| Columns Retired Columns & Blogs |
January 11, 2009 - 1:50am
#1
Bang&Olufsen speakers
| Loudspeakers Amplification Digital Sources | |
Analog Sources Accessories Featured | |
Music Columns Retired Columns | |
Show Reports | |
Features Latest News Community | |
Resources Subscriptions |
© 2024 StereophileAVTech Media Americas Inc., USA
All rights reserved
Unfortunately , B&O gear doesn't sound as good as it looks.
Interior decorators love it though.
There are many speakers on the market that are much better, search the Stereophile archives for a start.
certainly they look great !
But I think they produce very good sound for only 5L ....
My opinion on B&O gear run pretty much in like the the other posters. B&o's priorities are to design gear that is great looking, takes up the minimum of space, and is unmistakably B&O. Notice that sound didn't appear as one of their primary priorities. It wouldn't surprise me if they designed the exterior of the product FIRST (to make sure that it looked good) then figured out what they could fit in that case." Very poor value for the dollar when it comes to sound.
For the same kind of money you could get much, much better speakers from the likes of Paradign, PSB, Energy, B&W, Thiel, Magnepan etc, etc, etc. etc. The list goes on and on. . .
Sorry but I'm not totally agree with you.
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/Userfiles/File/Press/Lab-report_BeoLab9.pdf
Younger brother of BeoLab 5
Martin-
Are you here to ask for advice or for others to confirm a decision that has already been made? I've heard those too (at ABT near Chicago) and I stick by ALL of my statements. I could think of many, many $5,000 speakers (half their price) that absolutely whipped them when it comes to transparency, sound staging, micro-dynamics and a whole host of other parameters. In that list I'd include B&W 803S, Thiel CS2.4, and Magnepan 3.6. Of course ultimately it's YOUR ears that SHOULD be the final judge.
Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't. ~Erica Jong
In giving advice seek to help, not to please, your friend. ~Solon
I'm here to ask for opinion of others, and of course to defend my attitude.
Decision has been made, and I'm waiting for these speakers.
But I'm also interested in others non B&O fans opinion.
You gave me yours and I'm respecting your opinion.
Cheers.
You have my sympathy for making such a bad decision and wasting your money. You could have bought MUCH betterspeakers for less that would blow away BO.
If you can cancel the sale, you should. You have paid far too much money for bad sound.
I must say asking for advice and input after the fact is a lot less constructive than before the decision has been made. Also I'd be curious to know how many other speakers in that price range you auditioned and what you thought of them in comparison VS. the B&O speakers. That's a genuine question by the way.
Hi Morlowry,
First thing in my choice was of course sound, second design and thread size. But I need to say that I give 50-50 % to design - sound! Very simple hear-see-feel.
Sound, as I mention above was really great, I was really impressed about what a sound they produce from 5L body! and they are ACTIVE !
So I went to couple of hi-fi stores to hear-see-feel...
And I tried:
- Monitor Audio PL100
- Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor M
- Wilson Benesch Square Two
- Monopulse 42A
- B&W XT4
- and BeoLab 8000
And I must admit they all sounded really great!
Small differences between than you can notice, some of them are more accurate, some more responsive, some more transparent ....
But IMHO these differences are really small and not ruined complete picture of speakers after all.
And as you already know my choice was B&O BL 8000!
Why ?
First, appearance when I look them first time was unbelievable! ( imagine when you firs saw girl of your life... something change in your stomach
All of others speakers required really good amp, pre amp and cables, which means to ad at least 2000 GBP more !
I give to my sister my old stereo, Marantz 1050 from year 1972, and bose speakers, which also means that I need to buy complete new system!
And that how I came to my decision !
And seriously I,m not here to asking for advice but only to hear what other people thinks and to have good discussion...
I know that many people have prejudice about B&O, and I'm not here to change that. I just want to hear opinions from others. In the lack of comments some says "compromise" is other word for crap! I don't want to comment this, cos I think this place is far more serious than that !
Thanks for listening !
Nikola
I'm not sure I understand what you say about compromise. Every single speaker ever made makes compromises. Heck, every example of audio equipment does. The truth is, many people (and it appears many of those on this forum) believe that B&O compromises too much on certain aspects of sound quality in favor of being gorgeous.
Don't get me wrong, B&O products are really beautiful, IMHO. And if that's what your goals are.....well, okay. In my opinion, you could do worse on sound quality.
I hope you are happy with them.
When I was on tour with the Stamps over the past year, I made a couple stops in Germany, went to some hifi shops, and a couple B_O stores.
Yes, they look really snazzy, but I am not being cute when I say that I have honestly heard 200/pr department store speakers(think Sony Floorstanders that are sold right beside the all in one boomboxes) that conveyed music better than those things did. The ones I heard were the new active model. Just awful.