Hello all,

I understood during the trip to Struer the acoustic lens on the BeoLab 3 is made of plastic, and not metal. Could you please confirm ?

Thanks !

 

That was the same understanding I got.

The top (unscrewable) piece is definitely metal (cold feel). I haven't checked the lens itself. If it's plastic, what a good imitation of aluminium!

It is Plastic, no doubt. The engieneer who gave us the tour of the factory explained that it would come in an all alu version later (do not know when), and he said that on his private BL3's, he had fitted alu lenses.

 best regards

 Chr.

Thanks for you answers !

 

So my understanding was good.

Looking at the lenses, it's hard to believe it is only plastic. Maybe the paint is very special...

Dear All:

I have the BL3, I don't think you will notice the difference. That they use plastic may have to do with current production process. You can't see it going from metal to plastic, it is evenly painted and you will be rarely touching the area inside the lense. The top of the lense is definitly metal ... Or very chilly plastic .....

The top (unscrewable) piece is definitely metal (cold feel).

The top of the lense is definitly metal ...

Yes: the classic B&O brushed aluminium. 

I did not notice this, and would be suprised if B&O did start making the ALTs for the BL3s out of metal, mainly because they don't need to. I doubt any of us considered it being plastic until we were given the hint that it wasn't.

To make such an unusual and very accurate mould out of metal would be diffcult and pretty costly for B&O. I love my BL3s and the ALT just looks & equally sounds the part!

I think B&o is working to improve the production process. And maybe in the future the whole Accoustic head could be casted and made with entirely metal.

It was quite obvious to me as soon as I took delivery of my BL3s that the lens was made from two different materials. The disc embedded in the speaker is aluminium the vertical part of the lens sticking out of the top is plastic and it's topped off by aluminium again. If you look closely the difference is quite apparent. The lens on the BL9s is all metal and as a result looks beautiful.

I'd love all-metal lenses on my BL3s. Perhaps B&O could add this as an optional extra like a sun roof on a car

jonnyb:

I'd love all-metal lenses on my BL3s. Perhaps B&O could add this as an optional extra like a sun roof on a car

Don't you think that the fact that BL3's AL is not completely made of alu is partely due to the price that the speaker  is sold for. As said before, it would be very costy to produce that AL in alu.

I'm sure the cost of a (relatively small) casting in Aluminum or Magnesium would not overly upset the cost of what are very expensive speakers. I'm more prone to think it is ease of manufacture of what is a fairly awkward shape - much easier to mould than to cast and machine.

On the B&O-site is a Xray of the BL3: only the top is metal!

tom:

jonnyb:

I'd love all-metal lenses on my BL3s. Perhaps B&O could add this as an optional extra like a sun roof on a car

Don't you think that the fact that BL3's AL is not completely made of alu is partely due to the price that the speaker  is sold for. As said before, it would be very costy to produce that AL in alu.

Yeah, that's exactly what I think, which is why I said it would be a good optional extra like the sun roof on a car, which costs more than the basic model, for those that wanted to pay the extra