Hello, i am looking at buying either the beolab 8000's (mkii) or the beolab 3 with a sub (not bl11 or bl2). I was just wondering wether the new 8000's had decent bass with the new upgrade, or would it be better to go with the 3's. I mainly listen to rock so a bit of bass is needed. 

I prefer the design of the 8000's so I'm swayed towards these initially.

Regards Liam 

Given your musical choice, I would go with the 3's, especially on their own; but since you're using a subwoofer, it will be critical for you to decide if you prefer the crisp, openness of the 8000's to the speed and muscle of the 3's.  Certainly it is a matter of taste, with a woofer providing the one thing the 8000's clearly lack (when compared to the 3's), you have the chance to compare them based solely on what they both do well in the mids and highs.

In our shop we are displaying the new BeoLab 11 with a pair of 3's and the difference it makes is striking.  Freed from generating any low bass, the 3's highs and mids sharpen nicely, and the overall output goes up noticeably.

Enjoy either way!

Both of these speakers need subs if you want deep base. 

The only thing I'd add is that, if you've heard BL8000's in the recent past in store, they're likely to be MKII's. They've been on sale since 2003, and so not that "new" after all.

Also, many would claim the "bass enhancement" was actually a reliability improvement, rather than a performance boost. Some will say they can tell the difference between MKI and MKII BL8000's, many will say they can't. I believe both BL3's & BL8000's would benefit from a subwoofer, the trick is picking the right one! Here I can offer no advice, other than many claim the BL2 isn't well suited to music, but then you've already discounted it.

On the other hand, for general stereo music listening duties, I would preview both without a subwoofer - you might be pleasantly suprised, depending upon the music you listen to. If it sounds good to you, then it's good.

It can also be said that adding a sub can cause more issues than it solves, especially as it's particularly room (and position) dependant. Having a prominent bass isn't the same as having accurate bass! If possible, do your previewing in your own listening environment. Many dealers will offer such a comparison.

Really B&O needs to produce a decent all-around sub, one great for movies and music.

BL2 great for movies, not optimal for music

BL11 good for music, a joke for movies

I have the BL3 and BL2 combination and I love it - use it only for music. I haven't heard the new BL11 sub yet, I do recall a test that was poste dhere where peeps compared the BL3/BL2 combo against BL5 and had a hard time detecting the difference.

I think also taste plays into this as well as music listened too but I would for sure not say that BL2 not optimal for music.

That said, I would probably not consider a non B&O sub. The BL2 has that frequency filter that removes lower frequencies form the BL3 allowing them to focus better on the midrange - sort of relaxes them. I don't know how this would work with a non B&O sub. Also I could see timing issues .....

I think I still might prefer the Bl3 over the BL8000, I love the acoustic lense and it helped a bit since I had a tricky room.