B&O rewrites the loudspeaker rule book

[orangeart]

I've got a mate who deals in used B&O tellies. All of the boards in the back are not only available to repair them but are cleverly designed to be user replaceable.

 

[adamdea]

Jon,

...

I'm not knocking anyone who has the dough and wants to spend it on the latest bit of hi-fi but I'm done chasing rainbows. My system is more than good enough to hear what's on a record, CD or SACD.

Joe

Sure and it frees up time to concentrate on getting the the right equipment supports and cables.

 

[Joe P]

Adam,

It is telling that over time electronics generally gets cheaper and better, unless it's electronics found in audio equipment. Then, each year it becomes more expensive than the last.

Joe

 

[Anh]

..... but that's about it and there's always overseas interest.

This is it.

Especially in the most expensive suites in very swanky hotels outside of Europe and the Americas.

For many of us on normal salaries, to debate whether it's priced accordingly to SQ is a moot point.

 

[merlin]

The great thing about flagship products sold to wealthy 'audiophiles" is, IME, that those wealthy individuals eventually tire and have to satiate their need for new material goods. That means flagship products do trickle down to levels where a hard working man just might be able to compromise on another area of their life to pick up something special.

 

[Tony L]

Indeed. The dearer the kit the larger percentage it drops too!

 

[sunbeamgls]

Stereophile not impressed with the 50s

https://www.stereophile.com/content/janas-day-two-rmaf

 

[merlin]

Stereophile advertisers don't sell them.

 

[Jonboi]

Jon,


Sure, if you buy high-end specialist separate components brand new the Beolab 50s aren't expensive comparatively, but I don't think many pink fishies are buying expensive separates these days.

I'm certainly not. My speakers and amp cost me at $5k Cdn — $3.5k for Tannoy GRFs and $1.5k for a Manley Stingray — and I doubt I could get anything like it from active speaker manufacturers for the dough. A pair of Devialet Phantoms costs more, small active ATCs definitely do. Kii Threes most definitely cost a lot more.

I'm not knocking anyone who has the dough and wants to spend it on the latest bit of hi-fi but I'm done chasing rainbows. My system is more than good enough to hear what's on a record, CD or SACD.

Joe

Joe, I would agree, My system now is also more than good enough to hear what's on a CD, SACD or movie soundtrack, and I have no plans to 'upgrade', change or sell.

I guess (I've yet to hear them) my interest in the Beolab 50's is how they compare to the 90's in performance terms and the technology in general and what it offers.

I think that's called being a HiFi enthusiast..lol... or maybe just a gear head..lol

Cheers

 

[Jonboi]

They aren't a bargain, they aren't even close in engineering terms to the 90s, i get the bigger speaker despite it's strange sock/golf bag cover it's still a form following function design, i can get where the money has gone. The 50 look like injection molded plastic with a bit of formed alloy (for decoration) with some bits of wood on the side.

I have yet to see one, but I would guess the Beolab 50's cabinet is made out of composite materials, laminated, varying thickness, ribbed and braced to give rigidity and control resonance. And yes, that is aluminium and wood decorating it.

I'm not aware of any engineering disadvantages of building cabinets out of composite materials as against MDF, and I guess shiny aluminium decoration and wood trim competes for most modern homes with lacquered/polished wood veneers over MDF, with exposed speaker drivers and chrome trim rings etc, and maybe the odd tweeter perched on top for visual as well as sonic effect.

It's still a box speaker, just different materials and trim. About the only thing it lacks compared to many other speakers, is a reflex port.

Personally I much prefer acoustic suspension or infinite baffle bass loading to reflex ports, but that's a personal taste thing on my part.

Cheers

 

[tuga]

For the rest of us who are too lazy to read the 165 pages, could someone summarise the key points?

They've re-written the rule book.

 

[Beobloke]

initial impression based on website images. The design truly bothers me; it resembles a poorly pitched portable tent. Then, however, I noticed them without the mesh and was present for the horror. Do not misunderstand; this is true B&O just due to this. My favourite.

The statement that "reinvented the loudspeaker" is unclear to me. It has been done for many years to use many drivers in a multidirectional setup, even when they are active. For the rest of us who are too lazy to read the 165 pages, could someone summarise the key points?

- 13 drivers.
- 8200W of amplification per speaker
- 3 analogue and 3 digital inputs
- Full remote control
- ‘narrow’, ‘wide’ and ‘omnidirectional’ listening modes
- Come complete with microphone that can be used to automatically configure the sound for the room and also optimise it to whatever position in the room you choose.
- Multiple storable options for the above. Not sure how many - I only use two.

The positions of the drivers are not just to shock and horrify people. They are where they are for a reason and the styling was built around this. Yes, it’s a bit quirky and not to everyone’s taste and yes it does look a bit like a slightly collapsed golf bag (that description still makes me laugh!) but they look better when in a room, in my opinion.

Heck, Mrs. B loves them and she’s notoriously hard to please when it comes to speakers.

 

[gustav_errata]

Joined the forum, revived a nearly 6-year old thread to complain about B&O, but still took the time to sneak in a spam link. Ignore.