Yes, the BS1’s rotary volume knob is easier to use than the Level’s touch control, where you can miss and “set-to-here” the volume rather than increment or decrement the volume at the edges. (Particularly annoying when you get max-volume instead of +1!) Likewise picking up the unit to move it outside doesn’t upset a BS1 but the Level ‘s controls are close to the handle so sometimes it Play/Pauses. On the other hand, children might ruin the tweeter of a BS1 while transporting it (mostly but not guaranteed by the neck, because it’s so heavy) — which will not happen with a Level.
But the Play/Pause button on the BS1 is the most finicky I have *ever* used: Press it just long enough, and just hard enough, or sometimes it does nothing. It’s so finicky, I still don’t really know for sure if it’s a capacitance detector switch, because of course the track-forward and track-back *must* be. But “hard enough” seems to indicate a physical switch in place of, or in addition to, a detector circuit. Licking your finger or switching to a thumb in place of forefinger don’t seem to differ, thus my decision that there’s a button buried in there somewhere. Or maybe not, rather some deformation of the plastic top is necessary to approach the antenna of the detector? Or is it some battery thing because Pause works more often than Play? I dunno, but it’s an annoyance and not as surefire as a BeoCenter 9500. (In the old forums someone else agreed, so it’s not my one-off.)
Both of them have acceptable sound but neither is amazing. Obviously there’s a bit of stereo in the Level, but if you’re always going to put it in the unused rear corner of a kitchen counter, even if it’s flat against one of the walls and not spanning the corner diagonally, you aren’t really getting much. I think your use case should depend on the room. If you hate the thought of the BS1 getting splashed with foodstuffs, get the Level and a wall hanger, and you can unhook it, flat, to party. Of course that loses the stereo effect entirely (not documented but it’s what I hear) because on-wall doesn’t have left/right and out flat is trying to broadcast a uniform sound field. Personal opinion: Use the Level against a side wall on a bathroom counter where the location of the user is constrained (by the sink & the mirror), and use a BS1 in the kitchen counter corner.
If you plan to move either one around, even rarely, buy the charging stand for the BS1, or the wall hanger for the Level. Particularly the BS1 because that AC cord is a bear to plug and unplug. The Level’s of course is easy. If you plan to do anything but AirPlay and Bluetooth, well, get the Level because it has line-in and Mozart platform support. Not playing from a DLNA server, which the BS1 still does, matters less to most folks.
Though they do sound different, since neither of them sounds dramatically better, don’t feel bad about letting looks dictate your choice! Personally I prefer the BS1 conic solid, with mysteriously hidden drivers. Versus the Level looks like an original 2001 BS1: a basic slab boombox. Everybody raves about its wood front, but who wants to see the drivers thru the slots, and veneer on plastic is just so declassé, prefer the cloth to hide the works. But my Final Answer: listen for yourself, no better advice than that. Sorry to be so long-winded, but you asked…
