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Hi,
My wife finally won the speaker battle, so I'm planning on replacing my old Jamo 5.1 setup with a secondhand B&O setup. I will be keeping the old reciever, a Pioneer VSX-839 with a trigger module plugged in, as well as the old Jamo Sub (E8).
I have already managed to get a good deal on the beolab 10 which I plan to use as a centerspeaker. However, I'm unsure which way to go for the front- and rearspeakers.
I'm currently considering 3 scenarios:
1: Front: 2 * wallmounted BL 8000, Rear: 2 * wallmounted BL 4000 mounted aproximately two meters high pointing down to the couch (located right beneath)
2: Front: 2 * wallmounted BL 8000, Rear: 2 * BL 12-2's wallmounted with the treble at ear-level
3: Front: 2 * wallmounted 12-3, Rear: 2 * BL 12-2's wallmounted with the treble at ear-level
What are your thoughts in the various scenarious? I'm not sure which scenario gives me the best sound, and I'm uncertain if the BL 4000 as rearspeakers will provide good sound with the given location.
As for price, I can currently get the BL 8000 MK2's including wallmounts for about half the price of the 12-3's.
Thanks in advance!
I think option two seems like the best. If possible I’d add a BL2 up front. Depending on your room, wall mounted BL 6000s look and sound great as rears as well.
B&O in my life 😊:
I have had flirtations with many different speakers in the current and near-current lineup within the past year.
My main takeaway is this: the Beolab 4000 is a phenomenal speaker and my recommended go-to speaker in terms of aesthetics and performance. For its size it is a beast. With the wall-mounted 8002s in front, you'll be set, and the acoustic lens of the Beolab 10 will ensure great reproduction of dialogue.
The Beolab 12-3's (and 12-2s) are beautiful and very well-defined speakers for voice and treble. I feel that mixing them in as rear speakers opposite the 8002s might offset the listening profile. Also, bearing in mind the difference in price, I would go for the 8000/4000 combo, or even (as suggested above) four Beolab 8000s.
Do let us know what you choose.
I would recommend OPTION # 2. It is what my basement set up is along with a Beolab 2 subwoofer. It is a great set up with an amazing sound. The wall mounted 8000's and Beolab 12-2's make for a great tradiotonal theater look as well. I do need a center speaker as you have to place under the television screen to complete the set up. --- Congratulations and have fun!
Also depending on your TV, you have one more option. In my case I have Sony OLED TV with the Acoustic Surface technology that when set up with an external system can take the place of the center speaker. In my case, I have BL8000s with BL 2 up front, use the TVs Acoustic Surface as center channel and have BL 6000 to the side rear. I think the BL 12s would be great as well.
One advantage of the Acoustic surface is that the voice literally comes out of the speaker or singer. It makes for a highly immersive experience. I have also tried many sub combinations and I find the BL 2 to work amazingly well with the BL 8000.
if you want an acoustic lens speaker in the mix, the BL 3 is another good option and it matches the look of the BL 2 well. So BL 2 front and BL 3 back for symmetry
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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.
Thanks for all your inputs and ideas, they are greatly appreciated!
I have decided to go for two 8000's as front speakers - apart from being a lot cheaper than going for a 12-3, I expect them to complement the BL10 nicely.
I am still unsure which rearspeakers to go for. A pair of 8000's or 6000's will look too massive, but I see benefits going for either a pair of 12-2's or white 4000's - the latter I would prefer if they could be mounted near the ceiling, and apart from the cabling being more annoying that way, I'm unsure if the sound would be noticably worse.
@Aussie Michael: Can you elaborate why you'd prefer the BL-12's over 4000's?
@steve1977: I thought the 8002's where visually similair to the 8000's - am I wrong?
@Stkong: Thanks for the input. I will update when I have decided on the full solution :)
@Jaffrey: Thanks for the input. Regarding center speaker, I have already invested in and installed a BL10.
@Mikipidia: Any surround reciever with pre-outs for the appropriate channels will do, however a reciever with 12V trigger out is preferable. I'm using a reciever without 12v trigger out, instead I'm using an external 220v module with trigger out (https://www.av-connection.dk/?PNo=EM-ET3), connected to my recievers 220v's output. The B&O speakers are then connected to the speakers using powerlink to phono+trigger cables (https://www.av-connection.dk/?PNo=AV-TRKDIN8-51A))
For those curious I have a couple of pictures of the room where the speakers will be mounted, including the already installed BL10. The area seen is a small part of a considerably larger L-shaped room (80 sq meters in total). I plan to replace the subwoofer with a higher quality and better looking one at some point - I was however planning to go for a 3rd party subwoofer, as I have read some rather mixed oppinions regarding the capabilites BL2.
I do have a Marantz receiver that I connect the speakers and Apple TV 4K via HMDI to the TV. This is only because the receiver provides a lot of flexibility in the set up.
I have also tried just TV headphone out (no receiver) to BL2 and then BL 2 connected to BL 8000 and set the Sony TV to send audio to headphone and TV at the same time and it also sounded great. Much better than I expected it to. This is only because the Sony’s Acoustic Surface technology does a really good job when complimented by other speakers.
As I hie just connected my Beosystem 3 to my LG C9 with BL5/BL7.4/BL3 setup you realize how old this technology is...
So also investigating a setup with a decent receiver, and connecting the BL5 is more a headache.
For the trigger to switch on the Beolab I think the 12v impulse will not work as Beolab's expect a 5v trigger signal.
@kawo: The 12v trigger works just fine with the BL10, I dont expect otherwise with the other speakers.
Krabbe: Thanks for all your inputs and ideas, they are greatly appreciated! I have decided to go for two 8000's as front speakers - apart from being a lot cheaper than going for a 12-3, I expect them to complement the BL10 nicely. I am still unsure which rearspeakers to go for. A pair of 8000's or 6000's will look too massive, but I see benefits going for either a pair of 12-2's or white 4000's - the latter I would prefer if they could be mounted near the ceiling, and apart from the cabling being more annoying that way, I'm unsure if the sound would be noticably worse.
A set of horizontally mounted Beolab 4000s tilted ever so slightly downwards will do well in your setup.
Power and Powerlink cable can relatively discretely be run in the corner of the wall from floor to ceiling to serve the first speaker and then daisy chain from that speaker to the second along the ceiling. If you get the proper C8 to C7 splitter, you can go with one mains power cable only to the first speaker and "daisy chain" from there also.
If carefully done, it will look quite alright. However, if you want a white speaker, you have to source a painted one. Why not choose aluminium grey with a black cover for your room (matches Beolab 8000 well).
HOWEVER: For Beolab 4000 always remember to check the serial no. under the speaker cloth. The early model is susceptible to internal degradation due to decomposing acoustic foam. You should go for a model above serial no. 145xxxx – and if you get to have a look inside the speaker (behind the tweeter), look for white foam padding, black is a no-go. Good luck!