ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Hi,
To start, a little bit of history : I started with a Beocenter 2300 with its Beolab 2500. It was good, I was a student and for a student room it was highly sufficient and produced a better sound than my previous ugly hifi.
Then I got my first job, my first flat with a small living room, so it was time to get a better sound, filling the room which was bigger than a student's room... So after a long hesitation with Beolab 8000 and hours of listening, I chose a pair of Beolab 3. That was in 2005. I then moved to a new flat, the 3's followed, and I still liked their sound. In 2016 I moved to a house, with a 70m2 open space between living room and kitchen (of course there's a A9 wall mounted on the kitchen side!). The Lab 3 started to show their limits. But I was hesitating : lab 9? lab20?... Lab 9 are pleasing, but a bit old. Lab 20 sound better, but do they sound better enough for the price difference? And I'm not a huge fan of their look. And after almost totally rebuilding my house from the inside, the money for a pair of 20 is not already there... So why not a sub as a start?
So this Christmas, when I found a good price on a used lab 19 on eBay, I thought I should give a try, and even if I want to upgrade for 20's or something, it's not money wasted, and subs are highly looked after on the second hand market.
Now the BL19 is here. Quick setup, cabled to my Beovision 8, lab 3 on the front, lab 4000 on the rear... I started to play some songs, and... Wow! What a difference! I rediscover some songs where the LFE were there, but not all... I finally get the full experience on the James Blake song "limit to your love" : a real sub demo song... And the perfect demo movie is for me Gravity, where at the beginning you "feel" the tools they use on the satellite, more than you hear them, as there is no noise in space... On acoustic music, it gives so much : more clarity, more acoustic pressure, more "reality" to cellos and big instruments... And it makes the Lab 3 "breathe" a little more.
Sooo... Don't underestimate the power of a sub... Even more when it's a Beolab 19! Big and beautiful addition!
Now feel free to use this thread to advise me some songs where you think the low frequencies add everything, I'm discovering the wonders of the BL19 ;-)
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Congratulations Marc
Congrats Marc. indeed a very nice addition to your setup.
Myself I am using a BeoLab 11 which also works quite nicely, but the 19 is indeed even more of a sub!
Glad you're enjoying the 19, and moreover still the BL3's, which are still a terrific speaker.
Sounds like you have a good combination - i actually have taken my 19 out of my music listening groups, as i have 18s as fronts and 3s as rears, and the 18s produce enough bass. If i include the 19 with the 18s/3s, its a bit bass overkill, and i dont think the Beosystem 4 audio engine does a brilliant job of separating the sound.
But in your case, with 3s as fronts, i imagine its a cracking combination.
Of course with movies, the 19 is utterly superb - i had a B&W PV1 previously, which was the best sub i'd ever heard, but the 19 is punchier without sounding muddy at all.
Great purchase, congrats.
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Old: Beosound 9000 mk3, Beolab 3's, Beovision Eclipse, Beolab 1's, Beolab 2, Beovision 10-46, Overture 2300, beolab 8000's, Beolab 4000's, Beovision avant 32" etc. etc.
Great story. I have exactly the same experience. Last month i bought a beolab 19 to complete my existing setup with beolab 3 and a V1. The beolab3 were already my favourites but they are much better when the beolab 19 takes care of the lower frequencies. Beolab 3 in front and the 19 in the back. Great with movies but also for music you clearly notice the difference. It is also a very good looking sub.
Price quality of beolab3 with 19 beats many other combinations the beolab 3 with acoustic lense produces very clear mid a high frequency range and beolab 19 adds best in class bass would date to compete in blind testing with beolab 20 (not 50 or the 90 though)
Bl3 with a bl2 or bl19 are good for sure, but it is still a limited set up even compare to bl9.
I have both actually and unless you set the bl9 in a wrong place, bl9 are more powerfull and as bright as the bl3.
It absolulety worth to try the bl19 or bl2 before spending much.
4 beolab 5, beolab 9, beolab 10, beolab 5000, beolab 8000 mk2, beolab 6002, beolab 3500, beovision 7 55 mk2, 2 beovision 11 46 mk4, beotime, beosound ouverture, beosound essence, beoplay A8, beomaster 900 RG de luxe and the collection continues...
Thank you all for your kind words!
Of course this setup is not quite equivalent to a BL20 setup but the price is not the same, and I think the BL19 goes deeper...