 rips to WAV at first, then converts to either FLAC or MP3 or Nothing as you select, with FLAC being the default.  Minimum space depends entirely on the CD being ripped.  I don't recall how much disk space a full 80 minutes would require.  Some Googling is probably in order.

2) Good question about how the B2 behaves when the disk is full.  I'm a little foggy on whether we've heard such a report, but I have it in my head that the B2 does not behave well in that situation.  I'd be glad to be told differently.

3) If the streaming device, say a computer, tablet, or smart phone, can transmit Bluetooth, then that is how it can be played through the B2.  Commanding Alexa or Google would not be sufficient to get the B2 in the right mode.  You'd have to do that through the WebUI (or possibly the front panel, but I don't know that).

4) I don't think the B2 will have much trouble with 6 ohm speakers.  However, personally, I am not a fan of the B2 amplifier.  A discerning listener will be happier when the B2 is feeding an external amplifier, and happiest when an external DAC enters the picture.  That is my opinion only - there are many who are quite happy with the B2's amplifier.  Let your ears be your guide.  As for whether the 15w would be enough for your room, I suspect not if you want to play at anything greater than background levels.  Again, only my opinion.

[Daniel Taylor]

I thought I'd point out this earlier thread as possibly being of related interest:

Desktop hifi systems based on a B2

[Davywhizz]

6 ohm speakers should be fine. The amp will tend to work harder and run hotter with a lower impedance, but it would simply cut out if it got too hot so give it a try.

The B2 won't hook up directly to Amazon HD, only by BT. That's an Amazon policy issue. It will, however, operate as a Spotify Connect device, recognised in the Spotify app.

Always nice to see one of my posts resurrected,  thank you Daniel. I was thinking of near-field monitors as desktop speakers, most of which would lose something if you try to fill a room with them. But my B2 is also a key part of my main hifi, connected optically.

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Grant,

An average CD album will require about 450MB when ripped to WAV format.

When the wav files are compressed to flac format that 450MB will be replaced with an album size of about 260MB and the WAV album is deleted, thus about 190MB is returned to be reused by the B".

If the same album is compressed to Mp3 256Kb the the compressed space will be reduced to about 100MB.

Regards,

Peter.

[Grant Randall]

Thank you all for your comments, most interesting.

It leaves me feeling a little concerned that there may be occasions I won't 
when I won't be happy with the maximum volume.

Are any reading this fully happy withe the B2 built in Amp? 

I know I've been happy with my now broken TEAC 2X 25w... 

What amplifiers sub £100 would you guys reccomend? 

[Daniel Taylor]

Seems like for under £100 maybe you could get your Teac repaired.  Have you investigated that?

[Davywhizz]

It's not just a volume issue G. It's a combination of the power available from the B2's amp and its internal DAC, which converts the digital audio files (essentially just a list of numbers) to an analogue signal we can hear. So an external amp which includes a better DAC might be hard to find for £100. If you do go that way, look for a company called SMSL, which has a decent reputation and also produces some very high end products, which has to be a good sign.

I think I'd start, firstly, with the knowledge that the B2 is an excellent multi-source music device: as well as your CDs (ripped, stored and easily accessible in the original audio quality) you have internet radio, the YouTube music search function and, if you have an account, Spotify streaming direct from the internet (not via Bluetooth). You can also use the Bluetooth function for Amazon Music etc. You will also get future B2 software upgrades at no extra cost: the most recent was the connectivity with Sonos speakers.

Secondly, some B2 owners are very happy with the sound direct to speakers, so you could try your TEACs first and see what you think, before considering an external amp (or having yours repaired). As ever, it depends what you are looking for. If you do a lot of critical listening or, conversely, want to fill a room with loud dance music for your guests, the B2 probably won't quite get you there. 

[Jeff. M.]

Daveywhizz, as i have said before, i have an SMSL Q5 pro, and could not be happier with it! I am also exploring the different connnections on it! Currently using Toslink for my B2, 3.5 line in for my chromecast, and have found the USB input to be really good too. £115 well spent!

[JFBUK]

Hi Grant,

If you do decide on a new amp and can stretch your budget a bit then this is also worth a look

Loxjie A30

Cheaper direct from China, e.g.  via Hifi Express who I have used without problems in the past

https://hifi-express.com/products/loxjie-a30-digital-power-amplifier

John

[Grant Randall]

Thanks again for your comments. 

My TEAC's problems are with the volume unresponsive and the DAB, FM not working.. Also the CD has failed to eject twice, needing dismantling to extract. I had assumed it would be uneconomic to repair considering the age. 

I never got my head around the cost of high end audio costs when so much electronics are dirt cheap! 

Thanks for the Amplifier suggestions, I will explore them. 

Some amps seem not to have volume controls, will the B2 control volume at its preamp stage? 

Does the B2 stay in standby mode that will come alive on voice commands? In which case, 

Do uou find it inconvenient to switch on a separate amp to hear the music? 

I did have other questions but it's late and forgotten them for now! 

[Davywhizz]

Hi Grant

You would normally control volume with the external amp. If using the B2 optical output, its internal volume control has no effect, because the optical signal is not electrical. And if you were to use the analogue (line) output (bearing in mind that would not give you the benefit of an external DAC), the advice would be to set the B2 volume high and leave it there, as most amps need that level of signal to work best. So I'd want an external amp with a good old volume knob and also a remote if possible.

There is no voice command option built in to the B2. Some owners leave it on all the time and there's an option for the clock display to go dark in standby mode.  You wake it up by getting it to do something, either on the front panel, with its remote control or via the app or web UI (technically not an app, but a great way to control the B2 library on a tablet, PC or laptop).

I don't mind switching my hifi amp on and off, but your question makes the point that one of the strengths of the B2 is that it can be a whole music system in one box. That's why I suggested you try it first with your own speakers. If you are happy with the sound, there's a lot to be said for simplicity.

We seem to have you almost hooked, so keep asking the questions. If you haven't already, you could also explore the Brennan pages on-line, there's a load of information on there:

https://www.brennan.co.uk/

[Grant Randall]

Hi All, 

A continued thanks to those helping with advice.... 

Yes I have well read the Brennan site and yes, the Questions keep coming... 

5) A thread this morning discusses real space used by CDs and Martin says they underestimate real world cd count due to advertising. In practice, can anyone suggest typical number of pop/rock CDs on the 240Gb model. We've got about 300 CDs I think which should be enough initially but just thinking of growth space as we're more likely to buy CDs than sign up to a streaming service.

Some comments suggest 800 CDs are possible. Anyone disagree? 

6) Can you seamlessly record, mix and play CDs and Mp3s on the B2? 

7) Can you export music recorded as FLACs on the B2, as Mp3s to an Android mobile device such as a phone?

8) could you access your music collection via the Wan as any other NAS?

Yes, I am warming to the B2. Concerned about the Amp volume. Probably try it before committing to an external Amp. 

Kind regards,

Grant

[JFBUK]

Hi Grant,

some answers to your questions

5) A thread this morning discusses real space used by CDs and Martin says they underestimate real world cd count due to advertising. In practice, can anyone suggest typical number of pop/rock CDs on the 240Gb model. We've got about 300 CDs I think which should be enough initially but just thinking of growth space as we're more likely to buy CDs than sign up to a streaming service.

Some comments suggest 800 CDs are possible. Anyone disagree? 

John>  You need to allow the B2 enough space to store WAV files before they are compressed so 800CDs may be tight for a 240Gb. It may not be a problem but will depend on the length of your CDs and how frequently you let the B2 compress in your rip/upload process.

These are my current numbers for my B2, which are mainly popular rock/blues/pop/folk/americana music .

Peter on here ,who has a fantastic estimator spreadsheet ,may have some thoughts

6) Can you seamlessly record, mix and play CDs and Mp3s on the B2? 

John> Yes you can upload both FLAC & MP3 files and they can live together happily on the B2 HDD. You can only have one default compression setting at a time when ripping a CD in the B2 though. So if you rip a CD it will either be FLAC,MP3, or both once compressed, dependent on your compression setting.

7) Can you export music recorded as FLACs on the B2, as Mp3s to an Android mobile device such as a phone?

John> You do this by creating a playlist and exporting that playlist , or using the B2 as NAS and copy that way. The B2 has a neat feature that allows you to create "shadow" hidden  MP3s for your tracks alongside the FLAC files but it does take time and consumes disk space. Easier if your phone can playback FLAC files, most do these days.

8) could you access your music collection via the Wan as any other NAS?

John> Yes but via your LAN not the WAN :) The B2  files can be accessed by other connectivity tools if required because its a Raspberry Pi running a version of Linux under the covers

[harlond57]

I currently have 720 CDs on the B2, which take up just short of 200gb.  800-1000 is easily possible.

When I got the B2 about 18 months ago, I had maybe 400 CDs to upload.  Now I have 720.  The B2 will do that to you.

My brother runs a pair of Klipsch RP-600m speakers on Perlesmith stands from his B2 in a 12x24 room and has no issues with volume.  Obviously the Klipsch speakers are very efficient with a claimed sensitivity of 96db.  But yes, it's possible to run the B2 without an external amp.

[harlond57]

Sorry, I thought you were talking about the 500gb model.

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

I would recommend looking at this Forum Thread too.

https://groups.google.com/g/brennanb2/c/eLGZhrcLnKU

Fred

[Grant Randall]

Hi all, 

Thanks for your advice and tips. B2 480gb Now on order.

Was almost about to risk settling for the 240gb but the Amazon price just shot up to £1165 from £399! Prob a mistake!

Looking forward to a ripping time over Christmas!

Can anyone say if it could ever be made possible to cast to speakers other than Sonos? 

I was thinking mainly of Audiocast receivers! 

Cheers, 

Grant 

On Friday, 26 November 2021 at 15:09:32 UTC Grant Randall wrote:

Hi All, 

A continued thanks to those helping with advice.... 

Yes I have well read the Brennan site and yes, the Questions keep coming... 

5) A thread this morning discusses real space used by CDs and Martin says they underestimate real world cd count due to advertising. In practice, can anyone suggest typical number of pop/rock CDs on the 240Gb model. We've got about 300 CDs I think which should be enough initially but just thinking of growth space as we're more likely to buy CDs than sign up to a streaming service.

Some comments suggest 800 CDs are possible. Anyone disagree? 

6) Can you seamlessly record, mix and play CDs and Mp3s on the B2? 

7) Can you export music recorded as FLACs on the B2, as Mp3s to an Android mobile device such as a phone?

8) could you access your music collection via the Wan as any other NAS?

Yes, I am warming to the B2. Concerned about the Amp volume. Probably try it before committing to an external Amp. 

Kind regards,

Grant

On Friday, 26 November 2021 at 07:14:00 UTC Davywhizz wrote:

Hi Grant

You would normally control volume with the external amp. If using the B2 optical output, its internal volume control has no effect, because the optical signal is not electrical. And if you were to use the analogue (line) output (bearing in mind that would not give you the benefit of an external DAC), the advice would be to set the B2 volume high and leave it there, as most amps need that level of signal to work best. So I'd want an external amp with a good old volume knob and also a remote if possible.

There is no voice command option built in to the B2. Some owners leave it on all the time and there's an option for the clock display to go dark in standby mode.  You wake it up by getting it to do something, either on the front panel, with its remote control or via the app or web UI (technically not an app, but a great way to control the B2 library on a tablet, PC or laptop).

I don't mind switching my hifi amp on and off, but your question makes the point that one of the strengths of the B2 is that it can be a whole music system in one box. That's why I suggested you try it first with your own speakers. If you are happy with the sound, there's a lot to be said for simplicity.

We seem to have you almost hooked, so keep asking the questions. If you haven't already, you could also explore the Brennan pages on-line, there's a load of information on there:

https://www.brennan.co.uk/

[JFBUK]

Hi Grant

'Can anyone say if it could ever be made possible to cast to speakers other than Sonos? 

I was thinking mainly of Audiocast receivers! '

The answer is currently No. The B2 only outputs wirelessly to Sonos and Bluetooth devices.

An Audiocast device would be able to access your B2 HDD as NAS but control of what plays would be by the Audiocast not the B2.

John