jmp: soundproof: I'll answer in English as my written French is beyond criticism!
Excellent thread over on quetedugraal!!! The people there are truly involved and willing to dedicate themselves to discovering the ins and out of B&O. Enjoyed going through it very much.
Not surprised by the positive reaction to BL3. The BL4000s should have been placed farther apart, and they weren't positioned right by the dealer.
Worst of all, though, was the images of the BL5s that were listened to by one of the posters. These were placed right up against the back wall. I know this is something that just about every B&O dealer does, but it's terrible for the speakers. They should be at least 1 metre, and preferable 1,5-2 from any wall. I'm certain the sound was too heavy on the bass, and that it muddled up the mid- and top of the sound with that positioning.
There's also absolutely no guarantee that the speakers were being fed an S/PDIF signal. Probably Powerlink from the player. (And I've been in stores where the speakers haven't been set right, and both were the same channel, thus apparently playing in MONO!)
But - impressed by the thread!
Hi !
Many thanks for the compliments !
It would be nice if you could copy and past your post on the Quete du Graal. Then i could translate it so all the members will understand your arguments.
I can understand that the BL 5 need space, probably the BL 9 too, and that they should be at least 1 metre, and preferable 1,5-2 from any wall. I'll tried again to listen to them in better conditions.
Regards
The BL5s are particularly powerful in the lower register, what with the large drivers and the 2x1000 watt amplifiers. They move a lot of air. If you place them too close to a wall, they'll create distortion from sheer sound pressure. This influences the clarity of the mid and top and muddles the bass. I know that B&O itself sins against this, in their photography and in the stores - but ideally these speakers should be at least 1 metre from any wall, and preferably 1,5-2 metres (freestanding, in other words). Then they become the musical instruments they are.
The people over at Quête du Graal who are so inclined should also make certain that the dealer they go to for a listening session has connected the S/PDIF digital cable from either the BeoSound 9000 or BeoCenter 2, to the speakers - and that the speakers themselves are also connected with such a cable. That will then give them a pure digital signal, which should open some ears!