The June issue of "Hi-Fi World" features the Beolab 9 on it's cover,accompanied by a 3 page review.

The conclusion?

A superb review meriting a 5* rating.

Terry.

I subscribe to Hi-Fi World. They did a review of the Beomaster 2000 a few years back in their olde world section, I think they have suggested recently that they may do further reviews of B&o equipment including older models.

 

 

Regards

 

Dave 

This was the same publication that gave BeoLab 5s a Five Star review, and spoke of them as being among the best speakers they had heard.

 

The speakers are getting a nice, featured position ...

They've actually been showing up on the covers of a variety of gearmag's - and generally to favourable reviews within. Adam Smith reviews the BL9s in HiFi World.

Just read it! Quite a review! Mentions many of the old speakers that were counted as excellent - M100s, MS150s and MC120s. Also mentions the Pentas as superb and then lets slip that he owns Beolab 8000s!

Now come on, which one of you is it? 

I just read it. Excellent review.

How very true:

"Let's start with the obvious point straightaway - yes, you can buy a very impressive amplifier and loudspeaker combination for the Beolab 9's purchase price of £5,000, however I suspect you would struggle to find seven hundred genuine watts for this amount and, to be frank, I think this is missing the point."

 And finally:

"Yes, we're a serious hi-fi magazine, but these are serious loudspeakers that add another nail to the coffin of the idea of Bang & Olufsen equipment being 'all style and no substance'."

I really enjoyed reading this. 

I have the impression that lots of real audiophiles start to notice that B&O is not only about style and design, but mainly about quality.

tom:

I have the impression that lots of real audiophiles start to notice that B&O is not only about style and design, but mainly about quality.

I can only follow you on this Tom : Emmanuel on the French forum has even led pure audiophiles (from another forum) to visit a B&O shop for a listening session, and this several times!

Guess what? They all crave for BeoLab 3s!! One of these audiophile guys is seriously considering a BeoSound 1 and another a BS4+BL3.

So a bridge has been finally built between 2 worlds that we once thought would be irreconcilable... And they were pretty astonished by how the Danish company takes things seriously when it comes about quality concern (Emmanuel posted his carnet de route following the Struer visit on their dedicated audiophile forum).

Philippe

 

Although I do/did have my doubts about B&O returning to hybrid amps on the BL9, I too am glad that they are recieving favourable press for what are revolutionary loudspeaker series.  I also feel somewhat vindicated (in a soft sense) to some of the comments posted on this (Mk1) forum (as opposed to the current mk3 version).

Do members remember the rants and critiques of the BL5 when they came out? Too big, too fat, too ugly, B&O will go bust!!!! Those members wanted to be stuck in the past with JJ and DL's flat boxes and column speakers. Although they had there part in the company portfolio and did very well, B&O by it's own market niche need to move-on from time to time. There is a huge gap between the column speakers of the past (relatively poor acoustics with drop-dead looks) and the mainstream box speakers of others (better sound, dead ugly and unadventourous cosmetically). I for one thing the 5 / 9 and 3 are world-class and the more exposure B&O get in the "brown ale & beard" brigade, the more they sell.

The more they sell, the sooner even better equipment gets on to the market at a cheaper price. It helps all.

La B&O est mort...Vie va la neuveux B&O!

10%

 

p.s excuse my French 

 

 

 

 

Mr10Percent:

La B&O est mort...Vie va la neuveux B&O!

10%

p.s excuse my French 

Truly impressed by your reference 10%. Adapting "Le roi est mort... Vive le roi!" (a sentence that introduced the new king, once the former had died) to B&O : you're a man of knowldege

Philippe

PS : BTW, which ratio is 10% supposed to be? Beers left to your monkey man avatar?

Peter:

Just read it! Quite a review! Mentions many of the old speakers that were counted as excellent - M100s, MS150s and MC120s. Also mentions the Pentas as superb and then lets slip that he owns Beolab 8000s!

Now come on, which one of you is it? 

 

AdamS:

I'm surprised you hadn't already guessed from my log in name - I added the 'S' on the new forum to make it easier - Guess i'm 'outed' at last!!!

AdamS(mith - Assistant Ed. Hi-Fi World)

Great reveiw! I think you are the first Silver Member I noticed here on the new forum. Welcome!

AdamS:

Peter:

Just read it! Quite a review! Mentions many of the old speakers that were counted as excellent - M100s, MS150s and MC120s. Also mentions the Pentas as superb and then lets slip that he owns Beolab 8000s!

Now come on, which one of you is it? 

 

I'm surprised you hadn't already guessed from my log in name - I added the 'S' on the new forum to make it easier - Guess i'm 'outed' at last!!!

AdamS(mith - Assistant Ed. Hi-Fi World)

I suppose that means that we will have to start being polite about the press again!  Very nice review! I understand that B&O liked it so much that they are circulating multiple copies to each dealer!

Have you done a side by side comparison with the BL5? My impression is that the 9s sound wonderful right up to the point that one listens to the 5s  which are in a completely different class.

I was very sad to miss the olde review of the 2400 - my first system! I still have the 4004 record player which is now used as my deck for recording vinyl to my Mac.

I would love to see one of the magazines brave enough to do a double blind A/B/X trial with power cables. I think your magazine is possibly one of the few honest enough to do it! Then we could do interconnects!  

Peter:

AdamS:

Peter:

Just read it! Quite a review! Mentions many of the old speakers that were counted as excellent - M100s, MS150s and MC120s. Also mentions the Pentas as superb and then lets slip that he owns Beolab 8000s!

Now come on, which one of you is it? 

 

I'm surprised you hadn't already guessed from my log in name - I added the 'S' on the new forum to make it easier - Guess i'm 'outed' at last!!!

AdamS(mith - Assistant Ed. Hi-Fi World)

I would love to see one of the magazines brave enough to do a double blind A/B/X trial with power cables. I think your magazine is possibly one of the few honest enough to do it! Then we could do interconnects!  

As long as we don't start doing cables !! 

Why not - I'm always up for a bun fight!!

No, you're not going to get me on the whole cables thing again, Peter!

They don't seem to advertise in the UK Hi-Fi press at all. So I wouldn't take it personally! More the Sunday Times etc. I suppose the average Hi-Fi magazine buyer will be more into audiophile tweaks and cables - sorry, it just slipped out!

Adam's tale of B&O's indifference to advertising in the specialist press demonstrates an annoying inverse snobbery on their part (unless they've simply forgotten to look in their inbox)

On the one hand, presumably, they're unhappy with the 'all show and no substance' label, yet they don't want to capitalise on the increasing audiophile interest in their more recent products. It just reeks of the sort of aloofness we've moaned about in the past from audiophiles.
 

I don't think B&O are indifferent at all! Their ad agency clearly feels they get better exposure in other places though. Also I am not sure the present campaign lends itself to the musical press. Another good review in Gramaphone I notice. I would say that the press are even more enthusiastic about the 9s than the 5s. I suppose they are more affordable. I think the best form of advertising is good products getting good reviews. I would like a really good source now! Maybe a Beocenter 5!

But they're indifferent to the idea of advertising in the specialist press. Either way a response to multiple calls/emails would be nice. That kind of rudeness is a bugbear of mine...

I agree - I can't abide rudeness, but Adam implied this was the advertising agency rather than B&O. I dare say any e-mails to B&O are redirected to the agency. B&O are always very polite when I contact them - and I am just a private individual.

True - working in publishing I know what ad agencies can be like. But they should be thinking of their client which, in this case, they're clearly not

My wife was an account director at Grey when I married her. Now a teacher!

I'm not suggesting B&O or their agency should have to pay for their good press We know that that never happens but in publishing a bit of back-scratching never hurt either