sorry, thought you were joking.

 

its not bad. could be better though.

It's actually pretty difficult to make it better, it already uses bicubic interpolation across frames, which is a pretty complex thing to do! Ie, it will use information from previous frames to fill out information in the latest frame.

Picture processing in the BeoSystem 3 is about as good as it gets.

some of the components could be much better to be honest. its a little slow. ask any Bangcenter 2 owner

Not so much a limitation of the BeoSystem 3, but merely that it's quite a complex thing going on. I personally haven't had any response time issues when using BeoSystem 3s, I was using one in a BeoLiving setup today, and it responded perfectly quickly. BeoCenter 2 was the DVD player.

maybe its just me!

But fair enough, i know Bang was changing some software in the Center2 to make it work a little quicker, because sometimes they can be a little slow. But the System3 could be much better with regards to the upscaler. But im pretty sure it might be being worked on soon...

I'm interested in knowing exactly how it can be better? What additional technology, specifically, would you use? What chips would you have perform which processes? I'm very interested! I'd love to see how "Dude" would improve my BangSystem!

Well I think the using of subpar components and having many compromises in terms of quality in any product is quite unacceptable. Mind you B&O used to be a cult hifi brand before the 90s when the companies finances are in turmoil. So I don't think having heavily compromised components included in their products are part of a "philosophy" at all.

You  see part of B&O's philosophy is to preserve the integrity of musical production and reditions of pictures, how is that going to happen when the signals are heavily polluted along the way? Of course the experience of using is important and that is the reason why many are still currently buying B&O but what I meant was B&O should start evolving with the times.

You said having a digital input does not matter to you but I think it matters to many other more progressive buyers. The younger generations are more tech savvy and they are having more disposable income than ever. The kids of new money know quality and they are really going for it. Well you can say oh if you are not happy with how B&O are doing things then maybe don't buy it. The thing is I really like how well things go with each other in the B&O product lineup but couldn't tolerate the compromised approach that they have in their products that I had to settle with an alternative brand's product for better qualiy which really frustrates me cos the current system I bought isn't as pretty.

What "subpar" components are you referring? 

In the 80's B&O used Seas drivers in the Penta's which are highly regarded drivers made in Norway.   There are some now who say that the current Peerless or Vifa drivers used in the Beolab 5 are selected only for price and are not the best choice for a speaker of that price range.  This is only one example of that possible debate on components.  It is interesting that the Beolab Penta's were one of the most successful selling speakers B&O ever made.  The Beolab 1 and now the Beolab 9 have not even come close in sales numbers of the Penta? 

There are some very interesting things being done by Meridian, who are uncompromising - and who are implementing DSP and digital connections in their active speakers, and B&O might want to pay attention to that

Here's one example:

http://www.meridian-audio.com/p_md420.htm

And yes, one might wonder at the choice of drivers in BeoLab 5 - though with the active monitoring and synchronous compensation of the drivers, it's unfair to compare with the requirements of passive drivers in a regular speaker design. There are literally millions of compensations being performed to ensure optimum sound production from BeoLab 5 -- on the other hand, why serve caviar on "paper plates"?

expoman:

In the 80's B&O used Seas drivers in the Penta's which are highly regarded drivers made in Norway.   There are some now who say that the current Peerless or Vifa drivers used in the Beolab 5 are selected only for price and are not the best choice for a speaker of that price range.  This is only one example of that possible debate on components.  It is interesting that the Beolab Penta's were one of the most successful selling speakers B&O ever made.  The Beolab 1 and now the Beolab 9 have not even come close in sales numbers of the Penta? 

RE the drivers used in the BeoLab 5s:

The drivers themselves are actually of exceptional quality, and while there is possibility for even better drivers, it would yield no sonic differences. The levels of harmonic and magnitude/time distortion are as low as it gets, and 'better' drivers would just be more tonally linear, which isn't necessary due to the DSP.

Well said Trip.......

Dude1:

"But the System3 could be much better with regards to the upscaler."

Expoman:

"There are some now who say that the current Peerless or Vifa drivers used in the Beolab 5 are selected only for price and are not the best choice for a speaker of that price range."

 

Guys, "Who"? and "How?" 

 Its far too easy to come into a discussion like this and toss around unsubstantiated claims like those.  Especially, Dude, when you make arguments about video processing in the BlueGill3 by complaining about mechanical performance in the BlowFish 2.  To wit:  You can tell that R-R are using a subpar EEC IV system in the Drophead Coupe because the ride in the Corniche is too plush and wallowy.

 It is, after all, a well known fact that 64% of all cocktail party statistics are made up on the spot.  In the spirit of documented arguement, see the link:

http://www.digitalroom.net/index2.html

Russ 

Alex:

expoman:

In the 80's B&O used Seas drivers in the Penta's which are highly regarded drivers made in Norway.   There are some now who say that the current Peerless or Vifa drivers used in the Beolab 5 are selected only for price and are not the best choice for a speaker of that price range.  This is only one example of that possible debate on components.  It is interesting that the Beolab Penta's were one of the most successful selling speakers B&O ever made.  The Beolab 1 and now the Beolab 9 have not even come close in sales numbers of the Penta? 

RE the drivers used in the BeoLab 5s:

The drivers themselves are actually of exceptional quality, and while there is possibility for even better drivers, it would yield no sonic differences. The levels of harmonic and magnitude/time distortion are as low as it gets, and 'better' drivers would just be more tonally linear, which isn't necessary due to the DSP.

Exactly - the processors in each speaker are constantly monitoring driver performance, and adjust them accordingly, in order to ensure proper Sound Pressure Level weight and timing relative to the work they do -- for instance, the effect of the windings will drift with temperature variations, and that will affect the sound due to timing changes, unless the processor compensates... When correctly set up, the BeoLab 5s deliver an amazing resolution of the original music, due to this down to the individual air molecules monitoring. (Exaggerating slightly here.) Passive speakers, or older active designs without monitoring and DSP adjustments, might benefit from even better spec'd drivers, but in the BL5s you really have in excess of what's necessary -- those speakers behave like a jazz saxophone player compared to the pianola of regular speakers.

In fairness, Meridian has taken this a step further, as you can see through the link above, in offering full-bandwidth calibration, phase adjustment, balance weighting, etc. Whether you want/need those additional tweaks is another matter.

Just spent the evening enjoying my BeoLab 5s, together with friends. We always come away astonished that we can have this kind of sound in a regular little room!

I know it as fact. I dont generally make such statements without knowing. I rarely attend cocktail partys. The upscaler is a little slow....a little, so using a more higly specified upscaler would eliviate this issue.

This thread could be debated until the end of time, and probably will.   A point to ponder is that B&O has invested heavily in acoustic lens and ICE power that while making better sounding speakers to the golden ears has not captured the consumer preference the Beolab 8000 and Penta's enjoyed.  So does sound quality really matter or is it only about looks?

expoman:

So does sound quality really matter or is it only about looks?

 

Umm i think that is a little bit extreme. I think that's it's just the balance between form and function that B&O are still trying to achieve perfectly.

The newer ALT speakers are not as neat and pretty but the sound achieved is remarkable, and they are still striking. I get the feeling that as we speak, B&O are working on products in idealand that give the best of both of these worlds. 

I don't agree with the this statement. Times move on. Some like the design of the 90ties that BL6000 and BL8000 have but we are now a century later. I like the BL3s and 5s, while not as dramatic as the 8000 the shape and combination of materials is very unique.

jk1002:

Some like the design of the 90ties that BL6000 and BL8000 have but we are now a century later.

*decade

I'm calling it as i see it, and we all have different opinions of course. I like ALL B&O design, to be frank.

Since the new showroom in our city has opened which is all glass on a very busy street, alot of people that aren't usually exposed to these products, can now see them on display on this street, and i've had feedback that isn't nice from friends and acquaintances that the BL3's and BL9's are ugly. They just look like other HI-FI. It's sad, because i see the conviction in that. So the battle between from and function goes on...

BeoLab 3s and 9 look just like other hifi? Spot the odd one out:

Hello Soundproof. 

Beolab 5s were groundbreaking when it just came out but with the lack of software oriented DSP to keep up with the current times, it is actually starting to lose out. Now you can get better than Beolab5s in room frequency response by just getting a high-surround processor or a DSP. Having said that Beolab5s are still incredible value but just not one of the best in its class. 

I'd have to disagree there, I still haven't heard something as linear and dynamic as the BeoLab 5.

AHH... But is it the most transparent? 

Yes, I've found it to be more revealing than any other speaker I've listened to too, including a pair of install-grade Genelecs...

It's impossible to hear every combination of speaker and amplifier on the market, so I can't outright dispute with Wonderfulelectric, though I doubt very highly that the BeoLab 5s have lost much ground in the past few years.

What I would like to hear from him, however, are concrete examples of what he believes to be a better DSP system, and to what speaker/amplifier combination one could connect it to achieve a better result. Then I'd like to know how much that combination costs and what is involved in the setup. I'd also like to know if this setup exists anywhere outside of a private home so that I could personally audition it. I'd like to know which cable manufacturers he suggests and whether the system can benefit from any additional acoustical treatment outside the use of the DSP on the front end.

Specifics would help greatly in my ability to judge the argument that BeoLab 5s can be bested for anywhere close to their MSRP.