I had a listen to a pair of B&O beolab 5's today. It was the Vienna Philharmonic, playing Tchaikovsky's symphony no.5...

So glad that you liked the 5s so much. If they are within you reach, go for it
As for the start of an obsession, Be careful! you'll soon be as ga-ga as the rest of us
Welcome to the forum----tell all your friends

Andy T.

welcome on the forum.

you just described on of the main problem of b&o: most people think it is only about design, but it is mainly about sound- and picture-quality

The BeoLab 5s have been ignored by the regular audiophile crowd because they run counter to everything they go by.

You're supposed to have separate monobloque amplifiers for speakers at this quality level; you're supposed to run a signal cable to the amps -- then a loudspeaker cable to the units.
From an audiophile's viewpoint, the BL5s are tweakproof.
In all fairness, the fact that they do not have Balanced IN takes quite a few potential audiophiles out of the equation. They simply do not feel comfortable with hooking up to the standard Line IN RCA connector. And feeding them an SP/DIF signal, straight from the source, also takes some of the fun out of being an audiophile.

BL5s are simply too plug-and-play for audiophile comfort. I had a pair examined by one of the world's foremost sound engineers. He laughed out loud when he saw the signal cable -- but he sat down to listen once they got going, he was quite impressed with them, but never got comfortable with the fact that he couldn't be 100% certain both loudspeakers were at the exact same volume setting, when run from a non-B&O source. Since there's no visual level feedback you can't really be absolutely certain -- unless you push both speakers to maximum volume, and then take down the signal you feed them -- but that's not ideal.

So - audiophiles are missing out on an incredible experience. But it's fun to set them in front of a pair and watch their jaw slide open. 

I'm in the final stages of planning my music room, where a pair of BL5s will take pride of place. I'll be feeding them via the SP/DIF digital connection, but routing the signal through a line-level and equalizer unit from my various sources. Can't wait! These speakers are world class marvellous. Sheer delight for the ears and soul.

 

That's so interesting, how the sometimes-stubborn audiophile mind works with that kind of thing, but i am wondering, soundproof, why go through all of that hassle when B&O provide components to drive the speakers the way they are intended (such as that 'winged media centre')?

Interesting thread. The only problem I have with B&O as an audiophile brand is that the source devices are not as good as the BL5. We still await the Beosound 5, or whatever it will be called, which is supposed to be of a similar quality to the BL5. In the meantime,  a Beogram CD7000 could be the answer!

philipsmz_333:

Bose should not be mentioned when comparing B&O

Could not agree more.There is Bose dealer close to where I work. Had a look at some of the Bose products. The finish on them is so cheap IMO very plastic. No look of quality at all.

 

Craig 

The old beogram cd7000 is better than the newest cd players?! Wow i presumed that the quality of the cd players avalable at the moment was as good if not better... 

Bose is illusion over reality, and they play a pretty good trick when you consider the size of the speakers. But put them next to comparably priced "proper" speakers and you're in for an entirely different experience. Yet Bose's positioning is a worthwhile one - to create audio systems that blend in unobtrusively, while providing sound.

I don't like their sound, not involving enough. Get the same experience I get when I compare a compressed mp3 vs. uncompressed or lossless. Yes, the music's there, but not all there, by a serious margin.

Peter's making a reference to the fact that the Beogram CD 7000 (and 6500) have an S/PDIF digital out connector in the back, which you can hook directly to BL5s. Very few of today's CD transports match the quality of earlier CD-players - (there are companies that build their own, but most are using "off the rack" units that also double as DVD-players, multi-format this and that. Audiophiles are going hunting among older items, looking for equipment to refurbish.)
And Peter's right, the present B&O sources aren't at benchmark level for audiophile reproduction.

In the German Forum at the previous BeoWorld there was a lengthy discussion of how one could upgrade both the Beosystem 7000 amp and the CD-player. I'm going to have that done to my units.

The "secret" is to find units that produce the sound you are most pleased with - it's a very subjective thing (mildly put). Whether new or old doesn't matter, as long as they help you go deep diving into all the music you've been missing out on!

Don't forget the BL3s in your encomium to the BL5s. The BL3s are surprisingly versatile and rich speakers -- I use them as headphones, absolutely brilliant.


 

It's interesting to see the comments about the CD7000, because I'd have to agree. When listening through my CD7000, BM6500 & B&W DM7s, there's something far more musical than modern B&O. The sound stage also sounds more natural in a really hard-to-describe way. It just seems to ram the music down your throat, in comparison to the modern B&O stuff which often sounds absolutely incredible and technically in a completely different league to my system, but somehow the music doesn't seem like the focus. I guess this is almost all to do with the source, as ICE Power amps and the speakers are definitely miles better than what I own (although I still reckon my DM7s would give BeoLab 9s a good run for their money when it comes to soundstage, tonality and low-end kick!).

Peter:

We still await the Beosound 5, or whatever it will be called

Not heard anything about that for a long time. In fact until I read this I had forgotten all about it. What is the latest on this?

Craig 

Craig:

Peter:

We still await the Beosound 5, or whatever it will be called

Not heard anything about that for a long time. In fact until I read this I had forgotten all about it. What is the latest on this?Craig 

Yeah, please some one (Roger), give us some info on this! 

As a classical musician, i know quite well what an orchestra is supposed to sound like, and i have heard quite a few setups. The beolab 5's that i heard in store are as close to the real thing as you can get before you go and jump up on the stage and sit next to the oboe!

With digital input, so people feel they sound more precise but a little sterile. I think it is a matter of taste. I agree completely about the BL3s which are super at low to bit volumes but which get confused at high volumes. Their performance is improved by adding a BL2 as it removes some of the lowest frequencies. I am sure the ABRs are responsible for this.

philipsmz_333:

As a classical musician, i know quite well what an orchestra is supposed to sound like, and i have heard quite a few setups. The beolab 5's that i heard in store are as close to the real thing as you can get before you go and jump up on the stage and sit next to the oboe!

Would there really be a discernable difference in the performane of the beolab 5's considering that it is an all digital speaker? If a source with spdif outputs to the beolab 5's sounds MORE realistic than what i have heard... then i'm sure i could be forgiven for shouting out - HOLY MOTHER OF GOD! Sounds a little bit petty if you ask me.

Yes the beolab 3's also intrigued me, they sounded very clear with a good sound stage, but with the volume turned up, the mid range and bass was muddy and shallow. I think they are more suited for close up listening at lower volumes (such as use with a pc).

As I am not a musician, I went to a number of top performers in both Jazz and Classical to get their opinion on the "nearness" to performance sound of the BL3 and BL5. The BL5 astonished them, several stating they were completely comfortable with its sound.

They particularly noted the crisp and true top-end. This is the same crispness some complain about when listening to the BL5s. But it's there in performance, when you're on top of your instrument, before the sound has been processed by being bounced of walls and others in the audience before reaching your ears. In other words, people complain because it doesn't sound as it should if you're in the audience and not hearing it all ...

I agree on the BL3s. They sause up at the top, but on the way there you've got near-field listening instruments capable of delivering bliss.

Well put guys, you both obviously know your stuff. I'm impressed that you execute your opinions in a fair and diplomatic way, unlike alot of the other opinion forums you come across on the net. 

Yes, very interesting thread, indeed. Personally, I would encourage even more musicians' and speaker experts' comments on the forum (having Dave Moulton on the old forum was fantastic!). Since I'm not either such opinions are really valuable to me. Thanks guys.

Regarding bose, I never got involved in comparisons, but sometimes think that they get bashed too much. Their only product I own are the originally mounted speakers in my car and must say, that I'm quite happy with the sound - especially in comparison with other standard car audio!

Thankfully, we humans are kind of accomodating creatures: despite having BL5s as the main speakers I'm never tired of listening to my other B&O speakers as well.

To be honest, I can listen to almost anything! I prefer certain speakers but it is the music that I like! In the kitchen we have a cheap Sony radio cassette (too difficult to link as the walls are very thick!) and it is fine!

Peter:

To be honest, I can listen to almost anything! I prefer certain speakers but it is the music that I like! In the kitchen we have a cheap Sony radio cassette (too difficult to link as the walls are very thick!) and it is fine!

 

Sacrilege! (old site smiley here!)

Used mainly for speech CDs and tapes but the odd music CD does go on when I am emptying the dishwasher or washing up! I was going to get a BS1, but it won't play tapes and the Century would get greasy too easily. Have just bought the Logitech iPod dock and speakers to see if that is better though!

saf:

Yes, very interesting thread, indeed. Personally, I would encourage even more musicians' and speaker experts' comments on the forum (having Dave Moulton on the old forum was fantastic!). 

Wow, Dave Moulton, i'm star struck!

Sorry if a little off topic, but any thoughts about how the Beolab 9s sound compared to Beolab 1s? 

philipsmz333:

As a classical musician, i know quite well what an orchestra is supposed to sound like, and i have heard quite a few setups. The beolab 5's that i heard in store are as close to the real thing as you can get before you go and jump up on the stage and sit next to the oboe!

Would there really be a discernable difference in the performane of the beolab 5's considering that it is an all digital speaker? If a source with spdif outputs to the beolab 5's sounds MORE realistic than what i have heard... then i'm sure i could be forgiven for shouting out - HOLY MOTHER OF GOD! Sounds a little bit petty if you ask me.

Yes the beolab 3's also intrigued me, they sounded very clear with a good sound stage, but with the volume turned up, the mid range and bass was muddy and shallow. I think they are more suited for close up listening at lower volumes (such as use with a pc).

Just out of curiosity, David, Which instrument do you play, or is there a clue in the fact that you sit next to the oboe?

Andy T.