I have some S75 speakers connected to my avant as rear loudspeakers through a seperate amp and fed from powerlink. Front speakers are lab 4000s. I have found that when listening to music I switch to speakers 4 and turn down the 4000's as the S75s sound so much clearer and better. I can;t really move the room round as the 4000's are on the wall and the S75's would be blocked if they were front speakers.

I'm thinking of getting some lab 8000s as they would look more in keeping with everything and have a smaller footprint, plus it's a neater solution - however what are peoples thoughts - will they sound at least as good or should I go for Penta's. I don't want to spend a lot of money and then find myself wishing I'd just kept the S75s. It would have to be sonically worth the change  

I've donned my flame-proof mittens to write this, but if you had, for example, some s75s connected to a nice Beomaster (say the 80s 6000) then I would wager that this kit in tip-top condition would sound better than BL8000s. If you look at the bare bones of what's inside the Beomaster 6000/S75s vs. a section of drainpipe, some average drivers and an unremarkable amp, then you'd probably get a better idea of what I'm on about.

That said, the BL8000s have been in the range since Noah thought it had been raining quite a lot recently, and B&O have shifted lots of them. Surely 1000s of pairs of ears can't be wrong, can they???

j0hnbarker:

Surely 1000s of pairs of ears can't be wrong, can they???

or more likely:

Surely 1000s of pairs of EYES can't be wrong, can they???

I agree with John!

I've not heard S75's but my old S80's, even with a bit of foam rot, were far superior to BL8000's. I wish I hadn't given them away!

I agree too, though S75s are a little flabby in the bass department. However I do like them! I was less of a fan of S80s but to be fair, mine were free and improved once the next owner re-capped them. I think you have to go to BL9s and BL5s to really get the advantage of active speakers - you need decent sized bass drivers to get really good bass.

I have BL8000s and like them very much. They sound good considering the size/styling, etc. But there are many wooden box speakers - including B&O ones - that sound better at a much lower price.  My advice, for what it's worth, is that if you are happy with wooden boxes in your room don't waste your time and money with B&O - go to a specialist hifi store. If you want something that adds to your living environment whether it is operating or on stand-by - got to a B&O store.

The Beomaster 8000/Beovox S75 is a clearly winning combination, using one myself

I especially like the great amount of bass, and clear treble end

The S75's were designed for the Beomaster 4400, which basically evolved to the Beomaster 6000. The output stage is pretty much unaltered

-Søren

Hardwriter:

I have BL8000s and like them very much. They sound good considering the size/styling, etc. But there are many wooden box speakers - including B&O ones - that sound better at a much lower price.  My advice, for what it's worth, is that if you are happy with wooden boxes in your room don't waste your time and money with B&O - go to a specialist hifi store. If you want something that adds to your living environment whether it is operating or on stand-by - got to a B&O store.

I beg to differ - if you can stand wooden boxes in your living room, don't go to any store, but get some vintage B&O wooden boxes! The revised Uniphase series with double (or triple) frets actually are very good to your eyes as well, unlike most modern wooden boxes!

A pair of Pentas (even passive, as the OP seems to have a 3rd party amp system rigged up already) wouldn't be a bad choice either. Although they obviously look a lot more massive than BL8000's, the footprint they take isn't actually that much bigger.

Same issue even with Pentas - the bass is just not as good as with a single big woofer. The M100s against the Beolab Pentas showed more control and detail.

Hardwriter:

If you want something that adds to your living environment whether it is operating or on stand-by - got to a B&O store.

Where were the S75s bought from then? Dixons? 

Mika is right about how nice these speakers can look in a contemporary interior. They have a design pedigree after all.

Personally, I'd rather have a B&O coffin than a B&O drainpipe :P

Graham

You want em back then?

Just aboput to refoam em!

Tony

I couldn't accomodate them now Tony. Anyway, never go back!

Good Luck with them.

Graham

Should have added last night I've been well impressed with them even with the ring problems!

Cheers

Tony

Hi thanks for the advice - I think what I'm going to do is go for a suitable period received (BM6000 or 4400) and use them for listening to music and forget about using them as rear speakers. I think I should be able to connect a receiver via the din plug into my BS3000 and use that for CD's.

Thanks again -saved me a costly mistake! - ultimately I'd like to get some M75 or M150s, having used the S75s they seem to suit my personal taste much better and I listen mainly to vinyl.