My Current set up is: BL 5's (L&R),  BL 7.4 (centre), and a newly purchased BV7-40 MkIII. Would a set of BL 4000's be a suitable rear set of speakers for a cinema set up.

Please bear in mind that I am now very short of cash having bought the BV to replace my Avant.

 

Thanks for any suggestions. 

Personally, i think a pair of used BeoLab 6000's would be just fine if you're on a budget!

Do you actually need rear speakers? I have never experienced surround sound, I had just assumed that the rear speakers put out the same sound as the front L+R speakers.

No, not at all.  In a 5.1 surround set-up the rear speakers bring the whole thing to life!

Actually I am not a huge fan of rear speakers. You do need them I suppose but they are in my opinion the least cost effective part of the set up. 4000s or 6000s depending on where you want to put them will be fine. I prefer 4000s as speakers but they don't get that much of a work out!

Thank you for your fast replies.

 

How far back should the rear speakers be? I have two choices: Right behind the sofa (BL 4000s on stands), or about 5 meters away (wall mount).

 

Guess I will be giving LifestyleAV a ring on Monday (I really can't stretch to new....and I guess if they are not being worked hard it does not matter that much)
 

BeoLab 4000s are more fexible than BeoLab 6000s. They can be mounted up high and angled/mounted in different positions, whilst BeoLab 6000s usually end up firing straight into the back of your sofa (depending on where they're positioned).

The rear speakers often aren't used very well, but some movies to make fantastic use of surround sound. Saving Private Ryan and The Matrix are both incredible for surround-sound effects. Lord Of The Rings is also very impressive, although with Saving Private Ryan you can almost feel the bullets whizzing past you.

A lot of the time though, I'd agree with Peter! They don't add a massive amount to the experience most of the time. On the special occasion though, they can be very impressive...

I have 4000s on the wall just behind the sofa!

We started out with 4000s and 6000s and switched them back and forth. We found we preferred the 6000s in the front and the 4000s in the rear. Although this may have partly been due to the fact we liked the 6000s better and wanted them in the front. The 4000s, as mentioned here, have the flexibility of being placed on the wall up high where the rear speakers belong. I do disagree that rear speakers only put out some ambient noise. For the last few years we have had 1s in the front and 6000s in the rear. We recently purchased a pair of Beolab 9s for the front. I thought I would see what it would be like to put the 1s in the rear. I was surprised at how much better the surround sound was. I realize most would say that they are too much for rears and a waste of 1s, but the sound from them along with the height, similiar to mounting the 4000s on the wall, although still not as high as the 4000s could and should be mounted, really is a great improvement over the 6000s. I have thought of moving the 1s to another room for music (where we have 4000s now) but my wife likes them too much as rears for me to do so.

Hi, I have BeoLab 3 as front & BeoLab 4000 as rear speakers, and I find them very good for the role. Previously I had BeoLab 2500 as rears, and the difference was quite noticeable when I replaced them by the 4000s. Now I'm even thinking of replacing the 4000s by another set of BL 3 or a BeoLab 7-1, wall mounted and with twice fewer cables.

On good movies like Star  Wars or Lord of the Rings, and on live concert DVDs, the rear speakers change the whole experience, and on music I now use "speaker 4" all the time, the Lab 4000 as placed high above ear level, nearly on the ceiling, and the bass lifting is amazing, this shows you how placement can change things..

I think the 4000 are ideal as rear speakers if you're on tight budget, they are very versatile in placement/mounting options and the sound is very good. 

I have just purchased a set of 4000 from Lee and I think they are ideal for the job. I was lucky in that mine included the brackets so you will have to ask Lee about that and if they are not available factor in the cost. It may be that by the time you do that there will be very little difference between the two (at Lees prices). You will have increased flexibility from the 4000 and I think they sound better anyway.

I haven't added a sub yet so my recent experiences are probably akin to where you want to go and I would say that it does make a difference, sometime a big difference, to the movie experience. As has been said before on this site this can be extended to music if you are in party mode by using speaker4 settings.

If you can go for it do so and don't worry about second hand in this context they aren't going to overwork.

 

 

 

 

Considering you have bl5 for front speaker, bl4000 for rears might be not enoughif you listen at high volume. You will have to change the front/rear balance to get an equilibrated sound at normal volume, but when turning the volume up, the 4000 might saturate...

I would consider bl3 for rears in that kind of high end setups...

To be quite accurate, the Lab 4000 goes up to 97 dB, wheareas Lab 3 goes up to 94 dB...so the 3 will saturate slightly before the 4000!

Yet, if sound balance is your concern, indeed the Lab 3 should suit better with the Lab 5 as front speakers (ALT + ICE amplifiers in both speakers).  

Not so sure about the 97vs 94dB issue : in real lif, the 3's seem more able to feel a big room than the 4000... Maybe it's the ABL which is set to protect more the 3's. In fact sound pressure is mostly created by the bass, and I'm not so sure that a rear speaker in a cinema setup has to generate a lot of bass.

Sorry I should have introduced myself:

I am Harvey, long time reader....first time poster!  

I have been addicted to B&O since my parents left the country and donated their avant to me. I have become addicted ever since...... 

 

Thanks for all your advice. No doubt I will need more help when my Beo5 arrives, and I have my first multiroom masterlink. I cant wait! 

I use a pair of BL4000 as rear speakers (bought a demo pair. Very happy with them!

For your setup try to use the DD rules found on the site www.dolby.com.

The correct setup makes a lot of difference in my experience.

Bieele 

 

Nice diagram! (B&W must be sponsoring ...)

I would go for BL 3, since the rest of system uses ALT

I'd agree, BeoLab 3s if you can afford them, but if not, BeoLab 4000s would be your best option...

Hi

Maybe you can help me.  I am using 4000 as rears for my HT.  I am having a problem with the auto on/off feature.  During quiet scenes the speakers turn off, then turn back on when signal is sent to rears.  This noise can be very annoying during movies.  Do you know how to prevent this from happening??  I am currently using RCA cables for the connections. 

Please help. 

They work very good as rear speakers.

I've just purchased two Beovision 8's, and experimented with a pair of BL 4000 in a large room upstairs with one BV 8 and the 4000 as rear speakers. The speakers work best for us when canted on the plastic stands made for the units. As long as there is nothing blocking the speaker ( couch, bed, or cabinet ) the 4000 is an excellent rear speaker compliment.

.

pdopeter:

Hi

Maybe you can help me.  I am using 4000 as rears for my HT.  I am having a problem with the auto on/off feature.  During quiet scenes the speakers turn off, then turn back on when signal is sent to rears.  This noise can be very annoying during movies.  Do you know how to prevent this from happening??  I am currently using RCA cables for the connections. 

Please help. 

The RCA cables are the issue, or part of it. You need to connect them via PowerLink cables really, as these carry dedicated on/off signals, unlike RCA cables for which the BeoLab 4000s will just switch off if they detect little or no sound.

My primary AV system (BS3 and 65" plasma) has BL5s as front speakers. I originally used a BL7-2 for the center channel, BL 6000s for side surround speakers, and BL 4000s for rear channel speakers, but was never 100% happy with the results. The BL5s had a cleaner, crisper sound profile, and the older 6000s and 4000s sounded dull in combination with them. I eventually replaced the center, side surround, and rear speakers with three pairs of BL3s and am much more satisfied with the overall results. 

I have recently set up a second AV system driven by a BV7: the speakers are the BL7-2, two pairs of BL6000s for front and side speakers, and the BL4000s for rear speakers, with a BL2 subwoofer to compensate for the lack of low frequency response of the BL 6000s. The BL7-2, one pair of BL6000s, and the BL 4000s were all recycled from my primary system. These speakers all work together very nicely, although I find it desirable to run the speakers at somewhat higher levels than the primary system to compensate for the lower clarity and more limited high frequency dispersion of these older design speakers.

The bottom line for me is that it is best not to mix ALT and non-ALT speakers in one system. The BL5s are best complemented by other digital ALT models, and the older analogue designs are happier with their own kind. The BL7-2 is a digital design, but, lacking ALT, it sounds best with the older non-ALT models.

Hello!

I have a surround system consisting of an Avant (centre), BL 5 and BL 4000 in the rear. In my opinion the rear speakers sound great, and you really do need them if you want to be a part of the music and/or movie. I also am considering the BV7-40...

My left rear speaker is actually about 8 meters from my ear when you sit in centre of the TV, while the right is about 3 meter. I was a bit sceptical at first but it works just fine. You adjust the distance in the setup menu.

Regards, Torbjorn