I am surprised by the inclusion of the BL3500. I own one and have a chance to see it every day. While it does not make it to the top of MY list, I have to agree that this speaker is just about perfect. Elegant, timeless, and understated are words that come to mind with the 3500. It could use a bit of an update, and the sound could be better. But I digress

My votes go to the 8000 for floor standing, and the 4500 panel for wall mounted. The 8000s speak for themselves in terms of presence and the fact that they evoke organ pipes. The 4500s I think are well proportioned and act almost like wall art.

My Avant traveled 2300 miles between Washington, DC and Phoenix Arizona upright, in a truck, surrounded by blankets and two mattresses. I actually purchased the box, but never used it as it had to be assembled and would have resulted in an absolutely HUGE package. It survived the trip without a problem.

Aside from the comments already made above, the article references the economic downturn which affects discretionary spending in a major way. And let's face it B&O is nothing if not discretionary. I love the brand, and am committed to it b/c I enjoy it. But it is increasingly beyond my reach. Though I am still looking fwd to the BV8 here in

Kieth, Here in the US Scart is extremely rare; some B&O being an obvious exception. So out of sheer curiousity, what is AVL? Thanks Alex

Older B&O gear had a dual voltage option. By selecting a switch, the equipment could be operated at either 110 or 220. Pentas were certainly of that vintage. Look for a selector swith in the power supply.

BeoNut1: one of the reasons I feel safe investing in B&O is that I see their equipment as somewhat future-proof. To align themselves with Microsoft Windows will in my humble opinion ultimately undermine some of the "future proof-ness" of B&O's brand. Agree. When was the last time you successfully booted a PC with Win 5/98/ME? And

I'm in the USA so I am speaking only from what I have read in other threads: For Scart, you will need to convert AppleTV from Component to Scart. There are a few converters out there. In the USA Avants have Component inputs (480p) so this is not a problem. For control there may be an upgrade to your Avant's control database. Otherwise, do as

Looks like we're a little dead here. So I looked at it, and it looks good. I might just take a chance on it. Sure would make a nice gift for the uninitiated into B&O. Sorry for the delay in responding, no reflection on the great job you and the team have done on the forum. It's w/o doubt my favorite place on the web. Alex

kallasr: Peter, go for hardwired ML-Ethernet-Cabling this is futureproof: look at the Mastlink Handbook . I will try to insert a picture... Ralf So is this a cable that converts ML to Ethernet?