Hello All

What is the general opinion of Lab 8000 + Lab 2 V Lab9 as i have BV7 with the 8000's and lab 2 and have been thinking about Lab9's as they are better with Music i hear.

I dont want to loose any Bass in Films as the Lab 2 is wicked with Sorround but not so wicked with punchy upbreat music.

Does anyone have a pick of a Lab9 with the BV7 so i can get a feel for it?

Everything you said is right about bl8000 and bl2

I personally don't prefer sub for music.

But I think you will not loose bass with Bl9, they are absolutely amassing.

I've only heard BL9s in a showroom, which is not the optimum environment to assess them. They sound very good but I felt the bass is more tuned to music - I'm not sure if you will have the solid bass you are used to for action movies, etc, without the BL2.

I agree with the previous post about the BL2 and music though. Subs are just no good for music.

I have the setup you are talking about. BV 7-40 with 7.4 and BL 9 plus BL 2.

My point of view: First I had the BL 1. Switching to BL 9 gave a whole new world of meaning. They play even more detailed, and they pack a punch that the 1's, and the 8000's I have heard are no where near.

When I listen to music I put on speaker 2, leaving the 7.4 unemployed. The sound is really much better when you let the 9 play the major part. Also, even if the 2 is connected, it is barely noticable when playing music. The system doesn't really allow it to enter somehow, if you catch what I mean?

Movies are an entire different story all together. Even with the 9's I have had significant enhancement of the soundpicture since setting up the BL 2. The detail, and quite a punch, is delivered fine by the 7.4 and the 9's. However the BL 2 has added the last ten percent of perfection as rumbling action scenes, or just plain traffic for that matter, takes the stage.

My recommandation is clear: Ditch the 8000's but keep the BL 2. It will provide the best of both worlds. However, if selling the BL 2 is part of the financial plan to achieve the BL 9 I say go ahead and do it. All together I think you will be better off than your current setup.

I can not even begin to tell you where you will be at when you let the BL 9 fill your house with the music you love the most. The Beolab 9 is exceeded by one pair of speakers only - sadly out of range for me. At least for the time being.

Good luck in your decisionmaking!

I'd vote for the 'BeoLab 9s by themselves' option. As great as the BeoLab 1 + BeoLab 2 and BeoLab 8000 + BeoLab 2 combinations sound (and they really do pack a punch when set up correctly, particularly with movies), you just can't get close to the detail and musicality of the bass of BeoLab 9s without moving up to the BeoLab 5, which is often too powerful for many people's homes.

Stereo subwoofers have major advantages. Without wanting to sound like an audiophool audionut, I actually quite dislike the sound of two speakers + a subwoofer in a room with good acoustics. I've found that in my room (which is a big factor), it doesn't matter where I place the subwoofer, I can always locate it (which makes proper listening almost impossible). With two speakers + two subwoofers set as left and right, located as close as possible to the main speakers, I find I can't really hear the subwoofer.

Also, by eliminating a separate subwoofer and hence variable crossover point between the main speakers and the subwoofer, the achieved frequency response of the overall system is much closer to the 'technically perfect' sound system. B&O do a much better job of the crossover setup than most other companies. With other-brand systems, the variable crossover point on active subwoofers assumes the 'roll-off' (the variation in volume at the deepest bass a speaker can produce) of the main speakers is even, and hence you end up either with massive boosts in volume around the crossover point, or massive 'dips' in volume at certain frequencies. B&O's system is controlled by B&O, and hence smarter. It's still not as good as a pair of speakers which can naturally reproduce the deepest notes, such as the BeoLab 9, without the need of a subwoofer.

The only way you can really judge the difference is to do some listening tests, with both systems set up in the room you'll be listening in, with music you know well.

Alex:

I'd vote for the 'BeoLab 9s by themselves' option.

I'd also go with this option. I had the BL2, BL9s and 7.4 with my BV7-40 and BL2 was overkill. Disconnected it for a few months, then traded it in against something else (Beocenter 2, if I can remember...). BL9/7.4 option is superb.

hi all i think i will go listen to the Lab 9s today on the way home from the office see what i think

BL8000 + BL2 versus BL9 = practically two different worlds!

If you can organise a home demo, they'll be sure to blow you away (and empty your bank accounts)

Try the search box at the top right corner of this screen Seanie cos this topic has been covered a couple of times/....

Another suggestion/recommendation would be to try to position the speakers as far away from any walls as possible. The position switches do a good job, but they can only do so much! There's no substitute for correct speaker placement other than the calibration of the BeoLab 5, and even then you should try and place them correctly in the first place and only rely on the calibration if you really need to.

Well as said i went to the local dealer after work and popped in

firstly i was shocked by the sound of the Lab9's i have never even turned my BV7 up that high before as i expect my speakers woudl blow up.

i did notice the lack of "rumble" with surround sound but music is fantastic.

i think i am stuck in a catch 22

Film is perfect with the Lab2

Music is perfect without but lacks Bass.

Beolab 9's are wonderful speakers i will end up with a pair i was worried at first that the lab 9's would look odd after all this time having 8000's but they looked really nice

just feel there is a little Rumble missing when watching films but to much rumble when listening to music

Don't have Lab 9's or a BL2 and so treat this post withthe contempt it deserves but i have listened to both in store (many times). My concern would be your "rumble". The BL2 can make impressive noises but I would ask "what do you expect to be in the passages you experience"? Being impressively loud isn't necessarily what's meant to be there - my point is that the BL2 might "rumble" but the BL9's might be more true - rumbles are generally undefined noise, but music is music!

As Alex says, experiment with room position, but if I had to back a horse I'd back the Lab 9's.

(Or in a cruder manner, Whales can fart really loud (I imagine) but they can't play the Tuba)