General Forum

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

moxxey — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:25:01 GMT

Alex:

If you want to hear how modern 'authentic' production can still sound great, listen to the Jamie Lidell albums, particularly his latest - JIM, it's brilliant.

I'll tell you what, I bought that 'Empire of the Sun' album from iTunes the other day and it's superbly mastered. Sounds brilliant on the BL3s and BL9s (BL5s have gone...).

As I said before, iTunes-sourced music isn't ripped from CDs any longer. It comes direct from the music company. Therefore the quality of recent iTunes tracks is superb.

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

Alex — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:53:31 GMT

In defense of the Duffy album - it's a marvel of production that they've managed to get it sounding as it does. It's meant to sound like an old-skool 60s Motown album, which is does pretty well. Unfortunately, because it's all based on plugins and computer-recording tech, it still sounds a little to 'good' to be an authentic soul record, and hence sits in an awkward position between a technically great recording, and that authentic sound. In the end, it just ends up sounding flat and IMO a little boring to listen to.

If you want to hear how modern 'authentic' production can still sound great, listen to the Jamie Lidell albums, particularly his latest - JIM, it's brilliant.

RE compressed music, I'm personally happy with anything of 256kbps AAC 90% of the time. 256k MP3 isn't quite the same, but as the entire iTunes store is now at 256k AAC, I feel digital downloads have really come 'of age'. Still, you don't get to hold a physical CD or record when you download music online, and the last two albums I bought from iTunes (Aronas by Aronas, and The Sleeper by The Leisure Society, both of which are stunningly good albums) and that's something I miss. I don't feel I 'own' either of those two albums - I know I can listen to them if I want, but I still feel like I don't 'own' them.

Obviously being a student I don't own a BeoSound 5, so I do wonder if the BeoSound 5 gives it's owners a feeling that they're actually holding/interacting with music they've downloaded...

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

Kevin — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:18:25 GMT

I'm not up on the technology, but I would keep the BS9000 purely from an aesthetic point. The 9000 is the flagship of B&O design. Just my opinion. Cheers.

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

seethroughyou — Fri, 29 May 2009 08:04:34 GMT

there is also one big point a mate of mine brought up!

where can you buy lossless music. apart from several classical sites all the music out there is mp3 upto 320 kps - i can i here difference on my lab5 between mp3 320 and CD...

the only way to get lossless is to buy a CD or borrow a CD off a friend and then rip it to Bs5 in WMA LOSSLESS so we are back to square one. you can't buy lossless pop, rock, dance music etc...

if you love the quality and pleasure of lossless sound then we are still in the era of CDs.

perhaps the Bs9000 shouldn't be sold off just yet??

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

moxxey — Sun, 24 May 2009 07:05:07 GMT

IngvarW:

I changed my BS9000 to a BS5/BM5 some months ago. In my house the music got much better with a more crispy and clear sound. In some tunes I can now hear things I didn´t heared before.

CD mastering can be quite poor, especially CDs from the first few years they were released and latter-day CDs where the mastering seems to be very flat. Try the Duffy album as a very good example.

On the flipside, digital DRM-free tracks from iTunes seem to be far brighter as they are clearly sourced from the original master, rather than recorded from CD. iTunes tracks are now uploaded by the record company, who produce the tracks from the original source, so the clarity and dynamism is often better than the same track(s) on the equivalent CD.

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

IngvarW — Sun, 24 May 2009 06:57:57 GMT

I changed my BS9000 to a BS5/BM5 some months ago. In my house the music got much better with a more crispy and clear sound. In some tunes I can now hear things I didn´t heared before. I have two old BL8000 and I guess with better/newer speakers the sound would be even better.

The easy search for music is also great and the Internet Radio is fun. I uses the Photo album out on my BL7K but the Internet browsing is just some extra thing I have tried two times.

Offcourse the BS9000 was a litte more happening on the wall when it changed CDs but it feel a little history...

I look forward for updates in the near future but as for now the product actually pleases my wishes and needs.

Brgds Ingvar

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

soundchoice70 — Sun, 24 May 2009 05:36:24 GMT

Hey Seethroughyou,

I think given your doubts about the design sensibilities of the BS5 (and in my opinion I think you are right, it does nothing for me as a piece of industrial design)... I would suggest that you stay with the BS9000, it is a design classic, icon, and statement... looking as good today as when it was launched in the 90's... I don't think we will be saying that about the BS5 in 10years...

As Christophe said earlier, connect your BS9000 via beoport or do it wirelessly with an Apple airport express to your itunes library... and you have digital music at your finger tips when you pair this with an iphone or itouch... remember the BS5 also is static, it can't be moved around, the iphone/touch can move around your whole home... and you would still have the beloved BS9000 as a statement piece!

The beauty of the above setup is that it costs so little to do, so that in a 1 years time you could still consider the BS5 if you decide its the better way to go...

Well hope you manage to make a decision,

Laurence.

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

moxxey — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:49:24 GMT

seethroughyou:

i suppose i just need time to accept the design and the way in my eyes in looks anorexic..

To be fair, you are right, in some ways. It took me a while to get used to it and I'm still not convinced about the user-interface. Album covers are too small. My other concern is the BM5 which I feel is too large and difficult to hide, without a cabinet. Should be Mac Mini sized at the most. I'm assuming the only reason it isn't smaller, is that it has to be designed to fit in to the BV9 too?

However, I guess there's very little design work you can do with a digital media device, design-wise?

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

KingOfSnake — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:33:13 GMT

You appear to have missed a viable option, a compromise if you will.

Dependent on your B&O TV, buy the Beomaster 5 and use the TV as an interface, stick with the 9000. Vinyl was supposed to be dead years ago, I favour the CD personally and the 9000, serviced every 5-6 years is a masterpiece.

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

seethroughyou — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:18:44 GMT

i can see that a few of you have made the jump from the beosound 9000 to the beosound 5.

it's functioning is impressive and i agree it enters the digital era better than anything else out there. i hate the way the ipod has multiple options that you have to navigate to and fro through. i think trip described it as getting lost in rooms branching off one another. the bs5's navigation is fantastic and i lovge the flying covers. perhaps the only other remedies would be a song search function. sometimes i yearn to listen to one song and itunes helps me to type in part of it as i can't remember the full name and more playlists. i have 7 or 8 playlists on itunes - rock, classical, r&b, 80s, disco, lounge...etc.

i suppose i just need time to accept the design and the way in my eyes in looks anorexic and weedy on the grey pole of a stand. the unit is much smaller than i expected. i am on the verge to part-exchange but veering to bc2 and i guess for me it's the aesthetics that's restraining me from going for it now....aesthetics, aesthetics,aesthetics....

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

steph — Sat, 23 May 2009 17:44:46 GMT

In fact, i sold my BS9000 1 year ago and waited for the new BS5, the buzz was big on BeoWorld !

I've waited a long time but i'm not worried.

I wanted to enter the full digital world and i'm really happy with this product.

I've chosen the table stand and hidden the cable behind a console and the BM5 in the BS2 cabinet.

Maybe after my Home Cinema will be ready, i would buy the floor stand, so elegant !

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

moxxey — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:18:19 GMT

How would you do it any better? The design and functionality appears to have gone down well. Sure, it's a bit too expensive, but it's designed well.

Simply buy what makes *you* happy, not what will, potentially, make others say 'wow'. I can't see how a 13-year-old product can 'wow' anyone anymore. Walk around Bath and BS9000s are fairly common in various retail stores. Unless someone has been in solitary confinement for 13 years, I can't see how they can be wow'ed by it in 2009.

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

seethroughyou — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:04:10 GMT

b&o are known for their design around the world but 5 years 'design' and all they can come up with a black box and a dial embedded into it...??

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

moxxey — Sat, 23 May 2009 14:02:57 GMT

I don't really buy my kit to make others go 'wow'. Almost no-one does. I have to point out the BL5s to people and they simply say 'they're big!'. Maybe the people who come around my place aren't so fickle to be wow'ed by a 6-CD product from the mid-90s? To be fair, it's been around a bit. It's hardly new.

Re: Exchange BeoSound 9000 for BeoSound 5

seethroughyou — Sat, 23 May 2009 13:55:03 GMT

i know the beosound 9000 makes friends and visitors go "wowwwwww!" when they see that clamp fly up and down.

i'm not convinced that the beosound 5 is anywhere near as impressive. if you're not into hifi or b&o i wonder if it looks like a fancy central heating control or a fancy light switch...!