B&K Reference 70 Owners Thread - Page 27

The Marantz and the NAD are both on my list of pre-pros to look at, along with the Anthem. How I wish there was one A/V store where I could go and listen to all the units back-to-back-to-back!

Cal68

Funny thing is no one has any information about B&K's status good or bad.

Hope this is ok to post but I have available a supply of Marantz AV 8003 pre/pros at a group rate. Shoot me an email via AVS for info.

getech How about a follow up to your post over the weekend I am sure anything you have to share would be of interst to more than one AVS member

Thanks

The Marantz does not decode internally either. It does have audyssey on PCM though. 6 seats not 8.

Right now, I don't think many of us are much of a fan of B&K, but to bash them and then turn around to sell other products is a little lame.

By the way, what can you get the 8003s for?

So, at the moment, it sounds like you're spreading rumors to make sales. Please feel free to correct this impression.


So you're saying that -- despite the posted specs (which we know aren't always up to date) and reviews that tested HD codecs -- the AV8300 doesn't do HD audio?

Didn't find much but public info:

John Beyer, is the CEO. B & K Components Ltd is a private company categorized under Audio Electronic Systems and located in Buffalo, NY. Records show it was established in 1981* and incorporated in New York*. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of $10 to 20 million and employs a staff of approximately <70.

Can't decode and Audyssey at the same time.

Start a rumor, can't back it up...Oh wait, I just happen to have a few --- for sale if anyone's interested.

Thought you only did that at the JL Audio F113 thread. Not cool buddy!

Hey kids....I have a Reference 70 in my own HT which I love despite it's glitchiness...it has very good sq compared to other Pre/pros I've auditioned including the Integra 9.8 & 9.9; Marantz; Anthem, Denon among others. I also sell B & K Audio but haven't promoted them because I frankly don't want to hear the b1tching that ultimately would come back to me...sort of like this board, eh?

That is right, the Marantz can't do audyssey with hd audio decoded internally but can do audyssey on mulichannel PCM. It does do HD audio. I liked it but prefer my old processor more.

Bitching is one thing, but stating a company is insolvent with no proof, and then trying to sell a competitor's product, could ironically make someone else insolvent.

Yep, I'm sure people can read between the lines if they choose.

And choose they must.....

Hmmm... sounds like my suspicion was correct. Rumor - Not fact.

By the way, my experience (from both sides of the table) is that D&B does not have verify or accurate information on private companies, so running a D&B is going to tell you exactly what the owner of that company wants to claim. If I report 10M in sales, that's what they record. If I tell them 30 people, that's what they report. Perhaps there is a point where they ask for proof, but never in my 15 years reporting to them. You might find it more informative to check the court records to see if there are any judgements agains B&K for non-payment, etc., but I doubt you will find any.

I have called B&K a few times recently (since that "insolvency" post). I get no indication that anything has changed there. In fact the technicians are up front and available. My conversation, which I will not post (as to not add more "un-official" gossip) led me to believe B&K will be around and is continuing to ship product, including filling some "backlogs" in amplifiers.

While B&K would not make it in the computer world, where pre-announcements are so far fetched and rarely met - I'll be patient and hope that they are acting responsibly as a company and to their customers. To me, that means generating revenues where revenues are to be made being #1 priority (to stay alive) and working towards improvements and upgrades that have been promised as the #2 priority.

I do agree it would be nice to hear something regarding status from them, even if it's just a simple update on progress without a promise of delivery date. But, that has never been their mode of operation.....

I was being (too) literal minded. I wonder how many people need decoders in their processors? If B&K could send mcPCM though their EQ I'd be set.

You are right. I've always assumed that the mythical hidef processing board will allow one to apply EQ and room adjustment to the hidef sound signal. If that capability does not exist, the addition of hidef decoding ability alone is a waste of time. I want to have more than the ability to look at the display and see "DTS-HD MA"

Are there any processors out there that can decode and apply post processing to the signal? I think the Marantz can apply post processing if the Blu-ray player has already decoded the signal.

I feel the same way. I just don't understand their silence.

Do we know if anyone from B&K will even confirm that they are working on the upgrades over the telephone? I have not called them in a year, so I don't know what their position is at this time.

Cal68

They still say they are working on it, it will be out this year, and it will be free. No other details. This is just from when I have called tech support to ask about other things... such as yesterday

Why do you need confirmation on the phone? Back in Dec. omnikurt posted some information from Ed which, while not committing to a time-frame, made it clear they continue working on the new DSP. He also mentioned the 1.08 release as coming soon. You can use the actual release date to help calibrate "soon".

I think for liability purposes, it makes more sense that they'd remain silent rather than make additional promises after they know they can't complete them.

Given how long this has been dragging on, if there was a possibility that they'd actually come out with the boards, I think they'd come public and have said something.

If B&K is actually working on it and its coming out, B&K is doing theirselves irrepairable harm by remaining silent.

Either way, they're screwed.

Trust me, most of us have!

The only reason I asked the question was because it is clear that B&K have run into problems with the upgrade, and I was wondering whether they are continuing to work on it or if they have decided that it is too much of a hassle and moved on to other "low hanging fruit".

Cal68

I believe they are but you can always ring up John or Ed and endeavor to ask them.

I will call them either this week or next, and see if I can get a response.

Cal68

And what good will that do? They won't tell you anything officially, depending on who you speak with you will get different information ranging all the way from, it will be here in a month to six. It will be free to it will have a cost. Then you can post it here and everybody will feel good. Then another half year will pass and nothing will have happened. A new set of posters will show up, most of them fanboys that believe anything, and the whole thing will start again. Maybe in a year or so, a new version will come out, Ref 70 series 2, and you will be offered an upgrade at a nominal price (read $600-1,000) or you can sell the one you have and buy the new one. That's historically what they have always done.

1st time trying DVD-A playback to ref70 from older Pany RP91. RP91 is set to send MPCM audio over toslink and/or coax, however Ref70 only sees PCM 2.0. I have tried setting audio preference to dvd-a, but I'm starting to think that only controls the HDMI audio.

Anyone have any thoughts on that?
Thanks

Isn't DVD-A the analog input?

I am not using the 7.1 DVD-A analog inputs. I am using a coax input in this case.

There is a input selection for DVD-A which selects the 7.1 inputs, but there is also a "mode" selection for DVD-Audio, which I use for MPCM over HDMI on another input.

I know DVD-A over HDMI works, but it does not seem to work on non-HDMI inputs