General Forum

Re: BeoLab 4000,- now driven by ICEpower!

355f — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 08:20:35 GMT

Fact is that B&O use very cheap drive units in these 'lifestyle speakers' I think for B&O to be taken seriously they want to stop the 6000. It is not possible to produce the standard required with CHEAP paper drive units that measure 3 or 4 in.

Re: BeoLab 4000,- now driven by ICEpower!

wonderfulelectric — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 07:31:31 GMT

Beolab 6000 has two and not one mid/bass drivers so cone exursion will be distributed leading to lower distortion because of the greater sum of surface area. They can try replacing those cheap drivers though. I wonder why hasn't B&O pass all the manufacturing of drivers to scanspeak yet since they have a long history of using their drivers, B&O can certainly take advantage of their technologies and not necessarily raising the costs of production.

Re: BeoLab 4000,- now driven by ICEpower!

Alex — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 04:40:52 GMT

That's always going to be difficult. Slimmer cabinets means smaller drive cones, which means less cone excursion and higher resonating frequencies. It's not all about bass though, and I suppose smaller cones also means less cone breakup and hence better midrange. Can't be sure if they will update the 6000s, but it was mentioned a while back on the forum...

Re: BeoLab 4000,- now driven by ICEpower!

wonderfulelectric — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 02:48:02 GMT

Anyone has a feeling that they will upgrade the Beolab 6000 to be better sounding than the Beolab 4000? I simply admire the design of the Beolab 6000 but not very convinced with the sound.

Re: BeoLab 4000,- now driven by ICEpower!

Peter — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:16:22 GMT

As stated before, the output has not fallen - just the input!! The fact that they have identical sound pressures would suggest that the actual power output to the speakers is pretty similar!

As far as power is concerned, expecting the BL4000s to go very loud in a large room would be unrealistic but for the task for which they are designed, they are fine. Remember that most music when listened to will use less than 1W. The bit that really uses the juice is however, as has been pointed out, the bottom end and it is of course perfectly feasible to add a BL2 to your 4000s to give some real power!

Re: BeoLab 4000,- now driven by ICEpower!

Alex — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 13:02:30 GMT

Not necessarily. Yes of course equalisation requires a much greater output, but just because the measured output has decreased, it doesn't mean you're going to end up with less driving capability.

Either way, the reports so far seem to indicate that the ICE Powered BeoLab 4000s now produce more low frequency (whether this is just more extended, or a greater amount, I'm not sure).

Re: BeoLab 4000,- now driven by ICEpower!

wonderfulelectric — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 12:27:12 GMT

Deep bass from small enclosures do mean you need lots of power my friend. You need the bass driver to move a greater distance to create the same amount of bass you get from a larger one. Ever wonder why subwoofers need high power? An amplifier with high output will also mean that it can handle more complex recording better for example an orchestra. Also have you ever wondered whether why speakers used to be way bigger before when amplifiers could only spit a few watts? Watts doesn't mean everything, very often it's the quality that matters. I mean it is always good to have more power. That is one of the reasons why digital amplifiers are invented right? What I meant by active equalisation means equalising the input signal so that it essentially boosts the bass response of a loudspeaker. If like what you said, it just depends on lowering the resonant frequency of Bl4000 then any speakers of similar cabinet volume on the market can go as low as BL4000 without any additional help. Also for extra info applying this kind of equalisation means pushing the bass drivers to the limits, distortion will go up accordingly. So you see there are very little ways to bend the laws of physics.

Re: BeoLab 4000,- now driven by ICEpower!

Alex — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 15:08:52 GMT

wonderfulelectric:
Oh I am both in delight and disgust. Delighted by the upgrade and disgusted by the total corporate implementation of the upgrade. 35watts from digital amplifiers? Come on..... Isn't the benefit from digital amplifiers suppose to be limitless undistorted power at your disposal? They probably settle on this power rating to fit BL 4000 comfortably in the product lineup. Deep bass from small encolsures with small drivers needs big power.

Watts do not mean ANYTHING. I could deafen you with 25 watts of power, and at the same time, some systems would struggle to get any kind of decent volume with that amount of power. And no, deep bass from small enclosures does not demand large amounts of power. The resonating frequency of the BeoLab 4000s has been pulled down by the way they're tuned, although obviously there will be a certain power requirement. Don't forget though, watts means nothing truly in terms of an amplifier's output. Certain microsystems pop to mind, for example JVC make a (seemingly popular) microsystem with 150 watts RMS per channel, and yet it really doesn't go to a particularly high volume, simply because the amplifier has poor power reserves.

I used to run B&W DM303s (comparable to the BeoLab 4000s in terms of size), with a 25 watt per channel NAD amplifier (my first proper hifi system), and it could play ear-splittingly loud in a moderate room. Honestly, 35 watts on each drive cone is more than you would need in most situations.

Re: BeoLab 4000,- now driven by ICEpower!

wonderfulelectric — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:07:46 GMT

Oh I am both in delight and disgust. Delighted by the upgrade and disgusted by the total corporate implementation of the upgrade. 35watts from digital amplifiers? Come on..... Isn't the benefit from digital amplifiers suppose to be limitless undistorted power at your disposal? They probably settle on this power rating to fit BL 4000 comfortably in the product lineup. Deep bass from small encolsures with small drivers needs big power.

Re: BeoLab 4000,- now driven by ICEpower!

Peter — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:17:09 GMT

Seriously - try Firefox. It really is much better and, in my experience, faster. It is my default browser now - I almost never use Safari now.

Re: BeoLab 4000,- now driven by ICEpower!

Alex — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 13:04:55 GMT

I now use the Safari 3 beta. Much more reliable than Safari 2, and has some cool new features! Still doesn't work with BeoWorld though, but it's the only site now which gives issues. M$ say they are fixing it with the next Community Server update though...

Re: BeoLab 4000,- now driven by ICEpower!

Dave — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 12:44:53 GMT

Peter:
The site just doesn't work with Safari (It is Microsoft based!!) Use Firefox - it is free and if you are like me you won't look back!

Argh it is a pain, as owning an imac is so practical except for this darn Safari internet browser. Cheers Peter!

Re: BeoLab 4000,- now driven by ICEpower!

Peter — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 12:33:53 GMT

The site just doesn't work with Safari (It is Microsoft based!!) Use Firefox - it is free and if you are like me you won't look back!

Re: BeoLab 4000,- now driven by ICEpower!

Dave — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 11:57:32 GMT

The design of the beolab 4 justifies the price in my opinion and these newer designs that b&o are churning out certainly seem to provoke controversy amongst those of us who are simply in love with the earlier design philosophies - i.e BL8000, avant, BV5, BS9000, etc.

The thing that has shocked people about my BL4000's is the part when i sometimes take off one of the frets. Far out! The full, rich sound is a hell of an achievement from these speakers regarding their size, and they just look and sound SO fantastic when placed in a prefferable manner. How do i put up the pictures (of our latest setup with BS4 & BL4000) i've shot with my camera (i have safari) on the thread...?

Cheers,

Dave