If Lifestyle are selling them, the foam surrounds will be fine :) Fair price too, IMO.

I bought my Avant used from a B&O dealer, and paid extra for the original packing crate to have it shipped in. Unbelievably sturdy and well useful for if you plan to move the Avant in the near future. You will need some storage space though!

Andy's right in that Pentas are great speakers - and from my experience Beovox Pentas are great if driven by the right amplifier. In my case, I use a Beomaster 8000, so with 150W p/c available, it's more than able to drive the Pentas. I have no experience of the equipment you have, but others may want to add something here... All I will say

I use the later MC120.2s with my Beomaster 6000 and am very happy with them. I don't have the space to use a second speaker set up, but have always preferred listening to just two speakers up front anyway. We have similar tastes - I have a Beomaster 8000 too :)

Yep - only Beolab 5000 system I've seen in the flesh was Andy's, and I was really surprised at how substantial the two units are. Unfortunately though, it only made me want one more!

Peter : You need a 4400! In my view, even nicer to listen to! I have fewer these days - 900, a couple of 5500s, 7000, 8000 and 4400. 4401 and Beolab 5000 to come soon! Lee has my 6000 quad - wonderful looking but not that great sounding. The late 6000 is similar to the 4400 in electronic design - how do you find it compares to the 8000? The 80s 6000

richtoy: Hi Can anybody recommend a non B&O 4ohm speaker that goes well with a BeoMaster 8000 suitable for a wide range of music types (classical to rock)? Kindest regards Richard Hi Richard Don't forget that MS150/150.2s were 8ohm, as were Beovox Pentas, so the contemporaneous B&O passive speaker options were all a little limited in the

kallasr: That is true! Very nice setup and photos. Makes me wanna trade my beomaster 5000 for a 8000... ;-) Ralf Hey - Dave & Kallasr! The Beomaster 8000 is a rare beast - but well worth it if you can find a good one :) I'm sure Friedmett will back me up here! I have Beomasters 900/5000/6000 Quad/6000/8000 - and the 8000 is the king for sure

Dave: Waw, nice room, the avant is absolutely perfect there, and thats the first time i've liked the look of pentas... they look gorgeous The BV3 videostand is ridiculous, just like the BV8 video stand. Ridiculous, ugly. It's fascinating that the uplights compliment the B&O you have - wow! Looks really great. My set up is the total opposite

Dave: Hers an idea, send us a picture of your current room setup!! Ok Dave - check 'dis: What you can't see here is my Beomaster 8000, Beogram CDX, Beogram 4002, Beolit 600 (1960s version), Terminal 3000, Beo 4, and Peter (my B&O Soldier). I think the Avant looks minty next to the older Beovox Pentas, and my lovely even older Jet Present