General Forum

Re: B&O compared to Marantz????

soundproof — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:03:17 GMT

Yesterday I went and picked up a Beomaster 6500 made in 1990. I don't see myself doing that with 17 years old Marantz products. The seller also had a Beocenter 9500 and a pair of Penta speakers. He'd had dozens of phone calls for the items since listing them ...

I agree, these boxes have looked the same now since forever.

Tell your brother that all of the above is covered by a BeoCenter 2 (though the DVD-player I listed does 1080p and the CD-player does SACD, among other formats that B&O have deselected). But in one compact unit -- with a hidden socket unit - BC2 does it all. And a damn sight more elegantly.

Re: B&O compared to Marantz????

BenSA — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:58:18 GMT

Thats probably the thing that irritates me the most is that he can afford to buy B&O yet he bought Marantz! Makes me cringe. Even my parents chucked their hifi system out so that they could use my BM 4400 and Bevox 5700. I suppose each to their own!

Re: B&O compared to Marantz????

Graeme — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:55:34 GMT

Very true, that is why I ended in "IMO" so as not to cause too much upset

Re: B&O compared to Marantz????

sverreh — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:50:13 GMT

You are in for a never ending war, as matters of taste can never be settled.

Sverre

Re: B&O compared to Marantz????

Graeme — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:48:44 GMT

Its shocking really

Look at the design of "opium for the mases" type equipment over the last 25 years, it has gone from silver to black, black to silver a touch of bronze and gold now and then, and that is it. In 1979 I had a sony system that didnt look much different from the above.

Look at the design and build quality of B&O in the same space of time, B&O systems from 1979 are still fetching £5-600.

I am sure your brother is simply excited about his new purchase, but the reality is he should have spent his money on some quality B&O gear! IMO!

Re: B&O compared to Marantz????

BenSA — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:19:54 GMT

Thanks, at least I know what it looks like. I don't like it and like Graeme said it won't have much resale value. I'm sure a new B&O system would definitely blow the Marantz away!!

Re: B&O compared to Marantz????

soundproof — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:14:46 GMT

This one, then:

The CD-player that goes with that was the EISA winner in 2006-2007.

The DVD-player is quite versatile:

SACD

DCDi Faroudja

HDMI

HDMI 1080P

192/24 audio d/a konverter

216/12 bit video d/a konverter

RS-232

There's even a tuner:

And it all adds up to a lot of metal - but also some excellent performance. The amps are 2x70w.

Given that the 3500 is a more basic model in the B&O range, you may be in trouble. But you can always get back at him by upgrading to Beosystem 6500/7000; or hit him with a pair of Beolab 5s or 3s (the latter also useful as headphones, believe me!)

Re: B&O compared to Marantz????

joeyboygolf — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:12:52 GMT

Basically, it looks like a pile of sh.t now and what's more that's about all it will be worth in 12 month's time. The B&O however will still look good and be worth good money when his Marantz is in the skip somewhere.

Re: B&O compared to Marantz????

BenSA — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:08:18 GMT

He was only willing to divulge that it had the 7001 amp?

Re: B&O compared to Marantz????

soundproof — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:04:43 GMT

So - what did he buy?

Spectacular, indeed.
Actually, Marantz has excellent sound - but the look and styling leaves something to be desired. At least McIntosh are adamant about keeping their retro styling, where Marantz tries to make their boxes look new ...

I don't think your brother will bulldoze your 3500, but nor will you wipe the floor with his Marantz. If he bought the Pre-Amp/Full Amp setup, then he's got aural bliss going on (depending on the speakers, and his taste in music).

B&O compared to Marantz????

BenSA — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:57:35 GMT

My brother just bought a new Marantz sound system (after giving back my Beocenter 7002 that he broke!!). Anyway i didn't have a problem with that till he turned his nose up at my Beosystem 3500 and said his system is spectacular. I haven't had the joy of seeing or listening to it but I looked online and they don't look nice at all. SO i was wondering how do B&O compare to Marantz if at all? To be 100% I need some ammunition to fire back at him I'd rather have an old B&O than a new Marantz or is that just silly?