General Forum

Re: Potential New Owner

soundproof — Tue, 01 May 2007 02:38:12 GMT

When I pick speakers I consider the materials in the room they will be in (hard surfaces, wood, textiles, large windows, etc); the size of the room; the kind of music I will be listening to (or is it for movie viewing?); possible distance between speakers; distance from my ears to the speakers; and the space behind my head (potential reflections);etc.

Personal preference will play a part. And sometimes you choose with the eye, instead of with the ear. Which probably accounts for some of the responses in this thread - clearly, we're different!

In the present B&O range, I would prefer BL5 to anything, if you have the space to do them justice. (To work their best, they should have air around them. Moulton recommends up to two meters to any wall to avoid any unwanted reflections).

BL9 over BL1, because they deliver as true a soundstage (at least) with the added benefit of the acoustic lens. Also, the BL9s have the hybrid amplifiers for the mid and top drivers - if you listen to acoustic music (i.e. not processed/mixed but straight from performers to recording medium) you'll notice the advantages of that.

BL3 over BL8000 - because of the acoustic lens. The 8000s are great speakers, yet I find myself increasingly impressed by the benefits of these lenses. The BL3s have a weakness when you push them, but I have never had a problem with that, as I have other speakers I would use for loud listening.

I am particularly fond of the BL4000s - they have a "true sound" quality that I like. I'm not sure whether that is because the shape and weight and size of them are "perfect" for what they are supposed to do, but their sound does stand out, in my opinion. The woofer driver is larger than in the BL6000 and 8000, the tweeter drivers are the same size. But the column speakers "compensate" by having two woofers -- still, it's almost as if the 4000s have a more solid definition of the sound - to my ears.

Risking the ire of B&O I would not use BL9s as rear speakers, because they are floor standers. Ideally, you want side and rear speakers up on a wall for movie listening, to provide an unobstructed soundpath to your ears. BL4000s or BL3s are both great for that. And to those who claim that one should have similar speakers all around: almost no music is produced that requires that, and no movies are - so it would really beg the question "Why?" There are better ways of spending that money if the goal is to create a great home cinema, for instance.

I do not like using independent subwoofers for music listening - it often introduces an artificial boominess that has nothing to do with performance sound, and therefore is just bothersome to my ears. But that's probably also because I almost exclusively listen to acoustic music. The BL5s have an incredibly precise bass, calibrated to the volume of the room and its reflective properties - it is also capable of applying power "just so" - which means the BL5s bass rendition is true to the acoustic performance. (And also why some are dissatisfied with it if they want to shake and rattle the walls.)
In musical genres where the bass is a feature, you'd want a subwoofer with some of these loudspeakers. Though you shouldn't need it with the BL9s and definitely not with the BL5s unless you're a bass maniac.

Re: Potential New Owner

Tue, 01 May 2007 01:46:40 GMT

I'd choose 4000's over 6000's. I've had both. The 4000's are better and cheaper.

Re: Potential New Owner

Peter — Tue, 01 May 2007 00:48:14 GMT

Ryan:
So many opinions, so few facts. Anyway, I feel that someone should point out that while the beosound 9000 will drive 4 speakers, it will only do that with two channels. If you were hoping to get cinema surround sound out of this setup then you have to double the expenditure and incorporate a beosystem 3 or b&o television. This is one area where b&o have a lot of work to do (incorporating 3rd party screens).
You could always do what I did and just live with stereo sound instead of 5.1 channels.

I did!!

Re: Potential New Owner

Razlaw — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 20:22:35 GMT

We have two sets of 4000s, one set on stands and one set as speakers for our computer. We also have a set of Beolab 1 and 6000s in a surround sound setup. Sometimes when I want to listen to music, I actually prefer the 4000s over the 1s. The 1s have more detail but sometimes the 4000s just sound better to me. I agree they are fantastic speakers. That said, I would like to try the acoustic lens technology and have been toying with replacing the 1s with 9s or the 4000s with 3s. I would have to be convinced that they actually did sound better and that would require hearing them in my own home instead of just at the dealer.

Re: Potential New Owner

SWISS_2 — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:38:55 GMT

Good Morning.

I know you both have had about 10+ hours to think this over last night, but I would suggest you enjoy a bit more time with your B&O sales staff today. Take time to listen to each of the speaker options, and don't be rushed.

The BL 4000 has excellent sound, can be mounted vertically or horizontally, or moved about later in and around your sound room. I have a Gold pair that were originally wall mounted, then tried out on the metal stands, and finally placed later on either side of a 42 Plasma as a Home Theatre / Stereo system. Both look and sound just great.

The speaker units sit ontop of the black speaker stands by B&O, but also look equally stunning on masonry, brick, granite, teak, in a bookcase, and even on top of well weathered wood. You can see many of these images at this website, in the catalogue and elsewhere.

Given your investment in the BS 9000 system, the very minor inclusion of a Beoport ( or posssibly Beomedia ) is also something you might look into when you are there today. This wiil further enhance and integrate your system with PC or MAC Photos, Video, N.Music( MP3 ), and about 6000 + Internet radio station choices to enjoy. All with your Beo4 remote.

Let us know how it goes today.

Re: Potential New Owner

Ryan — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:30:32 GMT

So many opinions, so few facts. Anyway, I feel that someone should point out that while the beosound 9000 will drive 4 speakers, it will only do that with two channels. If you were hoping to get cinema surround sound out of this setup then you have to double the expenditure and incorporate a beosystem 3 or b&o television. This is one area where b&o have a lot of work to do (incorporating 3rd party screens).

You could always do what I did and just live with stereo sound instead of 5.1 channels.

Re: Potential New Owner

Tom — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:52:17 GMT

if your speakers absolutely have to be wall-mounted, the 3s are the obvious choice. I SWMBO is kind and there is no budget, she might agree to a BL2, you would have a fantastic setup

Re: Potential New Owner

soundproof — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:16:42 GMT

It must be so confusing to ask for advice here! :-)

Re: Potential New Owner

Justin — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:47:58 GMT

Budget depending, if you like the 3s have you considered 4 x BL3s, front and back, so you have an all ALT set-up
.
I've just had Lab3's wall mounted as rears and think they look great

Re: Potential New Owner

Beobird — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:32:40 GMT

don't buy the lab's 3 !!! The sound for size is maybe good, but some second life 8000's are much and much better.

Re: Potential New Owner

Peter — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 07:54:45 GMT

No problem having four or more speakers as the output from the BS9000 is variable line level. The power amplifiers are in the speakers.You can actually daisy chain the speakers - that is one lead from the BS9000 to one speaker, and then a lead from that speaker to the next and so on. Powerlink cables carry both right and left signals and you select which you want on the speaker. Makes wiring much simpler, particularly for rear speakers in an AV set up. The BS9000 is of course only stereo.

Re: Potential New Owner

DavidStewart — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 07:27:21 GMT

Thanks for all your helop and advice. I'm going back in tomorrow so I'll ask to test drive both the BL3 and the 4000's.

Will the Beosound 9000 be able to handle all 4 speakers?

Sorry for all these questions but I am total novice when it comes to B&O

Re: Potential New Owner

easyJan — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 07:19:41 GMT

The only good path is your own. But don't be afraid to change it to find a better way.

We were planning to renovate a part of the house. As I was going to do the cablework for the hifi-system myself, we decided to install that first to avoid breaking up walls and floors after the renovation.

The initial plan was to add two speakers to the 11 year old 28"Avant, connect a radio/cd-player, have speakers in the kitchen and possibly an extention to the bathroom later on. It ended with a new -possibly the last one sold- 32" Avant (old one broke down in the meantime), linked to a BS 3200, 4x BL 8000 + BL 2 in surround setup, BL 3 in the kitchen and BL 4 in bed- and two bathrooms and Bose 'dug-in' speakers outside.

No, I don't want to show off with my B&O, I have to work very hard to afford this kind of foolishness. The point is, I want to do things properly once I start them (hence it took me 8 months to finish all those hidden cables in my little free time), and you may negotiate better conditions with your dealer. I am very happy with the end result now.To me it was worth the sweat and the money.

In short, I should have said, go for the BL 3's now(they're better) and add BL 4000 later on if you want.

Good luck with your choice.

Jan

btw I am still dreaming about BL 5's though

Re: Potential New Owner

GSHaigh — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 06:55:21 GMT

I started with a pir of BeoLab 4000's and I haven't moved on from them.... while I can hear the clarity of the BeoLab 3's I personally can't justify the additional cost.

I now have another 2 pairs of 4000's in the house. I have however added the BeoLab 2 sub to my main room setup, but mainly for movie watching.

I'd consider buying the BL4000's, you won't be disapointed and then if at a later date you fancy a change you can alway move them to a nother room and link them.

Greg

Re: Potential New Owner

The Beonic Man — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 06:54:44 GMT

It is a very personal choice at the end of the day but I have to say I am a big fan of the BeoLab 4000 speakers. I love their design, especially the placement of the LEDs which turn green when switched on and of course red when switched off. One of them also acts as a power on/off button which I think is very cleverly thought out. They produce fantastic sound there is no question of that. I looked at these years ago, and more recently because I am also going to buy a BeoSound 9000 and will need some speakers to compliment it, so the very fact that they are still such great speakers after so many years says so much about what you get when investing in a B&O product, they are timeless.

I personally would choose them over the BeoLab 6000s which are weaker in comparison in my opinion. I would also choose them over the 6000s from a design point of view. However, the BeoLab 8000s and the 3s (with acoustic lens technology) are more powerful but it depends on the size of your room and how much power you want. Remember that the B&O concept is about furnishing - fitting in as much as looking and sounding the part - so choose what you think best compliments the rest of your room and indeed your house when considering upgrades for the future.

The 4000s are a perfect choice for the BeoSound 9000 and look great when wall mounted. If wall mounting wasn't the option then I would have seriously considered the 8000s (which I already have) because these speakers are arguably the most famous of the B&O range for all sorts of reasons. Having said that, so many B&O products have stood and continue to stand the test of time, so that means whatever you buy will never sit around collecting dust or become obselete, you will simply swap and change things around as your collection grows. I hope that has been so some help. You really won't go wrong with whatever choice you make.

All the best, Simon.