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 Beoworlders,
I have recently received several requests to evaluate the differences between Beolab 8000 and 18 speakers, so I have arranged to visit a local B&O dealer next week to check out both speakers and review them on camera.
I have Beolab 8000s at home, but it is a while since I had any serious listening time on the Beolab 18s. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on these speakers, particularly if you have owned (or considered purchasing) both speaker models - please let me know your thoughts!
You can see my previous speaker reviews on my YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/soundsheavenlycables
Kind regards, Steve.
Steve.
www.soundsheavenly.com
Founder of Sounds Heavenly Cables and Brand Ambassador for Bang & Olufsen
Sounds Heavenly are proud to sponsor BeoWorld!
Please check out my YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/soundsheavenlycables
Thanks Paul,!
I must admit that the Beolab 8000s look elegant until you see them next to the 18s, the new speakers seem even more stylish and ‘sculpted ‘.....
I’m keen to hear how their sound compares!
New: Beovision Harmony, Beolab 50's, Beolab 28's, Beolab 18's, Beolab 17's, Beosound Stage & LG, Beosound 2, Beoplay M3, Beoplay A1, Beoplay Portal, Beoplay H4 gen 2, Beoplay E8 3.0
Mikipedia on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Mikipedia
Mikipedi4 on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/mikipedi4
Mikipedia on Intagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikipedi4/
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.
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 !
Mikipidia:Iam with paul. I like the look of the 18’s more, they’re more modern and i prefer the wood fret.
Hi alls,
If I may bring my stone, following Mikipedia's post…
As a foreigner (I.E not in the league for BL8000, don't even think 18's), when I met the B&O universe, I was stroked by the BL8000, we call them the pencils… Until I saw the 18's: not knowing the difference in technology and the improvement of the ALT, I just genuinely found it was a very smart and beautiful update. I never saw wooden frets before and i found them very modern and classic at the same time, close to perfect if perfection exists.It was also a great inspiration (along with BV14) for my BV Horizon hommage (copy) with front wooden fret.
Then, no surprise for me that people is looking for solutions to add thoses 18's lamellas to their BL8000.
Don't get me wrong, I dont consider myself like an audio connoisseur, and i dont compare sound: I just dont know.But aesthetically: god… Nobody can step in your flat without making a comment on the 18's. And sound wise, I believe they will blow away any average listener.
This would be great Steve. I am seriously considering if upgrading the beolab 8000 with 18s are worth it (I do have BL style wood slats on my 8000) or upgrade to used BL5.
B&O in my life 😊:
Mikipidia:Where the 8000’s sound a bit woollen the 18’s are a lot brighter and much clearer. Maybe too bright for some, but i like them more. They also sound slightly more powerfull and present to me.
BS Moment, BS Core, BG 4002, BC 4500, BS1, BL18, BL19, BL8000 + RCV1, A6, M5, M3, A1, P6 (tks Botty), H5, TR1
Thanks guys!
That is really helpful. I am looking forward to this test!
Hi Steve
Some time ago i did some modification to a pair of BL 8000
Change woofers for same dimension with much deeper bass and tweeters to.
The sound has been wauuu..much more deep bass ...maybe same middle tone and much more detailed high tones.
bass up from 40Hz with no problem...original is 52Hz i think ?
and ...did you know that woofers from BL4 have same dimensions as woofer forom BL 8000.
You can mount them without any modifications.
I have had both, Beolab 8000 (multiple MK1/also a pair of mk2) and also Beolab 18. I think the Beolab 18 have a slightly more refined design. Also, they are definitely better sonically than Beolab 8000. However, I would much rather buy a pair of Beolab 9 for less money than a pair of Beolab 18! I have not heard Beolab 8002, but I am looking to acquire a pair, if I can get them at a reasonable price.
Another interesting test, Steve!
I'll be interested in the outcome as I seem to be the lone voice in the wlderness here - I love the look of the Beolab 18s but both Mrs. S and I were distinctly underwhelmed when we heard them. They're not bad speakers by a long shot, but we were both expecting them to be noticeably better than our old 8000s and they weren't.
We both much preferred the Beolab 3s, to be honest!
Thanks Adam!
Interesting to see that there are different views on this one - I will try to get an objective view and define the differences....
Should be an interesting test. I have BL8000s, but never heard a good demo of the 18s. I think the wood frets are sexy, but wonder about effects on imaging and such, think the tweeter tacked on top is fugly, and like the bases and taper of the bottom of the speaker better on the 8000s.
Wouldn't surprise me if the 18s have more bass and depending on how they voiced them brighter treble. That said, I think the 8000s get short changed by some people on sonics. I had them setup in my last house with careful attention to the usual things audiophiles do with speakers, spiked, good placement, etc. and they were wonderful. I found the treble nice, not bright but smooth and airy, and the midrange just amazing on vocals. Bass was improved by the fact my room had a huge hump in response, so I got down to the low 40 hz region.
The only reason I have 9s in the main listening area is it's huge, and without a sub they got lost in there. As someone above said, given the choice I'd go for used 9s over 18s, they are all around a good, truly full range speaker.
Will be interesting to see what you thing Steve.
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
Hi CB,
Yes, that opens another "can of worms" altogether! I suspect that Beolab 19 covers up a lot of the shortcomings of either Beolab 8000 or Beolab 18......
My first thoughts are to hear the speakers without any support from a sub, to judge how they compare on their own merits. However, a Beolab 2 vs. 19 subwoofer test could be a very interesting topic for the future?
I've never liked the 18's - they're like painting a 'tache on the Mona Lisa or bright yellow budgie smugglers on The David! I hope whoever thought of sticking a lens on top was fired.
If I was moving on from 8000's I'd go for beolab 9s - better imo and cheaper than new 18's.
Ban boring signatures!
Puncher:I hope whoever thought of sticking a lens on top was fired.
I guess he was...
Yes ..aggree
The combo is good as BL18 have soft bass response down to 45hz and BL19 have sharper bass due to 2x closed enclosure but it's not going down to 25Hz as BL2.
It's much better for music as BL2 is only for movie..that is my personal experiance.
for audio you need woofer with fast and correct bass response.
Hi everyone,
Thanks for your patience, I am pleased to confirm that the Beolab 8000 vs. 18 video review is now online at https://youtu.be/ZtrErayWCTg
Please let me know if you agree with my thoughts or not.....
Steve at Sounds Heavenly:Hi everyone, Thanks for your patience, I am pleased to confirm that the Beolab 8000 vs. 18 video review is now online at https://youtu.be/ZtrErayWCTg Please let me know if you agree with my thoughts or not..... Kind regards, Steve. Steve. www.soundsheavenly.com Sounds Heavenly are proud to sponsor BeoWorld!
Hi Michael,
Good question....I couldn't find an exact launch date, so I was going from the review in T3 magazine from October 2015, when I thought they had an early set of speakers from the launch. However, I could be way off the mark! Does anyone know when Beolab 18 was launched please?
2013 according to Beocentral.
Thanks Puncher!
I will update the video accordingly......
Hey Steve,
I heard the lab 18's in the store (first time in 5+ yrs I actually went into a store) and I have the 8000's here at home.(mk1)
Just a few things.1) There is quite a few years in-between. A bit of an unfair comparison.
2) I changed the tweeters on my 8000's a few year ago as I blew the old ones up. The replacements are slightly different and I do feel they are more powerful somehow. It does create a bit of a different sound.
3) I had a few problems with my pair of 8000's as they were in storage for about 5 yrs. I did change the power and PL wires (which helped to clear up signals a lot) and I did some recapping as I checked some of the boards because some values were off by a lot. Normal for something this age..
4) After the recapping a 'veil' was lifted and they now sound awesome again. They will never be as omni directional as the 18's but they stand their ground when placed properly for full effect.
5) I borrowed a friends lab2 sub for a test the other night. Yes there is more bass, but honestly couldn't really tweak it properly. The sound was deeper and a bit more detailed in the lower, but it's cost against benefit.
And as my neighbours already complain enough... lol.
Hi,
Thanks, that is interesting..... Maybe part of the difference is due to the age of the 8000s? I will have to try recapping my speakers at home to see what difference this makes. By the way, apologies for the poor audio in parts of the video, this will be resolved before I do any more filming!
Did you replace the woofer from the 8000 for the woofer of the BL4 ? and this gave you a better bass result ?
I have in my house currently Beolab mk3, Beovox 5000 and Beolab 8000 on 3 different sound systems, so you understand I am lucky my wife allows this, but a bit better low end on the 8000 would be welcome
Thanks,
Richard
Hi Richard,
Welcome to Beoworld! I haven't had a chance to try modifying the speakers yet, that is on my list of projects for the future..... I will post my results on Beoworld once I do get around to this (but I can't promise how soon that will be unfortunately).
I did try to do that .
BL 4 woofer + BL8000 and no difference with deeper bass.
And outcome is much better and deeper bass. it start's with 35Hz and up... nice :)
Middle rage is not so good as original speakers.
maybe that helps :)
Thanks marexy,
That is an interesting idea
The other thing to bear in mind based on my experience, age does make a difference. For sometime I had both Beolab 8000 (mk1) and Beolab 8002 (which I still have). The Beolab 8002 sound better In any comparison. Given that the specs were similar, I would boil down the difference to age. Lastly, I now have a BL 8002 with BL2 while my neighbor (literally in the next flat) had a BL 18 with BL 19. Probably the main reason I did not upgrade to a BL 18/19 Is because to me the sound of the 8002/2 compared to the BL18/19 isn’t better or worse, just different. The 18/19 seems to have more treble and less punchy bass, the 8002/2 seems more warm and relaxed and effortless. I am surprised how much more punchy the bass with the BL2 is compared to the 19.
I am not sure how long you listened to each speaker but the BL18 seems to have a wider sound stage (perhaps because of the tweeter or top and the frets) but also a little harsher to my ears. The BL18 absolutely looks sleeker and more modern than the 8002 IMHO.
I can only think of upgrading the 8002/2 with BL 5 for now.
The BL 17, would be a natural choice for wall mounting. But at that price point the KEF LS50 are formidable competitors as bookshelf speakers.
If I had to choose between a new BL 18 or new 8002 (assume it was available), most likely 18 because of the aesthetics and wider sound stage. Worth upgrading from an 8002? Not for me..
my 2 cents worth.
I recently sold my JBL S412PBE speakers and Onkyo amplifier and bought some Beolab 8002 speakers and connected them to an Essence.To be honest: I do not like the sound very much.I really want warmth in my music, and I also want the bass to go DEEP.The bass of the 8002's is punchy but not really deep and perhaps for B&O speakers they're relatively warm in sound, but it's nothing compared to my 20-year old JBL speakers.I do get used to the sound over time though, but the treble is a bit too bright for my sensivite ears.I prefer the sound of my neighbour's BL18's, as long as he turns down the treble.The JBL's still were warmer in sound than those BL18's, but those 18's do have more detail in the lows.The 8002's quickly sound like they're at the limits of their capabillities with the bass and it all gets muddy.
I guess you've learned that if you like your bass DEEP, then the 8000s are not the best speaker. I doubt if you'll get any arguments around here. I love my 8000s (well rounded speaker considering the package), but DEEP bass is not something they're good at. Bass requires lots of air to be moved, and little speakers hidden in a slender column without today's DSP tuning magic have never been great at bass. Even the BL1s are best with a little help from the BS2 on the low end (IMHO, of course). Similar to the automotive world, there's no replacement for displacement.
ToT:I recently sold my JBL S412PBE speakers and Onkyo amplifier and bought some Beolab 8002 speakers and connected them to an Essence.To be honest: I do not like the sound very much.I really want warmth in my music, and I also want the bass to go DEEP.
Add a BL2 subwoofer and you will be able to get that deep bass you want. It is a chunk of money, but the BL2 works great with the 8000s and looks great too.
Sources: 2x Beosound Moment • 4x Beosound Essence Mk II Speakers: 3x Beolab 8000 • 2x Beolab 6000 • 2x Beolab 3 • 3x Beolab 2 Integrated: 1x Beosound 2 • 1x Beosound Level • 4x BeoPlay M5 • 1x BeoPlay A6 Control: 16x* Essence Remote • 1x Beoremote Halo
* Yes, really! 🤦♂️