Hi guys!

I think the saga of what I am changing in my setup is coming to an end. Currently own BV 7-40 with 7.4 and BL 9. I will switch the 7.4 for a 7.2 and the MKII panel for a MK III that I can get a good deal on from my dealership.

Then, I thought of getting a Beosound 4 for a livingroom addition I am about to build within the house. Question remains which speakers to get. Of course it is a question of economy as well as performance. In a room of 12 sq.m. will a set of Beolab 4 do just fine, or should I go for 6000 or even 3?

As always I would appreciate your most welcome advice and thoughts of what you would have done yourselves!

Thanks.

Beolab 3

Good performance, acoustic lens(better sound in the whole room), will integrate in any setup that you may desire later and it just looks the part

The BL3 is without any doubt the best speaker out of the 3 you quote. But if your room is not bigger than 12 sqm, then you don't really need such powerfull speakers. I had BL6000 for about 2 years in a 45 sqm room and was quite satisfied with their performance until I got the BL8000s.

The main problem with the BL6000 is their lack of bass. If you want a crystal-clear soundstage, you need to go for the BL3. I can't give you any opinion upon the BL4, I have never really tested them...

Anyway, tell us what you'll choose in the end!

Thanks guys! I may have to go for the Beosound 3000 if I am to go with the 3's. Just to get things to add up as the Beosound 4 is a bit more even as used.

Guess that won't make much of a difference?

I will let you know. No worries :-)

I've got two rooms with BL4s in them and they are terrific for background music/radio/news  where you will be doing general listening like a kitchen.  When I bought my BS4 I initially was going to pair it with BL4s.  However, when I listened to the BL3s back to back with the BL4s I immediately switched to the BL3s as I felt the difference in price was easily correlated to the difference in sound.  Don't get me wrong I think the BL4s are terrific but they aren't really suited for critical listening.  I think they are terrific in the bedroom while reading.

 The BL4000s might be your best bet sonically and cost wise.

 On a side note i honestly think that I'd prefer BL4000s or BL4s in a reading room or any room that I might be working in.  It's purely psychological but I have a hard time concentrating on reading or any task at hand with the acoustic lens speakers as they somehow sound almost 'too real'.  It's as if my brain has a hard time ignoring something so distinctly present in the room when I attempt to focus on another task like cooking or reading.   It's just too easy to get caught up in the music.  I also find that it's easier to have guests mingling in a room without acoustic lenses for this very reason as the music seems to be more of a focus than an ambient.  Obviously this is a subtle affect but I still suspect that there's truth to my theory.  Has anyone else noticed this?

i was also going to recommend bl4000's. Excellent speakers to price ratio.

I actually have that setup with the speakers in the "wrong" rooms based on volume:

• larger sitting room has the BL6000s because of their looks and because it is also used as the formal dining area where I wanted background music at times
• half size family room with TV has BL3s for bass and ability to project the sound through a hutch into the kitchen and even into the BBQ area
• BL4s in the master bed room which is about the size of the family room

Each speaker set meets our current requirements of usage. For family gatherings, when the volumes of the BL3 and BL6K are just right, you can move between the sitting and family rooms without being disconcerted by changes in the perceptions of the quality one hears.

However I find the sound of the BL4s particularly satisfying and intend having several in the surround sound set-up when we get to that stage.

What I would however say, is that I wish I had a BS 3000 instead of the BS4, because:

1. I prefer the BS3000 door movements 
2. I prefer the overall quality of looks of the BS 3000
3. I am annoyed EVERY time I place a CD into BS4 - it is awkward to use and there is always a click and scrape as I try to get the angle right of placing the CD 
4. The DAB was good in Australia's pilot tests but the production DAB roll-out is using a newer standard that has rendered this advantage of the BS4 invalid (in hindsight AM reception would have been safer future proofing !)

However .... I do like the following about the BS 4:

1. dinner guests can read the BS 4 display to know the names of the Net.Music tracks, album and artist being played
2. the SD card - originally I thought I would be regularly swapping cards between the BS4 and my BS2 (this turned out to not be as useful as imagined) but instead I use it as I would have used a large reel-to-reel: it has a 2GB card containing all of SWMBOs favourite opera pieces so she can just "slap" it on and wander around the house doing her thing

If I had an unlimited budget (is that a contradiction in terms?) I would ADD to my setup the following:

• A BeoMaster/BeoSound 5 and a BS 3000 (to replace the BS4)
• Beolab 9s and BL3s
• distributed BeoVision 6s/BeoCentre 6s

In summary: for me the choices are as much about HOW the set-up is used as how it sounds as all 3 speakers have a place in my lifestyle!

elephant:

 

However I find the sound of the BL4s particularly satisfying and intend having several in the surround sound set-up when we get to that stage.

If I had an unlimited budget (is that a contradiction in terms?) I would ADD to my setup the following:

In summary: for me the choices are as much about HOW the set-up is used as how it sounds as all 3 speakers have a place in my lifestyle!

Thank you so much for your time and effort in this answer Elephant! It really helped a lot. I let three of your statments remain as a quote:

BL4: Is that to say that you find the BL 4 to be most satisfying as long as they are not required to rock the boat? I have a set of BL 9 (highly recommendable!) and there is only open space, however a couple of corners between them and where I would put the BL 4's. Normally they would play from the same source, but on occasion it might be that the 9's has tv as a source and the 4's play a CD or similar. Both would of course have to consider the other regarding volume :-)

My question is really: BL 4 is a third of the BL 3 price. Would they do the trick? To me, an output of 2 x 35 watts sounds a little... whispery... at least compared to the badaboom of the BL 9's. Maybe that is where it gets clouded for me. I most certainly do not expect them to play like the 9's, but it would be nice if they had a story to tell, so to speak.

Oh, and yes, I think the words "Unlimited Budget" are a huge contradiction in terms..  :-D

So finally. Of course people can not compare lifestyles in a forum. It will never be accurate, but the room in question is only 12 sqm, opening up to another room of about 30 sqm, opening to another of about 12. That is where the BL 9's are. Based on this, (and I will never come after you for this one) do you think 4 is enough money spent?

Thank you so much again!

'So finally. Of course people can not compare lifestyles in a forum. It will never be accurate, but the room in question is only 12 sqm, opening up to another room of about 30 sqm, opening to another of about 12. That is where the BL 9's are. Based on this, (and I will never come after you for this one) do you think 4 is enough money spent?'

I believe so... the sound is pretty good on the BL4s, as long as you know they are not lab 3s or lab 9s. Go to your local dealer and try them with your favourite CD (so you know how it should sound).

Good luck!!

Just out of curiosity: "Currently own BV 7-40 with 7.4 and BL 9. I will switch the 7.4 for a 7.2 and the MKII panel for a MK III that I can get a good deal on from my dealership."

Why would you swap the ALT center speaker for a none-ALT speaker when used with ALT main speakers?

Roger

I have both the Beo Lab 4000, and the full (non PC) Beo Lab 4.

Both are nice to look at, both are amplified, but subjectively the sound is superior with the BL 4000, having more bass, and it seems a tad more treble.

There are other feature differences too, of course. The BL 4 is multi-region 110-240 v power, multi-positioned, PC mini-jack and MP3 capable, and one can change the colour of the speakers in less than 5 minutes. You can pack them as handcarry luggage, but expect smirks from the airport security, especially when pointed upwards together.

The BL 4000 is powered specifically to the region, and being in the process of changing the colour plates ( top, front, and bottom ) a somewhat involved process, working with the BL 4000 is not as easy as a BL 4.

I agree with the comment above regarding the BL 4 being more suited for smaller rooms, a library, or anywhere one can read and hide from the wife or kids. But nonetheless, it is a good speaker system.

I'm just a little thrown off by how different the speakers are that are being compared!!

My BL4000's cost me less, second hand, than BL4 PC cost new. You should try the speakers in person to really make the right descision for you, because everyone's needs are different.

I can't recommend 4000's any higher though. They have such a powerful sound, and after 3 years of owning them they still astonish me especially when i turn up a decent recording.
They are by far the best value and therefore the most impressive out of the speakers mentioned here (besides BL9).

I've heard BL4 a couple of times, but they seem to be best suited to near field listening, or hotel elevators.

Everyone!

Thanks for your thoughts. To answer why I was considering a non ALT solution is because I thought that the 7.2 could play stereo 4 together with my BL 9's. As it turns out, it can not and I will hang on to my 7.4. Also in some situations with the 7.4 I find it a little too dominant (ordinary TV and such). With my recent purchase of a yet to be received BV 7-40 MK IV, I will be able to adjust this as well.

Regarding speakers in another room, I have followed the majority of recommandations and purchased a pair of BL 3's. Can not wait to get things rolling.

Again: Thanks a lot!