BL50 review

https://www.whathifi.com/bo/beolab-50/review

 

I'd like to kindly ask Beoworld members who already own a pair of BL50 to comment the Whathifi review...

Do you agree with the evaluation?

 

I don't have a pair of BL-50, but it seems that they rated the BL-5 similarly.

I don’t agree with it on several levels no. First and formost they have “competitors” to the bl50’s that are nearly 3x the price if you scroll down.

Secondly build quality, chassis and such are top notch.

The electronic bit’s are getting close to rubbish imo. Iam on my second pair now and once again the dsp (b&o claims) is causing issues. Somehow the internet has an effect on the workings of the dsp and they even told me their dsp’s are not the same from speaker to speaker. They’re so far out of the original design spec that the normal software can’t handle it, so apparently they’re working on rewriting the software. Iam now 6 months in and still no solution. Iam currently writing a letter of complaint and i am on the verge of returning them. I’ll go into it more on tomorrows BeoTalk podcast i do with erikvonagnar from the forum aswell(it’s on youtube, link down below), but this is fairly comprehensive.

Thirdly regarding the review, the terms they use i feel are somewhat vague. When these speakers work, they are great not just good. The stereo separation is bizar in a good way. When i only have the bl50’s playing while watching tv, i can’t tell the tv isn’t playing untill iam around 4-6 inches away from the tv. I played some of the tracks they used and i van’t figure out why they deduct them points. With these speakers you’ll hear so many more sounds that you had no idea were there.

I gues in the end i would come to a 4 out of 5 stars too, but for very different reasons. If the build quality was there it would’ve been an easy 5 out of 5 stars

Hi. What is the problem "internet has an effect on the workings of the dsp" causing you. Are we talking bad sound or noise or something else. And for your information the DSP is almost identical. The only difference is that the Master speaker has an extra connector on the DSP due to that the Master has all the inputs. There is a new SW out (approx 10 days old)...are you up to date on that one. Best regard EJ

Yes i know the dsp is roughly the same. But i meant the physical tollerances in the actual chip. Not in how it works persee, but apparently the tollerances in the silicon have an effect.

Yes it creates noises and other issues. My first set of bl50’s was much worse. I have brand new ones, sinse yesterday with a MUCH newer serial nr. Same issues just less, but still there. Same with newer software, especially when using the app seems much worse now.

Mikipedia:

Yes i know the dsp is roughly the same. But i meant the physical tollerances in the actual chip. Not in how it works persee, but apparently the tollerances in the silicon have an effect.

The only area where physical tolerances can have an effect would be in the interface between the DSP and the Memory.

Some of those interfaces are running at the very edge, and technically you could argue it's down to the actual silicon. 

Could you be a bit more specific in describing the noise and issues? 

 

Mikipedia:

I don’t agree with it on several levels no. First and formost they have “competitors” to the bl50’s that are nearly 3x the price if you scroll down.

Secondly build quality, chassis and such are top notch.

The electronic bit’s are getting close to rubbish imo. Iam on my second pair now and once again the dsp (b&o claims) is causing issues. Somehow the internet has an effect on the workings of the dsp and they even told me their dsp’s are not the same from speaker to speaker. They’re so far out of the original design spec that the normal software can’t handle it, so apparently they’re working on rewriting the software. Iam now 6 months in and still no solution. Iam currently writing a letter of complaint and i am on the verge of returning them. I’ll go into it more on tomorrows BeoTalk podcast i do with erikvonagnar from the forum aswell(it’s on youtube, link down below), but this is fairly comprehensive.

Thirdly regarding the review, the terms they use i feel are somewhat vague. When these speakers work, they are great not just good. The stereo separation is bizar in a good way. When i only have the bl50’s playing while watching tv, i can’t tell the tv isn’t playing untill iam around 4-6 inches away from the tv. I played some of the tracks they used and i van’t figure out why they deduct them points. With these speakers you’ll hear so many more sounds that you had no idea were there.

I gues in the end i would come to a 4 out of 5 stars too, but for very different reasons. If the build quality was there it would’ve been an easy 5 out of 5 stars New: Beolab 50's, Beolab 18's, Beovision eclipse.

Mikipedi4 on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0WLHXZuA1GANMzYcAn5_xg

Old: Beolab 1's, beolab 2, beovision 10-46, overture 2300, beolab 8000's, beolab 4000's, beovision avant 32" etc. etc.

Interesting – however not that surprising – insights.

I've come to conclusion that buying anything that relies too heavily on software is a no-go with B&O.

They shot themselves in the foot with the Moment and the Android TVs (the software implementation to be precise) – and I feared that speakers which rely too much on DSP (software) will follow the same path. You have a case to that point.

Unrelated to BL50, but related to software, it appears that Eclipse is not getting the software updates for its TV part from LG (made evident in another posts). So today, an LG C7 has a better picture than the Eclipse (even though C7 is the TV in the Eclipse). It seems firmware updates for the TV part are not a part of the B&O/LG collaboration. I hope I'm wrong, but Eclipse is currently missing improved picture features that an LG C7 already has via firmware updates (better motion, most accurate picture profiles).

B&O's Achilles Heel: software, now also in their flagship speakers.

The LG panel is not getting updates? To paraphrase many here, who cares if the video isn't perfect, the soundbar glued onto it sounds awesome!

Software seems to be something that B&O is genetically incapable of doing well, sadly.

Mikipedia:

I don’t agree with it on several levels no. First and formost they have “competitors” to the bl50’s that are nearly 3x the price if you scroll down.

Secondly build quality, chassis and such are top notch.

The electronic bit’s are getting close to rubbish imo. Iam on my second pair now and once again the dsp (b&o claims) is causing issues. Somehow the internet has an effect on the workings of the dsp and they even told me their dsp’s are not the same from speaker to speaker. They’re so far out of the original design spec that the normal software can’t handle it, so apparently they’re working on rewriting the software. Iam now 6 months in and still no solution. Iam currently writing a letter of complaint and i am on the verge of returning them. I’ll go into it more on tomorrows BeoTalk podcast i do with erikvonagnar from the forum aswell(it’s on youtube, link down below), but this is fairly comprehensive.

Thirdly regarding the review, the terms they use i feel are somewhat vague. When these speakers work, they are great not just good. The stereo separation is bizar in a good way. When i only have the bl50’s playing while watching tv, i can’t tell the tv isn’t playing untill iam around 4-6 inches away from the tv. I played some of the tracks they used and i van’t figure out why they deduct them points. With these speakers you’ll hear so many more sounds that you had no idea were there.

I gues in the end i would come to a 4 out of 5 stars too, but for very different reasons. If the build quality was there it would’ve been an easy 5 out of 5 stars New: Beolab 50's, Beolab 18's, Beovision eclipse.

Mikipedi4 on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0WLHXZuA1GANMzYcAn5_xg

Old: Beolab 1's, beolab 2, beovision 10-46, overture 2300, beolab 8000's, beolab 4000's, beovision avant 32" etc. etc.

Do you run them by cable or wireless?

Look iam not making this up, this is what b&o HQ tells me. But i must say they have elevated not really answering anything to an art form.

Just watched a movie on tv and it was ticking galore again.

I have them wired with cat7 cables.

Weirdly with wisa the ticking is mostly gone. But then i have issues with them turning on, they usually don’t sync up or they don’t come on at all. If they turn on, it takes them several tries. Tweeters come up and down up and down up and down, mismatched between the speakers. Sometimes only left, sometimes only the right one. And then once they’re on they echo and you have to go to a different speaker group and back again and then they work. This is besides the point when you connect the bl50’s via wisa they don’t sound the same and they actually sound worse but louder.

So far everything has been replaced and iam still no further. Cat7 cables, power cables, power extension block with surge protector(even tried one without surge protection), tried them on a separate power socket too, my beoremote one(power button stopped working), the bl50’s speakers have all been replaced. The only thing that hasn’t been replaced is my eclipse.

My eclipse also makes a weird whistling noise when i shut it down, but apparently that’s normal according to b&o HQ.

So yea, you tell me how optimistic i can still be?! this has been going on since late sept/early october last year.

My eclipse also makes a weird whistling noise when i shut it down, but apparently that’s normal according to b&o HQ.

Reminds me of an old joke. Guy takes his car to the dealer. It runs rough all the time. Oh, says the guy they all do that. It doesn't start easily when its cold. Oh, they all do that the mechanic says. It gets awful gas mileage. Oh they all do that.

Finally the guy says, don't tell me that! My wife has the identical car, same year and model and it doesn't do that!

Mechanic says, oh, well then, tell her to bring it in and we'll fix it.

Sorry, not making light of your experience, that has to be frustrating as can be and not what one should expect for a product in that price range. That is, about double what a fairly decent car costs.

Mikipedia:

Look iam not making this up, this is what b&o HQ tells me. But i must say they have elevated not really answering anything to an art form.

Just watched a movie on tv and it was ticking galore again.

I have them wired with cat7 cables.

Weirdly with wisa the ticking is mostly gone. But then i have issues with them turning on, they usually don’t sync up or they don’t come on at all. If they turn on, it takes them several tries. Tweeters come up and down up and down up and down, mismatched between the speakers. Sometimes only left, sometimes only the right one. And then once they’re on they echo and you have to go to a different speaker group and back again and then they work. This is besides the point when you connect the bl50’s via wisa they don’t sound the same and they actually sound worse but louder.

So far everything has been replaced and iam still no further. Cat7 cables, power cables, power extension block with surge protector(even tried one without surge protection), tried them on a separate power socket too, my beoremote one(power button stopped working), the bl50’s speakers have all been replaced. The only thing that hasn’t been replaced is my eclipse.

My eclipse also makes a weird whistling noise when i shut it down, but apparently that’s normal according to b&o HQ.

So yea, you tell me how optimistic i can still be?! this has been going on since late sept/early october last year.

New: Beolab 50's, Beolab 18's, Beovision eclipse.

Mikipedi4 on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0WLHXZuA1GANMzYcAn5_xg

Old: Beolab 1's, beolab 2, beovision 10-46, overture 2300, beolab 8000's, beolab 4000's, beovision avant 32" etc. etc.

Do you have the beolab 50 manual?

Yes

Are you shore it’s not any cable causing the problem?

I use b&o pl cable to the tv and beolab 5 spdif cabel from my bs5 to bl50. The ethernet to bl50 is cat5e unshielded. And from master to slave I have a fully shielded cat7 as recommended.

I have not any stange sounds what so ever.

Hi, my name is Chris and I’m located in Germany.

i just picked up a pair of Beolab 50 and a BeoSound Core.

For some reason I’m not able to connect them right. (Master cant find Slave / connected via Powerlinkcable)

Could a Beolab 50 Owner please tell me the correct way to connect everything ?

I have no chance to get a hold of my B&o Dealer the next 3 Days. (That’s way to long:)) )

 

 

 

Do you have the master an slave connected to dpl (digital powerlink)? The core to pl (analog powerlink)? And ethernet to ethernet/dpl on the beolab 50?

Does the bang & olufsen app work?

I have nothing to compare with in this price range. But what impresses me most is the low precise base and sound pressure. But also the stereo image. And without the room breaking up the music. They also sound extremely nice on low volume.

One thing you must do is using room correction and digital input.

Yello has never sounded as good. Test the nervous from eye album and crank it up. First time a par of speakers put a smile on my face.

I’m used to beolab 9 with beolab 2, it rocked the house. An tested beolab 20 but not happy with does.

It's just one thing that takes down the impression. The noise when the tweeter rises up or down sounds like unleashing plastic gears. I'm used to b&o solving those things in a quieter way. And on the slave speaker the tweeter is a little bit of center.

Ekopf:

Hi, my name is Chris and I’m located in Germany.

i just picked up a pair of Beolab 50 and a BeoSound Core.

For some reason I’m not able to connect them right. (Master cant find Slave / connected via Powerlinkcable)

Could a Beolab 50 Owner please tell me the correct way to connect everything ?

I have no chance to get a hold of my B&o Dealer the next 3 Days. (That’s way to long:)) )

Is the ethernet cable both in the master and the slave in the right/same port? What ports do you have them in? Have you set them up via the app? You have to get on the local wifi of the speaker first via your phone and then a pre-setup happens when it wants your internet ssid and password. Afterthat, log out of the local speaker wifi and continue in the app on your normal wifi

Hi esax, yes iam sure. Unless all the cables we tried were all faulty at my place but they work just fine at my dealers. So no it’s not the cables no.

Thank you for your help.

The cable that connected the Master / Slave is not working.

i just tested a regular cat5 cable and now everything works fine.

 

Mikipedia:

Tweeters come up and down up and down up and down, mismatched between the speakers. Sometimes only left, sometimes only the right one.

You could play a very expensive game of Whack-a-Mole with the tweeters

Lol, well i guess iam still in warrenty

Mikipedia:

Hi esax, yes iam sure. Unless all the cables we tried were all faulty at my place but they work just fine at my dealers. So no it’s not the cables no. New: Beolab 50's, Beolab 18's, Beovision eclipse.

Mikipedi4 on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0WLHXZuA1GANMzYcAn5_xg

Old: Beolab 1's, beolab 2, beovision 10-46, overture 2300, beolab 8000's, beolab 4000's, beovision avant 32" etc. etc.

Do you run internet by wifi or cabel?

Done both, makes no difference. Best result with that was to put a ethernet cable in the speaker and not plug it in on the other side anywhere