Technics Ottava speaker and app connectivity

interbear

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I’ve had a Technics Ottava SC70Mk2 and SC30 for a couple of months. Delighted with the sound quality,when I can get them working it’s great. But I am increasingly infuriated by the Technics Audio Centre app (I’m using the iOS version) and speaker connectivity. The app rarely finds the two speakers on the network, I have to reconnect the app to the speakers on a regular basis - by regular I mean almost every time I want to use them. The process to do so via both the Technics app and Google home app is a pain. On many occasions the app won’t find the speakers on the network a matter of minutes after I’ve set them up to connect. Like just now as an example, as per the screenshot below.

I‘m using a BT Smart Hub 2 router with one WiFi disc. Full fibre 900MB and via WiFi I generally get approx 300MB all round the house. Wi-fi strength is not the issue. The SC70 is approx 6 feet away from the router in the living room. The SC30 is in the kitchen. I’ve disabled the smart set up on the router, I’ve tried it with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies switched on. I’ve tried it with only the 2.4GHz frequency on and currently only have the 5GHz frequency on so that all devices on the network connect to the same 5GHz frequency. Same problem in all cases. The speakers do not get found in the app. But they are definitely connected to the router, visible and active according to the BT hub manager. Nothing on the Technics support site has helped me fix this.

It renders the excellent speakers almost unusable for some key functions. I can use the CD player on the SC70, I can play programmed favourites such as internet radio stations via the remote control. But I can’t use Airplay (for Apple Music) as the speakers don’t show up as an option. I can’t search and play internet radio via the app. And I can’t use Spotify connect. On the SC30, I can do nothing.

Anyone have any ideas or experienced similar issues? I am very close to contacting John Lewis and returning both of these under warranty, or exchanging them for an alternative.
 

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I've given up and returned these to John Lewis. Credit to them for accepting the return and refunding instantly, as per usual in my experience, great customer service. Now onto a search to find an alternative speaker with more reliable connectivity especially via Airplay.

I think this has propelled me to decide to forget about CDs and forget about the "all in one" nirvana. I want a top quality wireless streamer that gives me reliable streaming via Airplay and solid connectivity over Wifi for (1) Apple Music including the rumoured to be imminent "HiFi" service and (2) Internet Radio.
 
I bought an SC70 Mk1 almost a year ago. It replaced reasonably high end ( and massive) Hifi System. I have been really pleased with the Technics but it has been dogged with a connectivity problem from day one in that it constantly drops off my network. I too was about to return it when the dealer suggested I try another network ( Technics Support weren't very helpful) . By a stroke of luck we did at the time have 2 separate networks, on 2 separate lines available in the house. Long story short it worked faultlessly on an EE network but was unstable as soon as I put it back onto the BT Smart Hub 2 . I could get it to reconnect to the BT by a simple power cycle ( unplug Technics from mains) . Despite no longer having the EE network I decided I could live with it, maybe having to unplug it occasionally to kick start internet connectivity I put if down to some obscure incompatibility between the Smart hub and the Technics. I even had a BT engineer go through the router logs with me when he was here to sort out another problem but he couldn't see any problem although we did discus assigning a fixed i,p. In a new development the BT hub had a firmware update about a week ago and, fingers crossed, the Technics seems fine now . Time will tell if it has REALLY sorted the issue but I firmly believe there is an incompatibility problem with the SC70 and the BT Smart Hub 2 causing my problem and your ( albeit slightly different) issue.
 
Hi @YKHEN i feel your pain :) I agree that the BT Smart Hub 2, while it provides good Wi-fi speeds, does have issues with handling devices on its dual 2.4 / 5 GHz bands. Not limited to Technics, but Naim and others, as I’ve read online. Whatever speaker I buy next I will likely hardwire to the smart hub for a more stable connection.

Reading the BT forums it does seem that the latest firmware should solve that Wi-fi connectivity issue though, I’ve reset my router but it hasn’t yet downloaded the new firmware. I hope it works for you long term, the Technics SC70 is a really good, versatile option overall, it produces excellent sound.
 
Hello @interbear thanks for the reply. Thinking about it I think the Hub upgrade may have been a bit if a red herring as my SC70 has always been hardwired to my router so its not a wifi issue. I have also made the classic mistake when trying to diagnose an issue of changing too many things at the same time !! Now I recall that last weekend I switched Network Standby to OFF . Now every time the Technics powers up it flashes " Please Wait" for about 10 seconds ( Network Icon flashes)... then "Connecting" and bingo it's on the Network and stays there. It didn't used to do this . It would go straight to "Connecting" and hang. A power cycle would see the "Please wait".. then "connecting" sequence. So effectively I'm forcing it to establish a fresh connection to the network every time I switch it on rather than relying on it waking up a dormant connection. It kind of make sense !

When this Network Standby setting is ON the Network connection stays active so you can switch the SC70 on from your phone. It is possible the BT hub is detecting it as a dormant connection when it is effectively in " stand by " times out and drops it off the network, The EE hub may have been more tolerant. I hope it is "fixed" so far not a single issue in well over a week. So I'll just have to get up off my backside and walk across the room to switch it on . Frankly I need the exercise !
 
Good morning, always had an issue with the SC-C70 connecting to the Technics Music App for Internet Radio (very hit an miss, mostly miss, poor compared to my Bose) , but seems have sorted that now only to have the V Tuner not working.
Contacted Technics this morning by phone and had a very unconvincing response 'working on it', no time frames, no information on why.
 

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