General Forum

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

Ehlerz — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:14:01 GMT

I would definitely get 2 pairs of BL5´s because that´s the same as Batman has...:-)

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

GuyHui — Sat, 26 May 2007 16:54:44 GMT

Well, get the BL5's, they are a Must Have.

For the rear, I would recommend the BL3 due to the fact that they use the same ALT technology as the BL5's. Furthermore, they are doing an excellent job for the rear.

IMHO, adding a pair of BL5 or BL9 for the rear is a waste of money.

Less is more...

Guy

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

soundproof — Sat, 26 May 2007 09:03:54 GMT

pedrompinto:
soundproof,
i intend to use the stand floor and aim the bl3s to the listening area, i say, when seate i'll have a horizontal "line" from my hear towards the bl3s.
i think thats how it should be right ?

That will work if the back of your furniture isn't so high, or dense, that it covers your ears. With floor stands, I would use a couch or chairs where my head is actually clear of the backrest. Otherwise, you're sending the sound into the furniture. (This is why the side and rear loudspeakers in cinemas are up on the wall).

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

pedrompinto — Sat, 26 May 2007 08:34:25 GMT

soundproof:
pedrompinto:
Graeme:
I would go 5s front 9s rear even if you can afford 2 sets of 5s in MHO I dont think you need the quality of 5s for rears, 9's would make fantastic rears in this top end set up you plan.
Regarding the the 5's being away from the wall, I have listened to 5's in three dealers set ups and none of them were 3 mtrs from the wall and they are the best thing I have ever heard in 5.1 and just audio.
I've tested BL5 (front) + BL3 (Rear) and it sounded just perfect. What do you think ?

It's just perfect, is what I think. The BL3s do an excellent job as rears, and you can aim them towards the main listening area.
Only one thing I feel it's worth being aware of with them. If you mount them high on the wall, you should take some time trying out different "aiming positions" on the BL3s. If you shoot too low, the top of the lens ensures that you don't get all the output from the acoustic lens to your ears.

soundproof,

i intend to use the stand floor and aim the bl3s to the listening area, i say, when seate i'll have a horizontal "line" from my hear towards the bl3s.

i think thats how it should be right ?

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

soundproof — Sat, 26 May 2007 07:14:19 GMT

pedrompinto:
Graeme:
I would go 5s front 9s rear even if you can afford 2 sets of 5s in MHO I dont think you need the quality of 5s for rears, 9's would make fantastic rears in this top end set up you plan.
Regarding the the 5's being away from the wall, I have listened to 5's in three dealers set ups and none of them were 3 mtrs from the wall and they are the best thing I have ever heard in 5.1 and just audio.
I've tested BL5 (front) + BL3 (Rear) and it sounded just perfect. What do you think ?

It's just perfect, is what I think. The BL3s do an excellent job as rears, and you can aim them towards the main listening area.
Only one thing I feel it's worth being aware of with them. If you mount them high on the wall, you should take some time trying out different "aiming positions" on the BL3s. If you shoot too low, the top of the lens ensures that you don't get all the output from the acoustic lens to your ears.

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

pedrompinto — Sat, 26 May 2007 05:56:50 GMT

Graeme:
I would go 5s front 9s rear even if you can afford 2 sets of 5s in MHO I dont think you need the quality of 5s for rears, 9's would make fantastic rears in this top end set up you plan.
Regarding the the 5's being away from the wall, I have listened to 5's in three dealers set ups and none of them were 3 mtrs from the wall and they are the best thing I have ever heard in 5.1 and just audio.

I've tested BL5 (front) + BL3 (Rear) and it sounded just perfect. What do you think ?

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

pedrompinto — Sat, 26 May 2007 05:55:02 GMT

Graeme:
Hey Peter yoy want to come to my wedding?
My gift list is in the B&O shop in Aberdeen

Humm... it seems a good ideia... strange too! Having in mind that we don't know each other. eheheh

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

Graeme — Fri, 25 May 2007 11:40:07 GMT

I would go 5s front 9s rear even if you can afford 2 sets of 5s in MHO I dont think you need the quality of 5s for rears, 9's would make fantastic rears in this top end set up you plan.

Regarding the the 5's being away from the wall, I have listened to 5's in three dealers set ups and none of them were 3 mtrs from the wall and they are the best thing I have ever heard in 5.1 and just audio.

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

Graeme — Fri, 25 May 2007 11:31:18 GMT

Hey Peter yoy want to come to my wedding?

My gift list is in the B&O shop in Aberdeen

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

pedrompinto — Fri, 25 May 2007 04:16:45 GMT

mor:
risking that members will call me naive: the idea of more speakers is that each speaker performs a specific purpose.
I agree with everyone that BL5 with a 2 is not meant to be. But at the same time I dont see a reason for four 5s unless you're really into four channel audio recordings. Don't only go with what's supposed to be perfect - get your dealer to let you sample the options at your house! I have opted for 1s and 8000s in my last home - and honestly consider going back to four 8000s and a 2 ...
Sound is a very subjective choice!

You're quite right, but the ideia of discussing all this matters regarding BL5 / BL9 / BL3 & BL2, is to be aware of all the possibilities that such pick could give to the customer having in mind the sound / movie choice and, of course, both.

I found all this threads rather important, at least for me.

Like i said before, the knowledge is important but the "test drive" can be decisive to match the technical solution with the room that each of us have.

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

mor — Thu, 24 May 2007 18:17:28 GMT

risking that members will call me naive: the idea of more speakers is that each speaker performs a specific purpose.

I agree with everyone that BL5 with a 2 is not meant to be. But at the same time I dont see a reason for four 5s unless you're really into four channel audio recordings. Don't only go with what's supposed to be perfect - get your dealer to let you sample the options at your house! I have opted for 1s and 8000s in my last home - and honestly consider going back to four 8000s and a 2 ...

Sound is a very subjective choice!

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

pedrompinto — Thu, 24 May 2007 06:04:13 GMT

soundproof:
saf:
Half-jokingly: it doesn't really matter if one starts with BL9 instead of the 5's because one day soon you will probably end up having both...

You're right, and even if not in the same system, I think listeners will appreciate the sound of the acoustic lenses to the point that this is what you'd like to have throughout your quality listening experiences (not just background music). Both speakers are great, so I can understand why pedrompinto is having trouble choosing.
Listen at home. There are rooms, even large ones, where the BL5s (or other expensive speakers) don't deliver as expected. Sometimes it's mysterious how a particular speaker just seems to fit a room better than another, more expensive one.

At the present moment i'm quite aware of the possibilities that i have, i just need to test / hear them & decide what i'm going to buy.

Patience is always a good quality.

Thanks to you all.

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

soundproof — Thu, 24 May 2007 00:51:52 GMT

saf:
Half-jokingly: it doesn't really matter if one starts with BL9 instead of the 5's because one day soon you will probably end up having both...

You're right, and even if not in the same system, I think listeners will appreciate the sound of the acoustic lenses to the point that this is what you'd like to have throughout your quality listening experiences (not just background music). Both speakers are great, so I can understand why pedrompinto is having trouble choosing.

Listen at home. There are rooms, even large ones, where the BL5s (or other expensive speakers) don't deliver as expected. Sometimes it's mysterious how a particular speaker just seems to fit a room better than another, more expensive one.

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

saf — Thu, 24 May 2007 00:12:04 GMT

Hi Soundproof,

I was just joking regarding your plan to position the BL6000s - of course, everyone is free to do what they want.

I also agree with your V8 allegory etc., ie having 2 BL5 plus some other BL is just fine for movie experience. Personally, I would now only consider having more BL5 if I a had huge and carefully laid out living room in which different combinations of playing speakers could create different choices of listening/viewing zones (eg TV plus projector, stereo music either from the front or the left etc). But this would need also BS3/BV9 ... and a lot of $$$

Half-jokingly: it doesn't really matter if one starts with BL9 instead of the 5's because one day soon you will probably end up having both...

Re: BL5 or BL9 ? That's the question.

soundproof — Wed, 23 May 2007 23:48:13 GMT

saf:
soundproof:
In my own home theatre I plan to use BL6000s as side and rear speakers, mounted up on the wall and lying horizontally, with the "bottom" of the speakers pointing into the rear corners...
I think you should (or perhaps shouldn't) consult D. Lewis on this one...

Hi Saf,

Given my knowledge of film-sound I find it unnecessary to use BL5s in the back. It would be like having a V8 engine and running a maximum of three cylinders. Makes no sense.

For multi-channel music that has been mixed specifically for uniform speaker setups - such as the music David Moulton demonstrates with up to five BL5s, yes.

My personal preference is for stereo or three-speakers-in-front music reproduction.

My side and surround speakers would only be used for movies and tv programs - the relationship in power between front and side rear would match that of excellent movie theatres with the BL6000s.

The new DSP algorithms make three-speakers in front a realistic possibility again. This is a superior form of recreating the musical soundstage and BeoSystem 3 does a good upsample to three channels. I haven't checked which DSP method BeoSys3 uses though.

The Trifield circuitry is available in Meridian products - am hoping for something similar in BeoSys3. Will then use listening tests to determine whether I'll also want a BL5 as center.

http://www.stereophile.com/features/407upward/

http://www.meridian-audio.com/p_568.htm