Hello all, as you may know, I own a beosound 3. It is a great mp3 player with mono speaker.

But I feel it is unsatisfactory with music requires soundstage. Also, CD is much better than mp3, of course !

So I am considering a upgrade. I am considering beosound 1, or beosound 4+beolab 4. The later one is out of my budget actually, so for this opinion, I may buy beolab 4 first, then beosound 4 later.

But the salesman suggested me to buy beolab 4000, with little price difference and much better sonic quality.

So I am looking for your comments and your suggestions. Thank you very much.

If you wish to upgrade your musical experience, you should definitely get the BeoLab 4000s and not the BeoLab 4s. The 4s are good monitor speakers, but quite expensive compared to their sound quality. The 4000s are excellent full-range speakers, and you'll enjoy owning a pairr.

Hello Beo;

You are facing the point we have all experienced in the beginning: Where to start.

For the need you describe, Beosound 1 sounds like the best solution for you if you are considering price. The newer units will play MP3 burned-CD's, and regular store purchased CD's. You probably know that there is a AUX connection port at the bottom of the Beosound 1 which will allow amongst other components, an MP3 player. I have an early unit ( no timer function )  and use it for radio, cd, and home theatre stereo in a rental condominium. It works just fine, and I enjoy the minimalist look of the BS 1.

A BS 1 can be operated manually, or with a Beo 4 remote. It can also be turned down, muted, or up with the newer models of Beocom telephones. If you receive frequent telephone calls, this feature can be quite useful.

The Beosound 4 and a pair of Beolab 4000 speakers are a very good combination, but this is at least 4x more considering price. I use a set of BL 4000 as Home Theatre speakers with a plasma, PC, BS 3200, and Beoport, and they perform quite well. Good clean, distinct fidelity, especially in Bass.

I started in 1967, and continue to enjoy Bang & Olufsen. I also look forward to the new group of products coming out each year, as do the other members here at Beoworld, and think it fortunate that we have a forum like this to help and advise each other. When you get a little older you learn restrain the Ohhs and Ahhs better, but the rush is still there inside.

Before you do anything I would first enroll as a Gold member here at Beoworld. Perhaps you will be the lucky winner of the new Beosound 4 which is being offered as a prize to Gold members this month.

 
Good Luck !
 

I would get a pre-owned system. Something like a Beosound 3000 and some 4000 speakers. Or you could get a Beosound Ouverture and 4000s for abot the price of your BS1. The sound will be much better.

well, thanks all of you.

so may i ask does beolab 4000 have PC mode so it can use with computer? For my tiny room, space is very very unlimited...I guess I cannot give a over 20cm free space around the speakers. so which speaker should I get? or should I continue to get speakers at this moment?

also... about beosound 1, how do you value its audio quality? can it match the top-end mini hi-fi of yamahi or philips?? I know it is the entry level in B&O, but maybe it is already outstanding in the world.

 

The BeoSound 1 sound quality is impressive when compared to other brands.

>> top-end mini hi-fi of yamahi or philips?<< 

Beo;

To answer your last post, the BL 4000 speakers require very little space, and can be mounted on walls, or inside bookcases or cabinets. The also have metal speaker stands, or small plastic table stand options. They do not have to be placed next to your PC: In fact, I would say they would sound better if each were well spread apart.

The Bl 4000 looks just fine on it's own placed on top of a table, or counter top. There are very small silicone " pads " which can be peeled off the label, applied onto th bottom of each speaker, protecting both the speaker ( and my wife's Danish Teak ) from scratches.

Your system arrangement now could very well be different in the coming years, which the BL 4000 will accomodate. The good news for you is that the BL 4000 is an amplified unit, mains powered to each, one of the reasons it is such a good speaker.

Peter makes a good point with his suggestion of a purchase of  system of your choice and design made with used components. This would certainly keep your cost down, provided you know that you need to inspect and test each piece out, or have someone each item do this for you.

Lee 9,  a member here, owns Lifestyle AV, and also sponsors Beoworld,  would be the first person I would contact. Although I do not use EBay as a rule, I do and have purchased components from Lifestyle AV. I know they are advertised as described,  tested out, and very well packaged before posting. I can vouch for his service.

Having problems with EBay on another hobby ( missing items, fraudulent billing, broken radio tubes, damaged radio chassis, absolute poor packaging, etc )  I have not used the service for the last 5 years.

BS 1 is a complete unit, sounds very good, 5 speakers, and has been copied somewhat by Bose as an I Pod platform. The BS 1 is superior sound, and will also host an MP3 player, including an I Pod. ( Did you know that B&O's MP3 player came out 2 years prior to the arrival of the I Pod ? )

If you are going to start building a system of B & O, take your time and talk to a few more  people. And join the Gold Member Club too !
 

Another solution to get you started may be to buy a pair of BL4000's and connect them through the headphone jack of the BS3. This will give you stereo sound from the BS3. You could then save some more and get a Master unit to go with the BL4000's. Of course you would still be listening to mp3's and radio only but if the bitrate of the mp3's is higher then the sound should be quite good.

well, i am considering this option also. well, what i worry is headphone jack usually gives not satisfactory sound quality. I wonder if beosound 3+beolab 4000 will give satisfactory sound quality in B&O standard.

anyway, once again... thanks all of you.

Buy a Beosound 1 new or second life.

Is it possible to connect the BL4000 via the jack? I doubt it. If it is possible, then it sure is a very good option.

If I understand you, you will use your system in a small room. In that case, I think the BS1 will be a very good choice for you, by far superior to the BL4.

well, i have tried beosound 1 and beolab 4000 again. I have tried with classical music "four seasons" and michael jackson.

the result is for classical music, both cannot build a very good soundstage, i cannot feel a 3D orh. playing in front of me. For michael jackson, with billie jeans, well... both cannot give heartbeating bass sound, while I think the bass is quite heavy for this song.

So my first impression is that beolab 4000 is not that far superior than beosound 1 in this test.

on the other hand, i confirm it is possible to connect beosound 3 and beolab 4000.

so, please share your feeling on my hard discussion, thanks a lot !!!!!

I understand that you feel the BS1 can not give satisfying bass sound and stereo image, but the BL4000?

Like Tom, I'm a little irritated by your statement that the BL4000 do not sound better than the BS1. I have a pair of 4k's and have been always very impressed by the sound of this very small units. This is also valid for the bass, IMHO much better than the 6000 and nearly on the same level as the 8000 (valid for lower volumes).

well, i do not mean beolab 4000 is worse than beosound 1, but beolab 4000 is not that amazing. Maybe because it is placed at the ceiling.

by the four seasons by berlin philharmonic under Karajan, the performance is great, the recording is great, the CD quality is great, but still... it is not that amazing.

 Well, i do not mean I can find one better than beolab 4000 at its size, but still...absolutely speaking, it is suitable for jazz or pop music, but not the whole orh. 's performance.

I am afraid that you have to decide whether you want absolute sound quality or acceptable sound with absolute style. None of the current crop of low/medium cost B&O speakers will give you opera house or concert sound quality as no matter how much technical wizardry they put in the box, the drivers are simply too small.

I made my decision years ago and went with B&O but I am aware of the limitations of the marque. I am afraid you have the same decision to make.

I agree with Peter by recommending a second user Ouverture with Lab 4000's. Excellent value.

I am in broad agreement with Peter and Graham here (as usual) ... however, it may be worth you considering something which is an earlier era such as lab4500s or 5000s ... and as they are wall mounted ... they are not intrusive, whilst still performing remarkably well.

Neil

Beo:

well, i do not mean beolab 4000 is worse than beosound 1, but beolab 4000 is not that amazing. Maybe because it is placed at the ceiling.

by the four seasons by berlin philharmonic under Karajan, the performance is great, the recording is great, the CD quality is great, but still... it is not that amazing...

placing BL4000s at the ceiling sure is not the ideal solution if they are used as main speakers. For rears it would be ok, but not for main (front) speakers. I'm sure you would have been more satisfied by their sound if they had been at your ears height.

glad to hear you are into classical music, but there is one thing I do not unterstand: Karajan + Vivaldi = great performance, great sound???

well beo, this is very interesting. when I entered into classical music, karajan an BPO was a must for me. I used to buy records or copy them to MC only if there was Karajan on it. It sure was never a totally wrong way, but with the years passing and the experience in music growing, I started to notice that all Karajan wanted was to record and sell. He used to make up to 20 records a year which sure is impressive, but if you listen to them, you will notice that all he wanted to do was record and sell. To me, he missed the point to really enter into an oeuvre.
The only occasions in which I could recommand Karajan would be for the Beethoven and Brahms, may be for Schumann and Schubert. For the rest, there are much more interesting conducters and records than Karajan; try Celibidache, you won't be disappointed!

well, thanks for your recommendations. you are very helpful. Actually I just believe in the bpo.

Back to b&o, now i prefer beosound 1, as if I choose beolab 4000, i must buy beosound 4 or other players finally. As the temptation never ends. So the budget will be few times more.

If Beolab 4000 are as good as you guys say they are, then i may now consider them as bedroom speakers, sound is very important to me, and the beosound 1 is good, just not good enough considering separation and detail. At the moment i listen to the wonderful A8's in my bedroom (on the computer also which is in the bedroom). 

i guess beolab 4000 is perfect choice for your need. but you have to custom-made a wire to connect to mini-jack of computer.

but on the other hand, you have to make sure your files in computer have good sound quality. I am sure any b&o speakers will magnify the bad quality sound of low bitrates.

 

I'm pretty sure that i can just buy the specific cable needed from B&O. That would be a bit dodgy making one myself. :)