Penta passives v MC120.2

Hi

I have been using Pentas connected to various B&O receivers for many years, but I recently started using my MC120.2s and in a side by side comparison playing a mono Beatles Revolver, the MC's sound better, both sets of speakers have been re-foamed. The MC's sound Brighter and have a better bottom end and clearer overall midrange. Are the MC120's really the better speakers for a Beomaster 6000 (80's) and a Beomaster 8000 which I have just acquired?

Cheers

 

An insider at B&O confided in me that the MC120.2s were the best B&O passive speaker made. They are certainly very good though I always found my similar S120s a little bass light. Very detailed though. The bass will be more detailed than the pentas as the larger drive unit is better suited than the multiple small units on the penta.

Its a moot point now, I recently got a pair of Beolab 8000's and they are a lot better to my ears than the Penta's and somewhat better than the MC120's

8000s better than Pentas and MC120? I have all three pairs of speakers and find 8000s to be inferior to Pentas and MC120.2. They do have nice treble though and work well with my Beosystem AV9000. Cheers, Kai

Hey we meet again

I am 60 now and my high end hearing loss makes me much happier with the brighter sounding 8000's however its very close with the MC120's but the 8000s look so much better, anyway I have loads of other B&O all over the house so the Pentas and MC's aren't going to waste.

Actually what this really shows is that speakers are very individual choices. All sorts of things can influence what you like!

Agree with Peter, it is a personal choice. In my study the Beovox Penta's with the Beomaster 6000 sounds fantastic to me - much better than the BM6500 and BL8000's which are now at the flat and look great - they work well with a projector and subwoofer but for musicality I prefer the Penta's and Beomaster - sounds much more like hifi

Love the design of the MC range though and would like to be able to compare with the Penta's

I recognise that quandary!

I've heard the Beovox Pentas with a Beomaster 8000 and fine loudspeakers they are. I've even considered buying a pair but for a variety of reasons - mostly aesthetic, I chose not to.

I've had a pair of Rosewood MC120.2s for 4 or 5 yeas now and have used them with, amongst other things, the Beomaster 8000, a Beocenter 7007 and a Beosystem 6500. Whilst I appreciate they are excellent loudspeakers I really hanker after a pair of Beolab 8000s, particularly to partner the 6500. I know the limitations of the 8000s but I can live with those. They are simply, the most beautiful of loudspeakers.

So, for what it's worth, I have decided to sell on my MC120.2s (currently on sale as part of a 7007 based system on a well-known auction site) with every intention of using the funds as a contribution toward buying a pair of Beolab 8000s. I guess this is the question. Can I live with the limitations of the 8000s for the sake of a piece of stunning industrial design? The answer is a very definite yes.

The other thing is my partner hates Rosewood!

Cleve

Honestly, a good and all original pair of MC 120.2 is hard to find. 8000s can easily be had. I would never trade 120.2s for 8000s for that reason alone.

By the way - MC120.2s look great, too - better than the similar 45s in my opinion. The grills resemble those on the Beolab 90 a bit. But they are less modern, of course.

Cheers, Kai

Well, speaking as someone who's owned BL8000s since '97 I think you'll be happy with them Cleviebaby. Plus you can always add a BL11 or BL2 if you crave more bass. Truly perhaps the single most stunning and iconic of B&Os and Lewis's designs together.