Hi all - just a quick one re the above. Friend of a friend is selling his Beolab 4's but i've never heard a pair. Are they any good for their diminutive size? Are they close to BL6000s in sound? Or are they a waste of money and best to put a few extra quid to some 6000s? They are only intended for a small bedroom so not expecting amazing things but still want them to sound nice and rounded.... I've not made a decision so if he still has them i could get them for around £400. Please be honest - they have not had many great reviews in the past.....

wrong topic, sorry.

I´d say they are fair enoigh for a small bedroom. They are of course no BL6000. Give them a try. I would also think about BL4000 which are giving better sound for almost same size (but also double the prize).

Hi Dave,

I have the PC version in a bedroom and have been very pleased with them, £400 is a real bargin as the Beolab 4 has a switchable setting ABL, if you are contemplating 6000's instead I would listen to a pair first and Beolab 4000's personally I would go for a pair of 4000's. Pop into a dealers for a comparison, some people say that Mk1 4000's are the best, but I have not directly compared the two.

Kind regards

Dave

Hi All,

I agree. I used to have one pair of BL4, but was never convinced by their performances. Sold them, and bought for my PC a pair of B&W MM-1, which are FAR more efficient, in my opinion, for half the price.

If I were you, I would definitly consider buying a pair of 4000s and not 6000s, if you want a B&O product.

Cheers from finally snowy French Alps,

Laurent.

I actually quite like them!! Good entry level speaker with enough oomph for a small room. Also great for rears in a surround setup!

One Dealer's Opinion (trying out a name for my advice column)

I have a tough time selling these. They're not powerful enough or incredible enough in any way to guarantee someone will be impressed so they're more dependent on what the client's expectations are. If they've been listening to a Bose dock or HK Soundsticks? They'll probably be impressed. If they've heard some bookshelf speakers? They'll probably be less impressed, if not outright unimpressed. While the sound is technically "better" in some ways (I think they image better than they have a right to, for example), they don't have the depth that can be found in much less expensive speakers which will be immediately evident. 

For a few hundred off, though, you can't go wrong. I have them as back channels in a 7.1 system at home and find them to be well suited to these sorts of odd jobs. 

Might the Beolab 2500's sound better, at approx. half the used price?

I won mine courtesy of the Beoworld Prize Draw. 

I quite like them - I use them in my home office which is quiet large but bearing in mind they are on the desk, kept at quite low volumes. As mentioned below, horses for courses and they are not a substitute for more powerful/larger speakers. On a desk or a bedroom setup, I beleive they are satisfactory for purpose.

10

TripEnglish:

One Dealer's Opinion (trying out a name for my advice column)

I have a tough time selling these. They're not powerful enough or incredible enough in any way to guarantee someone will be impressed so they're more dependent on what the client's expectations are. If they've been listening to a Bose dock or HK Soundsticks? They'll probably be impressed. If they've heard some bookshelf speakers? They'll probably be less impressed, if not outright unimpressed. While the sound is technically "better" in some ways (I think they image better than they have a right to, for example), they don't have the depth that can be found in much less expensive speakers which will be immediately evident. 

For a few hundred off, though, you can't go wrong. I have them as back channels in a 7.1 system at home and find them to be well suited to these sorts of odd jobs. 

I think this is the best explanation of the Beolab 4s.

IMHO, the real question is whether "small" and "doesn't look like a speaker" are high on your list of requirements.  If they are, then they fit the bill completely.  My wife didn't want "speakers" in our bedroom (even BL6000/BL4000).  I didn't like the sound of the BL4 in the store, but decided I'd give them a try.  Once setup in the bedroom, they sound quite nice, and BL6000/4000 would have been overkill.  They do image very well, and do great with acoustic music, but they are limited by the physics of a small speaker.  For use in the bedroom, they're pretty much perfect.  If you plan to do extended critical listening, you'll be disappointed.

Stan

Sorry duplicate post...

I LUV my Beolab 4's in my LR surround set up:  They are *very* closely placed near ends of the sectional sofa, and are the "sides".

In my 7.1 set up, I have:

BV9

Penta IIs

Beolabs 4s on stands

Beolab 6000 rears ( a 5 feet back of the sofa)

Work's wonderfully!

B

I also love mine!

I bought them originally (PC version) as surround speakers in my 5.1 setup, they did the job perfectly, then I replaced them with BeoLab 3 (I know, this sounds like overkill..).

Now I use them as PC speakers at work, and people are amazed at the sound coming from such small speakers. BeoLab 4000 is way too big for an office desk, and try placing BL6000 in an office..you might even have robbers coming after one week

The stereo image when standing at 50 cm from them is great, and I don't need deep bass for office use, I need to hear my colleagues & the phone ring..so they do what they were designed to do. The only evolution I would like to see is a USB input with a built-in DSP, like in BS8, that would make the PC version a true alternative to the MM1 for instance.