I'm starting to contemplate whether or not i should sell on my BeoLab 1's and get some BL8000's with a B&W PV1... the sound of the BL1's is good... but it's the tone of the sound that i'm sometimes unhappy with. The midbass isn't clean. They have an imposing tone to my ears.

I love their aesthetics. I love their sound when i turn them up loud with a live recording, that's when they blow me away. And i enjoy the lower frequencies they deliver. It's just when i have a headache and want to relax and listen to softer music i can't get comfortable with them.

Any thoughts?

There was a thread about altering the settings on a BL1 to make it less strident - I would be tempted especially if you like the looks. The speaker is there to play music as you like it.

Thanks Peter. I've altered til the cows came home (even taken them apart, experimented with the foam bricks and tried sound deadening material), and it does make them alot less painful but they still have an unpleasant tone to me. Obviously it's the core character of the speakers and can't be changed. Switching from BL4000's/ BV3/ BC1, to hearing the BL1's is a reminder of this. The flat i live in has low ceilings, hard floors and is VERY small.

I'm really surprised that only one person has responded. I'm going to audition a pair of BL8000's in the home which will help me with this decision

Anyone looking for a pair of BL1's from 2005 in mint cond? I might try and post them in the sell section here at some point if i do decide to sell them>>

Have you thought about Pentas? Bit more bass than the 8000 and a warm sounding speaker which is very relaxing to listen to. Also cheap! I do like 8000s but the sound is somewhere in between the BL1 and the Penta.

That is interesting. I think i would like the Penta's but unfortunately haven't heard them. I would have thought they would have a fair bit more bass than 8000's, a dealer told me that they went as low as the BL1's but had much more bass than BL1's and to be honest i think the BL1's have a lot down low.

BL1's really have a nice very-top end and very-bottom end, everything inbetween, is just not-quite-right. Thanks for the suggestion! :)

Peter :

There was a thread about altering the settings on a BL1 to make it less strident - I would be tempted especially if you like the looks. The speaker is there to play music as you like it.

I remember the thread you mention. I was looking for it as I am considering moving our Beolab 1s from rears to another room. I can not find it however, anybody have a link to it?

Thanks!

Do you have them connected to a B&O TV, how are they setup?

I to have BL1's and have had to spend some time setting them up...

BTW the article Peter mentioned is found here

beoaus...

Thanks for the link!  We have a BV7 MKIII with 9s in front and the Beolab 1s as rears.

That is unusual...

We have a BV7 MKII with BL1's and BL2 at the front and BL4000's roof mounted at the rear. The BL1's are facing into the rooms centre... I actually listen to the BL1's from above in a mezzanine level quite a bit... I am happy with the setup...

beoaus

I don't think Pentas have more bass - it is just different. They have multiple bass drivers and the sound seems to have a slight lift to the upper bass level so it sounds more prominent - there are controls to alter the roll off. You will miss the clarity of the BL1 though - Pentas are a bit veiled in comparison but this gives a very easy listening characteristic. We do have members who would not swap them for Beolab 5s! Because they are mirrored in appearance, they are not that dominating despite their size - I love mine!

Interesting debate. I understand Dave with the concerns he is expressing; the BL1 with its clarity and definition triggers high appreciation or ambiguity. In my case it is the former. I have them in a 2 front / 2 rear setup with BL2. As I am a low to mid volume listener, their clarity suits me perfectly. Apart from the Penta's I would test BL9 and BL8000. May be Dave's dealer can provide you with a test set up at your home.

My BL1 are connected directly to a Beosound 4. I'm keen on the idea of the Pentas very much so, MUCH cheaper, nicer sound.

BL1, for me are great performance speakers, they go very loud and never lose composure, they are incedible for their size. I just don't need this for my home environment. Of course the aesthetics of the 1's and 8000's are preferrable, but you can't have everything! I will miss the 1's terribly but i can't say i've LOVED them.

If i could afford 9's of course, i'd get 9's. wouldn't we all! I'm downgrading to gain some money in my pocket and get a better balanced (more natural) sound.