My wife and I are planning to upgrade our Audio/Video system and have been auditioning a few speaker/amp possibilities.  Our situation is difficult as we only have about 65 inches (165 centimeters) to work with for TV monitor and speaker combination.  We have chosen the Sony XBR lcd 40” flat screen monitor as it has the least reflections of any available and we have an over abundance of stray ambient light to deal with..  That leaves about 10 inches (25 centimeters) for speakers on each side of the monitor

 

Our favorite speaker so far is the Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor M's with a Macintosh MA6900 amp...  But I’m concerned as these speakers are rear ported and we will be placing them on a bookshelf backed up against a wall.  The salesman says no problem but I’m skeptical.

 

A couple of weeks ago  I visited a B&O dealership and listened to the Beolab 3’s..  I was surprised by the sound.  I cannot get over how good seemed and was wondering if anyone on this forum has moved from a conventional setup like a high quality bookshelf monitor to the Beolab 3’s or did A/B comparisons?

 

I’m considering auditioning the beolab 3’s with a Beolab 2 sub and the Beocenter 2. 

 

I’m also looking at the  Slim device Duet or Transporter for my music as I’ve ripped all my CD’s in apple lossless format (Not sure which as the transporter has a DAC and the duet does not.  And unsure if the Biolabs have built in DAC's or possibly the Biocenter 2 does)  One concern I have with the Biocenter 2 is that it’s not Blu-Ray compatible and I feel this may be the next optical disk format.  I wonder if this will be upgradeable in the future?

 

Below are some pictures of our living room with our TV monitor (in the cabinet) and 1970's vintage Yamaha NS 1000 monitors on the shelf above. The bottom image is a computer rendering of a new cabinet with the Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors, the Beolab 3’s would replace them.

 

Any thoughts or ideas would be very much appreciated...  -Ray

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beolab 3s are good but this is a big room. Remember than they have side ABRs which will be very close the edges of the cabinet. I think that the BL3s will be lacking in bass for a room this size and will not generate the sound pressure you want. You will need a sub-woofer such as the BL2 - not sure where this would go.

The BC2 will not be upgradeable  though I would not be shocked to see a new variant in a couple of years. Having said that, I think the future of video will not lie in discs but in digital files on computers anyway.

Comparing BL3s with other speakers, (I have a pair) , I prefer my LS3/5As with AB1s though these are obviously in total, quite a bit bigger. The top end of the 3 is much better but the midrange of the LS3/5A is better and seems more realistic to my ears.  

By the way, lovely view!  

Hi Peter..  Thanks for the reply.. I've heard the LS3/5A's are a amazing speaker..  If I had the room I'd place my yamaha NS 1000's next to the TV monitor but sadly I do not. And they are really ugly.. :~)

What are side ABR's?

I had planned to purchase the Biolab 2 sub, to get some sound pressure and go as full range as I can.. Hopefully sitting to the left on the hearth would work.

You mirror my concern that these little speakers (biolab3's) will not fill the room..  Though, the wide angle lens I took this with makes our living area look much larger than it is.  Our normal sitting position is no more that 12 from the speakers.

I guess my greatest concern is that are the biolab 3's actually a great speaker..  Can you listen to them for hours and still want for more? I've heard some smallish speakers give the feeling of harshness, or brightness after a while..

Thanks, Ray
 

 

 

They are superb small speakers and , yes, I can listen to them for hours - I am as I type!! Mine are in a room about 15 foot square but I use them as monitors on either side of my computer screen. When I first used them, they sounded a little odd - the treble and bass seemed disjointed and they seemed bright. However after a couple of days, this has disappeared and I have now had them for a couple of years and am extremely happy with them. They will perform perfectly if used with a Beolab 2 and in that set up will easily fill the room. By themselves, the bass would struggle.

I would recommend you try them! 

Welcome to BeoWorld Ray!

I love my BeoLab 3s and was very quickly convinced by the sound that can come out of such a small unit. The treble will sound crisp and clear where ever you are in the room, thanks to the ALT at the top of the speaker. I certainly agree that the BeoLab 3s do not boast strong bass, but you should easily solve this by adding a BeoLab 2 to your setup. This would be a very good idea if the speakers are also used for home cinema. I personally only use my BeoLab 3s for music in my living room and for this reason I decided not to add the BeoLab 2.

Is it essential to have your speakers either side of your Sony monitor? I have placed my BeoLab 3s at either end of the living room on their floor stands. I find the stereo and sound stage is much improved by placing the speakers apart. If you do take this approach, I would also consider listening to a pair of BeoLab 9s at your B&O dealer and compare them to the BeoLab 3 and BeoLab 2 setup. The BeoLab 9s are bigger and certainly won't fit either side of your Sony monitor, but the sound is very impressive to my ears.

I hope this helped a little. Let us know how things progress.

Borrow a pair from the dealer and try them out.

I'd mount them on the white vertical columns on either side of your television, on the same level as the apple you've put in your illustration (nice touch!) - using the wall mounts. The dealer should also be able to let you borrow a BL2 and BeoCenter 2 at the same time.

You have a large room, but I'm assuming that you'll have a main listening area. The BL3's weakness is that they can't be pushed to the max, but you'll be surprised at how much sound they can produce.

Apart from that, Peter's suggestion above is very sound when it comes to alternatives. He has extensive experience with both the BL3s and other speakers, B&O and non-B&O.

(The BL3s do not have in-built DACs).

Sending along an image of a very nice BL3 setup with them on deskstands, just for general enjoyment.

 

 

Should have added - you can connect the Transporter directly to the BL3s, and run the audio from your STB to either the optical or coax digital IN connections on the Transporter. Have a friend who's doing that, and who is very happy with his audio - no surround, but he is a strict two-channel stereo guy.

soundproof.. that's very interesting, thank you. 

I would like, not to, purchase the biocenter 2 as it does not support blu-ray..  But, I require switching between the transporter, my cable box (TV audio) and a Blu-ray/CD player..

And, I agree with Peter that we will most likely go all digital (in the future). But, currently our video outlet is getting a lot of these disks and it is possible (before the inevitable future transpires) blu-ray will be the preferred format.. troubling when you spend $$$$$$ on a player that may be obsolete in the not so distant future..  I'm not interested In DAB or FM.

Are there any alternatives to this switching issue?

thanks, -Ray
 

 

I have the BL3/BL2 combination for some time now, I think 2 years. Time flies. In fact I bought them in the store in Portland.

I would not worry too much about them not filling the room if you add the Bl2. It works very well with Music in my opinion but I am guessing that is taste and depends what you are listening too. 

I just bought a BC2. I don't expect that I can upgrade it but would want to add blueray down the line as a 2nd device if it really becomes the format of the future. 

Hi,

 

if the speakers should stay in the TV cabinet: What about buying a Yamaha YSP-Series Speaker backed up with a subwoofer?

 

YSP-3000 for 32" TVs and

YSP-4000 for 42" TVs.

Then you have a Stereo and Sourroundsystem with realy good sound! The Yamaha performs very well in Stereo and Sourroundmode but it needs a subwoofer if you want more "punch".

 

I can't believe my ears after testing it at my dealer and it could be a perfect solution for limited space while beeing decent, too.