hi,

 

I decided to buy a new pair of speakers ( BL1 or BL3)  and I would like to know which one of them do you prefer?

In fact I prefer BL1 aesthetically ( in proportion of 95% for BL1 and 5% for BL3) but I don't know whether the sound is good or excellent? I have BL8000 and I am very satisfied with the sound and I would like to know if the  BL1 is better than the BL8000?

Any help will be appreciated deeply !

kind regards,

constantine

 

I personally would prefer the BL3, they are really powerfull, have a great sound and they look good. For me the  BL1 are to big somehow.

 Telling something about the sound is really difficult. The best idea is if you hear them in reality, perhaps at your next B&O dealer? If you have a good dealer, he will probabely demo the speakers to you at your home, so you would see and hear even more which one will be best for you. 

I have to agree with Daniel. The BL3's simply plays better. But this is very personal, as I never quite liked the rather metallic "unatural" sound of the BL1's while others love them. If you have a large room and sit far away from the speakers, then perhaps the BL1's will provide more punch for the money.

The 2nd hand price for a pair of BL1's used to be on par with the BL8000, but now we see a trend where the price is dropping to the BL3-level. I guess that says a lot - the speakers are side-by-side today. Which makes your question a very valid one, and purely based on price one could argue that one is no better than the other. Follow your desire!

Roger

If you like the sound of the BL8000; you will love the sound of the BL1.

To my personal opinion the BL1 is a great speaker and also better compared to the BL3.

Clearly you have made up your minds for the aesthetical part; so I think the BL1 is a risk free choice!

Regards,

Bieele

This should be a no brainer.. BL1's retailing in Aus for 12k ish... BL3's are around 5.5K

So based purely on price you'd go with BL1's. However!!!! The BL3's kill the treble on the BL1's. They are smooter and don't tear your head off when pushed.

Of course the bass on the 1's i

This should be a no brainer.. BL1's retailing in Aus for 12k ish... BL3's are around 5.5K

So based purely on price you'd go with BL1's. However!!!! The BL3's kill the treble on the BL1's. They are smooter and don't tear your head off when pushed.

Of course the bass on the 1's is

This should be a no brainer.. BL1's retailing in Aus for 12k ish... BL3's are around 5.5K

So based purely on price you'd go with BL1's. However!!!! The BL3's kill the treble on the BL1's. They are smooter and don't tear your head off when pushed.

Of course the bass on the 1's is deeper and nice and tight but if you're into a balanced sound i'd have to say the BL3's. They just sound more real.

If you want to play loud then buy the 1's...

jazz

IMHO, BL1's are a far better speaker when setup and placed properly.

(double post, please delete)

Beoaus.

IMHO, BL1's are a far better speaker when setup and placed properly.

Beoaus.

If you can, you should compare them in flesh. It is difficult to tell you what is better for you, as these two speakers are very different from each other IMO. The BL1 is more powerfull, offers a bigger soundstage, whereas the BL3 are crystalclear. Even designwise, they are very different. Although being very tall, the BL1 can be very well integrated into every interior. The BL3 are somehow more eyecatching because of their shape.

As you say that you like the sound of your BL8000s, you will sure like the BL1s too. I would go for the1s to, even if they are non ALT.

For their size, BeoLab 1s really can be quite disappointing when it comes to low frequency. HUGE great big speakers which you expect to absolutely belt out music.... and, no, they don't. Mids are nice and the highs are detailed although they usually sound very unnatural. The low end is detailed, but there isn't that much of it when you consider the size of the speaker. The only really really good thing I could say about the 1s is the height of the soundstage, which means they can sound quite 'imposing' when listening to them.

BeoLab 3s are much more impressive for what they are IMO. They aren't as wide as a BeoLab 1, and they are certainly not as tall, and yet they manage to reach deeper than the BeoLab 8000s. They're also much much smoother than the 1s, and they just 'play better'. They can yelp a bit at high volumes although this issue is also present in the 1s (admittedly at a much higher volume).

With the 1s, you will end up wanting a BeoLab 2 sub to make them sound impressive for their size.

Either way, whatever we say, you should really go and listen for yourself. Speakers can be a very individual choice, and you may end up preferring the rather artificial sound of the BeoLab 1s over the much smoother BeoLab 3s.

beoaus:

IMHO, BL1's are a far better speaker when setup and placed properly.

Agree 100%

I own both set of speakers and I did some test side by side simultaneously, switching between them during hours (also turning on and off the BL2) and I used some different cds audio via BS9000...
the verdict was very clear from the beginning: BL1s are FAR superior in every condition:
with and without BL2, any audio setup, or kind of music; their sound is lot more clear, natural and powerful.

Thanks guys for yours precious suggestions…

 

It was supposed to buy the BL5 this year but unfortunately I would not be able to do it...

I’m not waiting the new speaker that will be introduced next year – I’m very disappointed with BL9  and I don’t expect too much from B&O. Finally, I decided to go for BL1. I really love the design- clean and good-looking…

 

@ Santiago-   you have a nice setup.

big thanks,

constantine

Good discussion. Although a bit biased with 4 BL1 1 BL2 in main room and 2 BL1 in second room, I clearly favor the BL1 over the BL3.
However, agree that it is best to listen to different loudspeakers with your favorite music.
BL1 is quite linear and is strong from low volume up.
BL1 is quite sensitive to placement setting options (WALL - FREE - CORNER). Trial and error might be required. In a home cinema setting they benefit also strongly from the BL2.
BL1 with its imposing size makes any room stately...
You may get good deals with nearly new ones as they are out of production. BL1 are also virtually unknown in B&O repair shops.
Having said this, we will select BL3 for a small study. They are wonderful for their size.

I would also vote for BL1. I do love it's clean design. I would not think twice unless rooms is small
As was stated previously size of the room is important in this comparison, but if room allows BL1 size this would be my preference.
BL1 was B&O flagship speaker for many years.
I guess I'm biased as well with BL1 anodized aluminum finish and design.

The BeoLab 1 may have been the flagship speaker for a brief period (and it was kinda brief), but that doesn't make it the best even while it was flagship. The BeoLab 1s are better IMO, far more musical...

I don't know why we intend make a comparison between BL1 and BL3.

Because the OP wasn't sure which they should go for.

All these discussions prove is that speakers are a very personal choice and people should really let their ears be the judge rather than other people.

New and Improved Sound on BeoLab 1 Part I  by Glenn Guillot.

 

After purchasing a pair of brandnew Beolab 1 I was dissatisfied with the sound.  

 In my opinion these big “pillar” speakers sounded razor sharp, ice-cold and screamy, when playing CDs of good dynamic qualities.

BUT

then I customised it, and I  have now made my BeoLab 1s much smoother and I think I’m nearing pure sound perfection!

See the solution here!

http://www.beoworld.org/beotech/beolab1.htm