I am thinking of replacing my rear 4000s with either 8002s or 12s. Fronts are 9s. Any opinions?

Choose the ones that you can place properly. Both are really good speakers and it is the placement that will dictate real life sound quality especially with rear speakers.

I would choose BL 12-3 as they are closer match to BL9's due both having acoustical lenses.

The time tested option, try both sets from your dealer.

I got the 9's as front speakers and the 4's as rear...

Reading this I have to rethink and try out the 12's as rear speakers. One of the things that appeals to me is that they are so thin and stick to the wall. (High WAF rating)

Best Regards, Lars

akoro:

Choose the ones that you can place properly. Both are really good speakers and it is the placement that will dictate real life sound quality especially with rear speakers.

 

 

I would choose BL 12-3 as they are closer match to BL9's due both having acoustical lenses.

I was thinking about the 12s because of the accoustic lens. However, as you mention placement is very important. My room is such that if I choose 12s they will have to be placed on the side walls. I am wondering about the sound quality with them placed in that manner. 

Having dealer bring both out to listen to is a bit problematic as the only way I would really know how the 12s sound would be to have them mounted to the wall.

 

 

Razlaw:

Having dealer bring both out to listen to is a bit problematic as the only way I would really know how the 12s sound would be to have them mounted to the wall.

I suspect you are a very good customer (you only need a temp job to get a feel) and I am sure your dealer would not mind.. I would agree the 12's being accoustic would be very agreeable with the 9s but I understand it would be easier to rotate the 8002.

Then there is the visual impact of either type of speaker to consider. get a demo on both!

Selling the gorgeous BL4000? Regarding sound improvement, I do not think you will notice any differnce by watching TV? Only when listening to music by speaker 4.

At one point I was using Beolab 1s as rears. The overall sound was much better than it is now with the 4000s. I was thinking the 8002s or 12s might improve the sound level closer to what it was with the 1s, than it is now with the 4000s.

1s are now fronts in another room.

 

Do the 12s have enough power to keep up with your 9s?

Don't the 8002s have two 125 watt amplifiers whereas the the 12s have one 160 watt and two 80 watt amplifiers?

I'm Really not sure.

If that's the case then probably so!

My dealer says they're aimed at more of an entry level B&O guy.

I dare say you're not and entry level guy at this point.

Why not pick up a pair of lab 3s and call it a day?

Visually I do not like the 3s and do not think they would sound much different as rears than the 4000s

Well maybe the 12s are your best bet.

I like my 3s. Paired with 5s

I like my 2 pairs of 3s. It's not as pretty but I love it's sound

Though I would prefer the 5s for the front of course but that's another lifetime ago....

I wonder if a single 3 would be a good central speaker...

I would say that BL12-3 is more like BL3 with BL11, it's that powerful and has great extension.

And no way a entry level speaker, maybe the smaller units that might follow (12-1 and 12-2) but this big wall speaker is serious stuff IMO.

akoro:

I would say that BL12-3 is more like BL3 with BL11, it's that powerful and has great extension.

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting comparison. I had not thought of it that way.

 

 

Well, actually you have 4x6.5" bass with 4x160W amps with BeoLab 12-3 and only 2x6,5" bass with 1x200W in BeoLab 11...

BeoLab 1 is merely 2x6,5" bass with 2x400W so theoretically you could get more spl out of BL12-3 than BL1!

This is interesting.

I'm anxious to hear the lab12 as it sounds like they're going to be quite nice

Anyone actually heard them as compared to some others in the line?

I actually had the privilidge to listen one of the pre production Beolab 12-3's in the same place where there previously were BeoLab 1's and I would rate BeoLab 12-3 better in these areas :look, sound quality and BeoLab 1 only easier to install/facilitate.

And yeah, better than BL3. Even better than BL8002, but it depends more on placement.

I just about had myself talked in to the Beolab 3s. Then today I learned that the wiring in my walls to the rear speaker locations is not MK3 and thus not ICE compatible. :(  

Dealer is offering me a great price on a left over pair of pre-ICE  8000s. 

So it seems three options are do nothing, have some major work done to run new cables, or go with the 8000s.

Razlaw:

or go with the 8000s.

Go with the 8000.s, they are "next of kin " to the lab1.s. They are not as detailed as the lab1,s (imo) but as rere speakers it should work.

At least demo them ? I am not a fan of the lab3's (visually)

Dealer is shipping me a Beolab 2 tomorrow to try. I honestly do not think I will like it with the 9s. 

My next step is to try the 8000s. They are simplest upgrade for me. Just plug in to my existing wall outlets for rears.

Part of me would like to try/consider another pair of Beolab 9s, or maybe 12s. Either would require some new wiring. A problem with the 9s is their low height and they would be placed behind furniture. I am trying to think of/find something to set them on that would increase their height.

I think I will have my dealer send me a long Mark 3 PowerLink cable so I can move my 9s to the rear and put one of my other pairs of speakers in front just to see what 9s sound like as rears.

Razlaw:

They are simplest upgrade for me.

That covers all debates! If the 8,s do not work for you...... put the 1,s back.

I am a big fan of lab2.s but ZERO experiance of lab9,s

Try listening to the rear channels in isolation, i.e. without fronts, sub or centre. You may be amazed to find how little audio bandwidth is played! Then keep this in mind as you look for new rear speakers.

If you want 9's or 8000's as rears for purely aesthetic reasons the fine, go ahead but, as already mentioned by Peter, anything 4000 or above is more than capable, while 9's are probably "audio overkill".

I have done as you suggested. I was amazed how much sound came from and how much more effects were audible from the 9s than the 4000s. Listening to the rears only made me want to upgrade more.