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 there!
I am new to Beoworld and I am planning to upgrade my home. We have an old Bose Wave system and thought its time to have a nice upgrade. We love interior design a lot, and is wondering to get BL18 with BL19 or just the BL20. I wonder if anyone would have an experience on how the sound would be different?
We love to hear the voice of singing, and we dont need huge bass. Some sort of round and all around sound range would be perfect.
Thanks a lot!
BeoNut since '75
Dear Carlo,
Thanks a lot for your pictures! I agree too the BL 18/19 are really artistically pleasant. I thought of if the 2 woofers in the 18s will be switched to mid-range specific speakers leaving the low frequency sounds to be only produced in the 19, the overall sound quality would be be comparable to the 20. Anyhow, I think when getting a B&O the exterior is as important as the sound. I will get my 18+19 then.
tyhomatthew
It is quite difficult to convince myself with the difference in sound quality between the 18+19 and 20 now that I learned about the speakers of the 18 will turn into mid-range when connected to 19. However, the 20 might as well has a larger mid-range that might account for the better sound quality. In any case, I might go to the showroom one day to check it out!
Hi
I think BL20 are so small :(
Would go with BL18 + BL19.
And if you do not want to much bass you just turn of sub..i have done that way and it's perfect.
I would like to revive this thread and ask if anyone has had recent experience in comparing sound between the BL18+19 and the BL20.
in November, I listened to each at the Boston store and actually preferred the 18+19 combo at that time, recalling that the highs sounded more crisp and pleasant to me. But I have been living with a 10” powered subwoofer in my family’s non-B&O 5.1 system and the bass is great.
For the price on the secondary market of about USD$7,000, a pair of BL20 seems like a steal over, say, B&W 803 D3 or 802 D3. But if I could get a great deal on a BL19 to add to my 18s, it would be much more cost effective.
Any new thoughts on BL18+19 versus BL20? Cheers!
Currently: BeoLab 17, BeoLab 18, BeoSound Core, Beosound Level, Beosound A1 2nd Gen, BeoPlay S8 Connection Hub, Halo, Essence Remote
Previously: BeoSound 1 non-GVA
Well, all I can tell you is that since I recently - and finally - got a Deezer HiFi subscription, while my BL20's are connected to my BS Core via TOSLINK, I keep getting amazed by the sound. Each and every note and instrument has soul and feeling in it, you can hear the instruments being feathered, tortured, all of it.
The only downside, regarding sound, is that you immediately notice bad recording studios...
Beolab 50, Beolab 8000 x 2, Beolab 4000 x 2, BeoSound Core, BeoSound 9000, BeoSound Century, BeoLit 15, BeoPlay A1, BeoPlay P2, BeoPlay H9 3rd Gen, BeoPlay H6, EarSet 3i, BeoVision Eclipse Gen 2 55", BeoPlay V1-40, BeoCom 6000 and so much else :)
Based on my experience of hearing both systems - a very close friend has the BL18/19 and it looks and sounds great. But the BL20 sounds at another level. I'd personally go with BL20.
B&O in my life 😊:
Agree - I have 18s / 19, and am in the process of upgrading.
I'm most likely getting 50s.
When I was having a listening session at my dealer, he too made the point that while similar, the 20s would sound better for music.
For movies the 18s / 19 combination is excellent, and also very decent for music.
But for music the 20s would sound better.
Of course, there is not a big difference between the two choices, but my dealer echoed the view that 20s would be the choice, subject to the circumstances above.
Helpful, everyone. Thanks.
My situation is that I already have the 18s, which I got an insanely good price on, and I could get a 19 for a fraction of retail. Meanwhile, getting 20s would be a much more expensive proposition AND, while subjective, it must be said, I think they’re kind of ugly. Nowhere near the 18s. No wood. Barely any aluminum. Just a bunch of black fuzzy cloth. Not my cup of tea but for a tremendous improvement in sound, maybe I’d get used to them.
Really what I want is 50s and a larger space in which to enjoy them. One day. For now, 18+19 for me. Thanks!
BV Harmony 65 / Eclipse 55 / BL 50 / 19 / 18 / BS 2 all brass
BV Horizon 48 / V1 40 / BL 17 / Beoplay S3 all black
V1 / BL 3 / BS Essence MKII / Beoplay A3 all white
BS Moment / BS 3000 / BS 3200 / BL 400 all silver
Headphones / bluetooth speakers / BLC NL-ML / BLGateway
I know…B&O virus has grown on me !
Yes, the allure of having a simple 2.0 system (really a 2.2) consisting of two speakers that are each full range is what draws me to the BL20 despite its design shortcomings, in my opinion, relative to BL18.
I admire the 20s from a technical standpoint. A 10” driver in each tower! Amazing! I think few other manufacturers offer something similar. They exist but likely for much more money including outboard amplification (e.g., B&W 800 D3).
i just can’t get past the looks. To me, B&O is about aluminum and wood. The 20s basically have neither, just a bunch of cheap speaker cloth. In my eyes, the 20s and 50s are pure B&O design. A home run.
Sandy, please keep us posted on your 50s if you buy them!
I agree. And besides that, I really like the fact that those massive powered speakers seem to be balanced on the floor, instead of taking up a massive footprint. Just some of this old fashioned B&O design wizardry.
Curly: i just can’t get past the looks. To me, B&O is about aluminum and wood. The 20s basically have neither, just a bunch of cheap speaker cloth.
i just can’t get past the looks. To me, B&O is about aluminum and wood. The 20s basically have neither, just a bunch of cheap speaker cloth.
That's funny! I grew up with a Beosystem 5000, which I guess was about the first B&O set completely getting rid of wood, and for me B&O has always been about aluminium and black cloth . That's why for me, the standard BL6000's were a home run, my BL4000's are aluminium and black cloth and why, again for me, the BL20's are as B&O as it gets.
That is funny! Well, they offer the wood and aluminum as well as the cloth on the Harmony! This is why! :)
I appreciate what Michael said on the toned down, no pun intended, aesthetics. Good point. To each their own! I’m sure they sound amazing. Looks are subjective.