General Forum

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

beocool — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:29:07 GMT

beocool:

To be honest, I didn't like any of the ALT speakers at first sight. Especially the Beolab 5 has a very strong visual presence and in my view you need a pretty big room to make them look right. Adding another tweeter would make the visual appearance even more imposing I fear. Beolab 9's and Beolab 3's blend in much easier.

Sonically all the ALT speakers never failed to impress me. I actually bought a pair of Beolab 3's even though they aren't exactly the best looking speakers in the world. A motorized ALT tweeter like you get in an Audi A8 or Aston Martin certainly would help.

Well, i ended up with a pair of Beolab 5's after all.

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

Dave Moulton — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:40:39 GMT

Thanks for bringing the Meridian M6 to my attention. Meridian is a VERY good audio company, and I'm quite partial to what I've heard of their work, a well as their research and development efforts. That said, the M6 does not compete with the BeoLab 5 at all (no lenses, no ABC, insufficient bass, insufficient power, no digital inputs, other niceties, etc.). It does seem styled to compete with the BeoLab 9, as noted, with some interesting design solutions. I expect it sounds quite good.

Best regards,

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

mbee — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:32:13 GMT

Dave Moulton:
As one of the creators of the Acoustic Lens, I have been surprised that during the nine years since rollout in 2003 the BeoLab 5 has accrued no technological competitors, no imitators, no knockoffs.

The only "contemporary" beolab imitation I've seen to date is the brand new Meridian M6 active speaker, unveiled at this year's CES, which looks like a BL9 without ALT :
http://www.meridian-audio.com/the-collection/loudspeakers/m6-digital-active-loudspeaker-.aspx

But I can't understand how this speaker could sound "right" with only a bass and a large-band speaker (no tweeter!). Maybe for the "more bass and nothing else" generation.

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

Dave Moulton — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:16:32 GMT

As one of the creators of the Acoustic Lens, I have been surprised that during the nine years since rollout in 2003 the BeoLab 5 has accrued no technological competitors, no imitators, no knockoffs.

We (Sausalito Audio) keep studying ways that we might improve on the function and performance of the BeoLab 5 (and, of course, the Acoustic Lens in general), but haven't come up with anything that has proved to be viable in the marketplace. At the same time, we believe that the BeoLab 5 has solved the speaker/room/listener interaction problems better than anything else in production to date.

From a "design" (styling) standpoint, the BeoLab 5 is very much a "form follows function" device, and David Lewis really got the function (and therefore form) right once he figured out the need for lots of bass. I have trouble imagining a styling update that would either improve the performance or even maintain it. So, as you can probably tell, I'm very proud of the BeoLab 5 and don't think there is yet an upgrade that needs to be made.

I'm so spoiled by my BL5s that I simply forget how good they are until I sit in somebody else's living room or home theatre and wonder why the sound is so awful. There's also a sort of "glazed eyes" look of awe I see in guests after they watch a film or listen to a nice surround CD. There's a lot of "I had no idea that music could sound like this . . ."

At the same time, I've sort of "reinvented" stereo in a way that sounds considerably better to me, so now I have trouble even listening to the pair of BeoLab 3s I have installed as so-called "nearfield" monitors in the studio! It's a nice problem to have.

Thanks for listening!

Best regards,

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

Step1 — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:19:50 GMT

leogenghis:

I don't agree that the Lab 9's will "age" faster than the 5's. I might be in the minority here but the 9's were love at first sight, while the 5's looked good only after I learnt the technical prowess behind them, and I still can't get used to the 3's. The thing is that the 9's are a very flowing and unified shape, while the 3's and 5's have various appendages - the ALT tweeter on top of the 3's looking especially unattractive. Simpler, balanced designs usually have longer staying power.

The white Lab 9's in the newest Beo magazine are absolutely breathtaking.

Leo

Agree with this :)

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

cooldude — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:15:50 GMT

david coyne:

Wow, they look fabulous..well in the right surroundings..

I'm a big fan of the 9's myself.. I have them in white, in a white room with aluminium wall set lights. A little minimal for some, but a look i like.

When i figure out how to put pics on here I'll post a few pictures of them in the living room!

David Coyne

Just saw them in the B&O store in White .... first time I got to see them in other than black and they're absolutely stunning .
Also love the pictures of the personalized ones ... would look great in the right interior.

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

david coyne — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:29:13 GMT

Wow, they look fabulous..well in the right surroundings..

I'm a big fan of the 9's myself.. I have them in white, in a white room with aluminium wall set lights. A little minimal for some, but a look i like.

When i figure out how to put pics on here I'll post a few pictures of them in the living room!

David Coyne

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

Chrisreunion — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 11:29:41 GMT

For those of you who want an updated design for BeoLab 5, there's nothing easier: just customize the fabric covers!!

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

leogenghis — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 10:21:03 GMT

Dave: Thanks. The Bugatti Veyron is a good analogy - both it and the Lab 5's are unusual/futuristic/perhaps slightly awkward-looking - at first, that is, but the technologies behind both of them are astonishing and knowing it enhances the beauty of their designs.

Astrauch: Funny you should mention Star Trek - one of my favorite shows! Thing is, these ALT speakers really need an avant-garde interior to show them off at their best. Furniture by Ligne Roset, B&B Italia and Cor as you said would be a good match... I used to have a college-dorm-type futon in my living room. It was pleasant and comfortable but once the B&O took root it looked so out of place!

Leo

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

beocool — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 10:17:28 GMT

astrauch:

And beocool, the idea with the motorized tweeter for BL3 is cool!

Actually, the idea isn't mine. Look at this thread for more information. It's pretty impossible to make it work with the current speaker. There's just not enough space to retract the ALT tweeter.

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

astrauch — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 10:02:26 GMT

I personally have to say that I liked the design from the beginning, the cone shape with the flying saucers on top always reminds me of some kind of "laser-cannon" from Star Trek. And when I read that the design is from 2002/2003 I was a bit surprised, that these speakers are around for more than 6 years. That they still shock people after 6 years is an indication for an innovative and good design.

When I was at my dealer yesterday to order my BL3s, I wasn't able to go past the BL5s without touching the aluminium discs.

A big, white room with a Beosound 5, two Beolab 5 and a purple "Lava" sofa by Cor would be design-heaven for me....

But I'm not a "normal" guy in terms of design, I even like most of the Bangle-BMWs, so I'm not representing the majority.

And beocool, the idea with the motorized tweeter for BL3 is cool!

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

beocool — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:51:22 GMT

To be honest, I didn't like any of the ALT speakers at first sight. Especially the Beolab 5 has a very strong visual presence and in my view you need a pretty big room to make them look right. Adding another tweeter would make the visual appearance even more imposing I fear. Beolab 9's and Beolab 3's blend in much easier.

Sonically all the ALT speakers never failed to impress me. I actually bought a pair of Beolab 3's even though they aren't exactly the best looking speakers in the world. A motorized ALT tweeter like you get in an Audi A8 or Aston Martin certainly would help.

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

soundproof — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 03:19:49 GMT

If someone with better ears than mine was to have his way with the BL5s:

1. Adding one more tweeter, to be dedicated to the range above 6.000Hz.

2. He suspects that the processing dampens output in that same 6.000-20.000Hz range; quite common, in order to avoid complaints about speakers (not just BL5s) being too bright. Tape hiss, etc., from older recordings also becomes more noticeable without this damping.

3. As Wonderfulelectric says - maybe enhance the innards. Above, I mentioned the ability to accept signals at higher resolutions than 24/96. There are blu-ray movies and music with 24/192 already.

The recording I link below can't be played at its highest resolution through BL5s, and has to be processed before the signal is sent to the speakers. Which means you're using the analog-in connection, not the s/pdif. As is also true for the recordings which the ears I mention above is offering to the world (two more having gotten Grammy-nominations recently.)

http://www.amazon.com/Neil-Young-Archives-Vol-1963-1972/dp/B001B8PV4U

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

wonderfulelectric — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:46:52 GMT

What they need is an internal component upgrade and not a design upgrade. Design wise I still love them.

Re: BeoLab 5 - design up to date?

Dave — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:56:22 GMT

I think the BL5 should be availble in a few more colour combinations, but lets remember how good value these speakers really are.I think of the Bugatti Veyron in some respects...