Hi All,

 Hoping you will be able to help. I have just purchased a Beosound 3000 and am now looking at buying the speakers. The sound system will be in a room that is approx 6 m x 3 m or 18 sqm3 .

 

My question is " being on a fairly tight budget would I be better of with a pair of Beolab 4000 speakers or 6000 speakers ? What is the difference in sound quality and clarity at high volume ? Which would you all go for ? I notice that the 4000 are commanding a similar price to 6000 on ebay , but is that just due to size and ease of locating them in a room ?

 

Many thanks and answeres part answers would be really appreciated

Cheers

 

Jeremy

Hi Jeremy,

I would go for the Beolab 6000 due to looks since they fit better (imho) in a fairly large room.

Concerning sound I concider both of them equal although there are opinons that say BL4000s are better.

Regards

Spiros

Don't let us decide. Speakers can be a very personal choice! You may find you prefer the 4000s to the 6000s or the other way round. Your dealer will be more than happy to demo them to you.

Well personally I am a fan of the BL4000s. I would make my choice based on what speaker fitted the space best and looked right in the room. Interestingly there are some brackets available now to mount the BL6000s on the wall and they do look quite smart I think. The BL4000s seem to have a rounder more fuller sound to me that the BL6000s. I also think they look very stylish, especially wall mounted. I am sure some other users can give you more specific information as to what is considered the more powerful and better spec of the two. All the best.

Simon.

Get the 4000's mate and you wont be disappointed, although saying that others will say the same about the 6000's. I would take Alex's advise and go to your nearest dealer and test both pairs. I think the 4000's dont look like any other speaker on the market whereas other manufacturers make similar looking speakers to the 6000's. Get the 4000's in black.

Alex is quite correct - speakers are a very personal choice so you need to listen to them first.

To compare them, they boast the same amplifiers but the 4000 has a volume of 4 litres compared to the 6000 which has only 3 litres. Speaker volume makes a difference to bass reproduction. The tweeters are the same but the 4000 has a single 11cm woofer whereas the 6000 has two 9cm woofers.

Not wishing to prejudice you, but I have heard one well known figure in the B&O firmament describe 6000s as a piece of drainpipe with some car speakers tossed in it. Unfair obviously but the 6000s are in my view best suited to rear placement. 

From a personal point of view I would say yes, the 4000s are more visually attractive. I'm a big fan of the way the 4000s look, especially in blue.

However, another way of seeing this is that there are plenty of speakers on the market which are the same size as the 4000s and still produce a large, good sound (although they generally look revolting and aren't as flexible).
There aren't however, any speakers on the market which are the same size and shape as the 6000s and produce a large, good quality sound.

The choice is yours. I wouldn't want to say whether BeoLab 4000s are better or worse than BeoLab 6000s, they're comparable; just as the BeoLab 8000 is comparable to the BeoLab 3 but still very different.

I was never a big fan of my BL6000s. Can really remember how the performed now, but I've never looked back since moving up to the BL3s. I think they sounded 'flatter' than the BL3s.

If you're going to consider 4000s, why not consider a mint second hand BL3s?

The BL4000 are really appreciated on this site, I don't like them design-wise, so I would go with the BL6000, they are stunning to look at, and the sound isn't bad.

As Alex said, don't let us decide, listen to them, look at them, and you'll surely choose the right one for you. 

Welcome to the forum! I really like the BS3000, did you get the version with the larger or smaller CD clamper?

Well the first question that came to my mind was, how will you be using them?

If you are using them as main sterao speakers in the room i would go for the 4000's on floorstands (seems you're comparing them to floorstanding speakers). Personally i would only buy 6000's if they were rears as i think they look beautiful from behind.

Arrange a home demo with your dealer, this shouldn't be too much of a hassle as they are lighter beolabs to move around. I'm pretty sure you'll go for the 4000's if you compare them side by side but some don't like the way the 4000's look! I bought my 4000's for sound reasons at first and wasn't all that amorous about the way they looked... after having them for a couple of years they've become my favourite B&O speaker aesthetically (bar BL5's). After all the time i've had them i'm still impressed when i buy a new CD by the wholesome detailed sound and the extremely natural treble.

At the moment i'm trying very very hard not to buy a second pair... 

We have both 4000s and 6000s. To my ears the sound from each is very comparable. I tend towards thinking the 6000s sound a little better.  As others have said listen and decide which you like the best.

Razlaw:

We have both 4000s and 6000s. To my ears the sound from each is very comparable. I tend towards thinking the 6000s sound a little better.  As others have said listen and decide which you like the best.

I would have to agree with Razlaw. I also have several pairs of both BL4000s and 6000s in use as both main front speakers, surround speakers, rear speakers, and stand-alone link room speakers in several different systems. I feel that the 4000s and 6000s, whatever their differences, are actually more alike in sound quality than any other two B&O speaker models. That having been said, I like the 4000s as primary speakers in a very small room when I am sitting close to them -- I have a pair on my desk in my office. On the other hand, at a greater distance, I prefer the 6000s, as the 4000s sound somewhat less crisp and clear to me when heard from a distance.

The bass response on both models leaves a great deal to be desired, so I use a BL2 subwoofer with all of my 4000s and 6000s to good effect. The single pair of 4000s I have without a BL2 is much less satisfactory for any kind of critical listening, but they are in a link room in the kitchen where the sound quality and bass response are not a primary consideration.

A final issue is that I have not been happy mixing speakers with Acoustic Lens Technology, such as the BL3s or BL5s, with non-ALT speakers such as the 4000s and 6000s. It is the audio equivalent of mixing apples and oranges. After much changing around of speakers, I now use only ALT speakers in my living [sitting] room: BL5s as front speakers, BL3s as center, side surround, and rear speakers. In my bedroom system, I use only non-ALT speakers: BL7-1 as center, and BL6000s as front (with BL2), side surround, and rear speakers.

Personal opinion - but if you want another to help bias you before you decide, I would go for the 4000s.

Brian

I have 4000s andf 6000s as a surround setup (with a BL2).  Over the years I have swapped them around as fronts and rears and settled with the 4000s as fronts and the 6000s as rears.  The 4000 is a lovely speaker and to my mind a richer sound that the 6000. 

Before we had our Beolab 1s and Beolab 9s, we did exactly the same thing...tried 6000s in front and 4000s in rear and the other way around also. For awhile we preferred the 4000s in front but ultimately settled on the 6000s in front.  They sound different and is a matter of taste.

I have also had both. Soundwise it's not that big a difference, so it is much a matter of what design suits you most.

I think the BL6000 is maybe the most beautiful speaker in the BL series, however they didn't fit my livingroom as rear speakers. The BL 4000 was better for me.

Both are great speakers, so you can't choose wrong on this one!

...my .02 cents also having both...

I agree that they are very similar, and perhaps more of a personal taste. I currently have 4000's as fronts and 6000's in the rear.

One consideration you may have (as I did) was that by wall mounting -the 4000's can be placed higher than similarly mounted 6000's -well out of the way of "little fingers."

If I had to do it again -I would buy only 4000's -they look great, sound great, are not very big nor obtrusive, though a bit heavy for their size -most important is the flexibility in positioning.

Wow !, thanks to all for the honest advice and guidance. Having mulled it over and thought about the room size, looks etc I think I will go for a pair of 4000. if anybody has a pair of 4000s for sale in the UK, please reply to me as I would love to take them off your hands :)

 

Many Thanks

 

Jeremy

This has been a great thread! I have enjoyed rading through it with much interest. I always assumed that the BeoLab 4000s were much better than the BeoLab 6000s but this thread seems to suggest that this is certainly not the case. I have found it particularly intersting so thanks to all that commented. I think it is fair to say that whether the poster buys BeoLab 4000s or BeoLab 6000s they are going to be extremely satisifed with their purchase. I wish them many happy listening moments!

Simon.

I don't think they are either better or worse, they're different... so by the looks of it you are going to buy speakers without listening to them?!

Why don't you go to a dealer and listen first? You may prefer the 6000's, it's a personal preference and it also depends on what you'll be playing through them...

The_Beonic_Man:

 I always assumed that the BeoLab 4000s were much better than the BeoLab 6000s but this thread seems to suggest that this is certainly not the case. 

well, i agree w/ dave... i think...

i have had the 6000's set up as stand-alones and they are fantastic! so much depends on your room dynamics that you really have to listen to all your options... i certainly did not mean to sound as though i disliked my 6000's -far from it!

Well, to my ears, the 6000s are the worst BeoLab ever, soundwise speaking, with BeoLab 1..I love their looks , like BL 1, to me their are as beautiful as the 8000 or the 5000 panel speakers, but the sound, oh my God, it's so metallic, cold, saturated and there's no bass!

I bought the 4000, to me the sound is much better, more natural, dynamic, warmer, although they're not my favourites in terms of design..But I always choose performance over design, that's why I also went for the Lab 3 instead of the 8000 when I had to choose..

My 2 cents too..!

From a scientific viewpoint, the Beolab 4000s will have a better sound than the Beolab 6000s. Mainly because it is a lot shorter and only has single drivers producing a certain frequency range. With everything else being equal, a short speaker will have better control of cabinet resonances than a tall speaker, and single drivers producing a predetermined range of frequency will have better and more accurate sound dispersion than one with multiple drivers producing the same frequencies. You must also realize that the Beolab4000s are produced at a much later date than the Beolab6000s, so naturally the Beolab4000s will be technologically more superior than the Beolab6000s.

However, I must say that the Beolab6000s look too stunning to just simply dismiss them based on their acoustics. 

Great topic.

I would also like to know what you think about BL4000 vs BL8000 !

Maybe it is not comparable but it is interesting to know.

For me BL4000 is amazing! I'm remember when I heard them at my friends show room ( approximate 400 sq meters ) I couldn't believe that only these two working ! Sound is warm, accurate, loud ... beautiful !

 

The 8000s are the best looking speaker made by B&O IMHO. They are quite a bit better but also quite a bit more expensive. Tha amplifiers are different and better though bass is no more extended than 4000s in my view. The top end is sweeter though. They also go a fair bit louder!

I nearly bought a pair but decided on new Pentas at the time as the bass was better. Not regetted the choice and also chose BL3s rather than 8000s as well! (That was because of placement options!)