Dear all,

I have quite a large living room (about 120 sqm) where my BL8000s sound a little weak. I know I'd better buy BL9s, but I want to keep my BL8000s for the moment so I am considering adding a BL2. Note that I am listening to music only (no home cinema in this room)

Some of you said in previous threads that BL2 is slow. The concept of speed for a subwoofer is strange to me, so I am sorry that it could be a stupid question, but what does it mean exactly?

Subsequent question: which are the consequences of having a slow subwoofer? Does it deliver a distorted or unphased sound (and therefore would it be preferable not to have such a subwoofer at all to play music; I understand the answer may be different for movies)?

Thanks a lot for your input. Kind regards,

Jean-Sebastien

I find the lab 2 can struggle with certain types of music, sometimes it seems a little boomy which I feel is because it struggles to cope with all thats going on like say indie music as an example but then on say dance music it sounds awesome!

In answer to your question, once you have a lab2, there is no going back! despite this "slowness" it really is a must have addition and I for one would not go without.

For music one needs a subwoofer that is accurate and precise. It is felt by many that the BL2 is just to 'boomy' to provide that accurate sound experience.

There is only one 'driver' cone on the bl2 the other 'speakers' in the unit are 'passive radiators' that work in symapthy with the main driver so you might be able to imagine that this adds a lack of distinct bass sounds.

How many time are we going to reccommend the PV1 for setup's like these Here goes anyway,

Try the Bowers & Wilkins PV1! It's fast (accurate), perfect for music and half the price of a BL2. The BL2 with its passive radiators, when listening to music, spoil the lower register - to my ears. I disliked what the BL2 did to my BL4000's

Dave:

How many time are we going to reccommend the PV1 for setup's like these Here goes anyway,

Try the Bowers & Wilkins PV1! It's fast (accurate), perfect for music and half the price of a BL2. The BL2 with its passive radiators, when listening to music, spoil the lower register - to my ears. I disliked what the BL2 did to my BL4000's

js:

Dear all,

I have quite a large living room (about 120 sqm) where my BL8000s sound a little weak. I know I'd better buy BL9s, but I want to keep my BL8000s for the moment so I am considering adding a BL2. Note that I am listening to music only (no home cinema in this room)

I'm no music expert, but I had a BL2 connected to my BS4 and BL3 speakers. BL2 as a bit boomy and I kept switching settings to get the sound right. After a year, I disconnected the BL2 (not always easy as you then have to re-route the cables back via the BS4, rather than through the BL2) and the BL3's sound far cleaner. The sound is more realistic.

Moved the BL2 to my TV and it really adds value to the setup.

If I were you, you'd be better off saving up and trading in your 8000's against BL9's.

soundproof:

You might even want to add that B&W use B&O ICEpower in the PV1!

Out of interest, how would you connect a PV1 to a BS4 + BL3 setup?

You get a powerlink to coaxial cable and connect the sub to the BS4 powerlink (if you have the BL3's daisy chained )

Then all you have to do is set the bass setting to it's lowest on the BS4, and tweak the crossover and volume settings on the PV1, voila, BL2 beater. 

I agree with Moxxey, get a pair of Beolab 9's. If you want to keep the Beolab 8000's and add a sub than I would choose the Bowers & Wilkins PV1 as suggested by the rest. Amazing sub, really

If the punch of the bassdrum seems to come a little bit later from the subwoofer than from the mainspeaker, the sub is "slow".

I don't know the B&W PV1 sub mentioned above, but I do know that the basic REL (the Quake) does a very good job. The price is around EUR 450,- which is very good value for money.

js:

Well, I know, most of you recommend the PV1. Actually, BL2 is the easy choice: one just has fully compatible B&O items and only needs PowerLink connections. But, right, PV1 is better (and BL9s are even better). So, how do I connect a PV1 to my setup?

- In order to relief the BL8000s from playing the lower bass, they need to be connected to the BL2: can one do that with the PV1?

- One needs a PowerLink to coaxial cable in order to connect the sub to the audio master's PowerLink: will the PV1 start and go to standby together with the BL8000s?

Cheers, Jean-Sebastien

One thing the PV1 will not allow you to do is 'relieve' the BeoLab 8000s of the lower bass, they'll just carry on playing it regardless of whether a subwoofer is connected or not. This is, to be honest, the biggest advantage of the BeoLab 2 over other subs, is that it's designed to work specifically with B&O speakers.

Honestly, get the BeoLab 9s. There is now way you'll be able to get 8000s sounding anything like Lab9s, they're streets ahead not just in terms of bass performance, but also in terms of midrange and especially treble...

As already mentioned, BL9s will be your best solution in my opinion, also baring in mind the size of you room. I think it goes without saying that BL5s would work brilliantly in such a large room, but I appreciate that these speakers are unfortunately not affordable to everyone.

Dave:

You get a powerlink to coaxial cable and connect the sub to the BS4 powerlink (if you have the BL3's daisy chained )

Then all you have to do is set the bass setting to it's lowest on the BS4, and tweak the crossover and volume settings on the PV1, voila, BL2 beater. 

I know this thread is a bit outdated, but I am considering buying a sub to go with my two BL4000s and Apple Airport Express. I am considering the PV1 (second hand due to my student budget) since it is supposedly a very good sub and also a fair bit cheaper than the new BL11 (which you cannot by second hand). The problem is then the lack of frequency splitter in the PV1. The solution from Dave seams to me to be a bit slacky. Wouldn't it be almost impossible to make the transition in from lower frequencies to higher once smooth and even?

If yes, then the new BL11 seams to be the only good option. Has anoyne compared it to the PV1?

Thanks,

Thomas

If you don't have a surround processor or some other way to change what frequencies go to the sub vs. your beolab 4000s, then get a B&O sub. 

I have a BS1 surround processor and recently because of suggestions here went the a B&W asw850 (their former highest end sub and way more powerful than the PV1) and it is awesome.