May I assume the store manager suggested you would be happier shopping elsewhere 10 minutes before you started posting?

 

 

Then do yourself the service of reporting it to B&O USA, and hopefully you can prevent this from happening to other people!

I was being facetious. 

Tascam,

 If I understand your comments correctly, you where in an authorized B&O shop where you intended to buy a BS 1.  You examined four BS 1 in what were unopened boxes and all four were cosmetically defective.  Is this correct?  What was the sales clerk's [or the shop manager's] reaction to these defects and to your complaint?  Has this matter been brought to the attention of B&O's head office in the US or to B&O in Denmark?  What were their response?

I agree with you in that buying new B&O, I too would expect the item to be in perfect condition, cosmetically and functionally.  If not, I would expect nothing less than a replacement or full refund.

You pay for the design and brand image as well. It's like driving a Toyata versus a Lexus. That is very old news. Not sure why i would be bothered with blemishes or scratches, might have happened during transport. Point is that the dealer will take it back without discussing.

As everyone has said the quality control is fierce ( I get this from the aluminium side of things their rejection criteria are VERY high).

Please go to B&O head office and let them know they will I'm sure be interested in this.

When you do get the system your happy with do please let us know what you got  

Any amplifier not capable of reaching the point of distortion is badly designed.

Running an amplifier at the point of distortion is risking damage to tweeters, hearing and eventually the amp itself.

Martin

I have a Beosund 1. 220v early model, and two front covers (Anodized Light Blue and Red) Like many of us, I was attracted by the design ( unique to Bang & Olufsen at the time )the sound, and the functions, and the fact that it works with the Beo 4 remote.

My BS 1 works fine these years, has traveled to the US, Brasil, back to Europe for repairs, and is now back in Brasil again. No, it ain't cheap, but everything works, and it serves all functions including Home Theatre via the AUX plug. 

" Overpriced ? "  If you say so.

Now comes the quality issue. Yes, there have been complaints here with the new White paint cover and quality control, but it is very hard to imagine that four new-in-box BS 1s'  were all defective. Four in a row ?

I appreciate your candor and frankness, but the details aren't clear here. Were these painted units ?  Anodized units ?  Features ?  Lack of AM band ?  Price ?  The Company has been around almost 100 years, and the quality control is so good and so tight that this is one of the principle reasons for that longevity. But four in a row didn't pass the test.

Sorry, I just don't buy it.

tascam:

compared to real stereo equipment. You can get the same sound for 1/3 of the money. The guts of this stuff are made by Philips and others. You pay a big price for the shell

 Sorry, but this is rubbish. The BeoSound 1 provides a rich and precisely defined soundstage relative to its speaker footprint, it is handily moveable and has various connectors, etc., that make it possible to attach iPods or use it as a standalone stereo speaker for lots of various CE products. And it has its own CD-player and radio. What else do you want?

 The BeoSound 1 is the best sounding docking station for an iPod, for instance. And I have tried it against all the popular, actual docking stations. All you need is connect the iPod dock to the BS1, and you're set for excellent sound.

Without being able to swear on it, I don't think there's been any Philips elements in B&O for ages.
 

linder:

Bose is always an option!

 

@soundproof

 

all the CD/DVD mechanisms are based on Philips (Loewe is also using them...) (at least the masterpanel, overture and all others based on them)

Panasonic for Plasma and LCD 

I think sony for some tape decks... 

soundproof:

Without being able to swear on it, I don't think there's been any Philips elements in B&O for ages.
 

To be fair, there is a fair amount of Philips technology used in B&O products - Pixel Plus comes readily to mind, and the first generation DVD drives were Philips. However what soundproof is saying is still valid. B&O use the most suitable technology that is available and then adapt it for their own use. By doing this, they keep their own production base suited for their own level of production and gain the benefits of R&D done by others. The other producers that supply B&O can use the reflected kudos to help sell their own product.

I think our original poster is being a little deliberately controversial but it has sparked an interesting debate!

tacobavaria:

@soundproof

 

all the CD/DVD mechanisms are based on Philips (Loewe is also using them...) (at least the masterpanel, overture and all others based on them)

Panasonic for Plasma and LCD 

I think sony for some tape decks... 

The present DVD drives are, I believe, sourced from Pioneer. The CD drives are originally Philips but are now a separate company. same design though! Not too surprising as there are only a hand full of manufacturers of these types of product. Aiwa, who were later taken over by Sony, made the tape decks.

I have to add (please be aware that I work hard to buy B&O-products and I could and would never afford 20.000 Euros for a TV):

You pay a premium for the look/design. You do that with cars, watches, cloth even food.

But I also feel that B&O lost a lot of their sexyness in the last ten years. 7000 series, 8500 series, ouverture, AV9000, Masterlink&powerlink, Beolink 1000 and 7000, MX range. Then it started with the lack of two-way communication (the best thing ever!!!), Avant was ugly, Beovision 1 flopped, Beovision 5 is superb, but 100% premium for the panasonic panel (which improves every 6 months...), wireless sound that interferes with DECT-phones..., beocenter is having software problems. They even sell in Saturn-stores... 

I am now thinking about linking a panasonic panel, a beamer, iPod with an old two-way stereo (7000 series) together.

What remains is simplicity and quality, at least the finish, has always been excellent with my products, even second life!
 

I have just bought a pair of Beocom 6000s...brand new in the box from my B & O dealer...and they have a sort of brush mark going across the inner side paintwork where the ear perferations are? Both of them have it and so i rang my dealer and a member of staff said that their demo Beocom 6000 has it too? It is not much but there is definitely an odd mark across the phone? I am speaking to them again today...but apart from that they work a treat!

I dont't care what is in, as long as it performs well and lasts.

Funny thing for me:
Some complain about B&O sound, speaking about frequency ranges from 20 to 25.000 neglecting (rigth word??) the fact that most of us can only hear from 50 - 20.000 or even less. Finally they want to hook up iPods which use 100 - 15.000 Hz... 

Peter:

I think our original poster is being a little deliberately controversial but it has sparked an interesting debate!

Some very interesting comments have arisen from this thread. It's always good to be reminded that not everyone is enamoured by this brand.

My personal opinion is that tascam would be far better served raising his dismay with the dealer in question or B&O head office rather than look for solace here. OK, he's had a bad experience but simply "dissing" B&O as "overpriced junk" just doesn't cut it with me - or any of my friends who have seen & heard my systems.

By all means feel free to save 2/3rds of the cost of a BS1 and buy some "real stereo equipment" (whatever that means) and see how it compares in 20 years time to any of its B&O peers. Chances are it will be in the bottom of a land fill site somewhere.

jk1002:

You pay for the design and brand image as well. It's like driving a Toyata versus a Lexus.

JK

 

Lol a Toyota versus a Lexus, it's more like a Rolls Royce versus a Lexus !!! B&O makes the Rolls Royce of televisions not the Lexus - Lexus are not among the best cars out there. Remember B&O products are so good, that their main competitor doesn't even make audio or video products - Mercedes make cars !!!

 

Hey, Darling, come and have a look at this, it's great isn' it ? The sound is really poor and it's definitely overpriced. I'm going to buy one"

I can feel a sharp pain in my nether regions.................. 

 

 

jk1002:

that their main competitor doesn't even make audio or video products - 
 

Which company are you talking about ? Who is the main competitor ?

Kevin:

When you do get the system your happy with do please let us know what you got  

No doubt it will be from Best Buy, please don't bother.....

Peter:

tacobavaria:

The present DVD drives are, I believe, sourced from Pioneer. The CD drives are originally Philips but are now a separate company. same design though! Not too surprising as there are only a hand full of manufacturers of these types of product. Aiwa, who were later taken over by Sony, made the tape decks.

Pioneer, yes. Only company that still builds drives using metal parts, not plastic, which is why B&O uses them. 

tacobavaria:

I dont't care what is in, as long as it performs well and lasts.

Funny thing for me:
Some complain about B&O sound, speaking about frequency ranges from 20 to 25.000 neglecting (rigth word??) the fact that most of us can only hear from 50 - 20.000 or even less. Finally they want to hook up iPods which use 100 - 15.000 Hz... 

 He-he! If you're in your forties, chances are your hearing stops at about 12-13000Hz. And even allowing for harmonics for the shrillest of instruments you're still getting the full resonance with that as your upper listening limit.
 

I doubt that my McIntosh and Martin Logan gear will end up in a Landfill. The BS1 units included 3 factory sealed ones. 2 were white (both had scratches on the units and both had inconsistent white paint on the grills. The 3rd unit was a silver unit that had a very shiny spot on the side of the unit that no amount of rubbing would remove. THIS IS WHAT I MEANT BY JUNK. It has nothing to do with performance. If the QC is this sloppy, than the product is WAY overpriced. It would certainly be possible to get MUCH better audio performance from separates for the same price.

tascam:

I still think it's overpriced and the sound is poor for the money. These were new unopened boxes, garbage

 

You've said that the performance is poor. I suggest you decide what you believe in before you post!