Newly registered - tell me about your B&O addiction.

Hello - 

I am newly registered to the site.  I have visited it many times to collect info and when searching for informant on B&O products.

I wanted to introduce myself and ask a general question that I'm sure has no right answer.

I love music and movies very much, and my home is really filled with equipment for listening and enjoying it. We (I am married) have a home theater powered by a Yamaha Aventage system with 9.1 around 10yr old Klipsch speakers that we use for movies, and I like them very much, with a Sony XBR TV (Oppo Blu-Ray, game systems, AppleTV, etc.).  Our workout room is a 2nd zone off the aventage with two channel audio and a TV to enjoy while working out (RF universal remotes to control everything from the theater).  My computer room/office hosts a tube audio system, turntable and tube phono amp, tube pre-amp, and 300B based monoblock amplifiers paired with single driver speakers and 6.5" subs.  Sources include the turntable and a Logitech transporter, a SACD player and a Sony commercial DAT deck.  The Squeezebox server is a dedicated machine with about 900 albums on it ripped from originals in FLAC, the CDs largely stay in storage (SACDs of course are available for playback).  I have around 400 records.  My bedroom has a Squeezebox Boom functioning as an alarm clock and music for the room, my wife's sewing room has an older Yamaha Pianocraft mini-system, with a  uPNP renderer so she can enjoy the full library.  Our basement bar has a wall mounted 26" flat with an AppleTV, a small wall mount stereo and some bookshelf speakers.  The iTunes library is 256k AAC for practicality with phones and around the house streaming.  I have a few dedicated headphone amps as well and my favorite set of cans is my Sennheiser HD650s.

My kitchen, however, has a Beosound 1 in green - my wife laid out the whole kitchen in about 2001, and I was primarily concerned with tracking down a Beosound 1 to compliment the kitchen which is on the wall with all wiring hidden, of course.  I got a good deal on it back in 2001 but of course the official wall bracket, a Beo4, and the Aux In cable from my local B&O store made it a pricey add-on but it is still beautiful.  I've attached a photo although the Aux cable is hanging out of the bottom making it not 100% sexy.

Here in Michigan our only local store closed long ago, I seem to remember seeing RL 140s back when I was in high school and walked in there, but they were closed in the 90s I think, if not early 2000.  I used to just stare at the stuff in the store.

Anyway, my home is filled with gear and it's just the two of us here and a number of dogs.  So, I definitely don't need anymore gear.

The problem is - every time I run across a B&O system, I want it anyway.  I barely have anywhere to put it and it would be a challenge to find a place to use it, but every time I see a clean pair of Pentas, or a Beosound 9000, or a Beosound 3200 with a wall bracket and matching 2500s, or a pair of Beolab 8000s, or a Beovision in that square frame, or whatever, I just lust after it.  I find myself up late at night browsing product info on vintage B&O gear and reading about ways to share my FLAC collection out to a set of active B&O speakers.  I want to put a Beosound 9000 on my wall even though I can barely handle the thought of getting CDs out of storage, they are ripped down for a reason.  I wonder if a Beosound 5 Encore mounted on my wall is just more fun than an iPhone and don't even understand why I would want to invest in one when I already have my music everywhere.

The question I have for the owners here - do you hoard equipment?  Do you consider yourself a 'collector' and a brand enthusiast more than a music enthusiast?  A recent set of well maintained Penta speakers has come available to me and I started looking again, but I don't even know where they'd go.  What would I possibly do with them, outside of buy a Beosound that will be challenging to use.  Is all of our B&O equipment in active use or do you consider yourself a hoarder?  If you use a lot of B&O equipment, do you feel you're forgoing the latest equipment and DACs and innovations?  Do you blend your B&O equipment with modern gear?  If you are addicted to B&O and the amazing designs, how you do make it work?

If you have a lot of modern gear as well, and maybe you have a set of Pentas - do you still listen to them?  Do you find them to be worthwhile, or is the age of this equipment showing audibly and you feel like you've leaving something behind sonically to keep them around?

My other hobbies include wristwatches (mechanical) and cars (ones I consider beautiful).  My wife and I do triathlons to stay active because working out without a mountain to conquer is boring.  

P1000152.JPG by danox574, on Flickr

The question I have for the owners here - do you hoard equipment?  Do you consider yourself a 'collector' and a brand enthusiast more than a music enthusiast?  A recent set of well maintained Penta speakers has come available to me and I started looking again, but I don't even know where they'd go.  What would I possibly do with them, outside of buy a Beosound that will be challenging to use.  Is all of our B&O equipment in active use or do you consider yourself a hoarder?  If you use a lot of B&O equipment, do you feel you're forgoing the latest equipment and DACs and innovations?  Do you blend your B&O equipment with modern gear?  If you are addicted to B&O and the amazing designs, how you do make it work?

If you have a lot of modern gear as well, and maybe you have a set of Pentas - do you still listen to them?  Do you find them to be worthwhile, or is the age of this equipment showing audibly and you feel like you've leaving something behind sonically to keep them around?

Do I hoard B&O or equipment?

No is the short answer. Being living in Denmark B&O is everywhere new, old, rare and rusted too nothing but junk. Not kidding Dillen just got 2 Beomaster from me not worth it. I can't see the point in hoard or collect every B&O I come across. One mans collection is another mans space! Even though I have it currently I am to big in mind on the point of it all.

I have been brand loyal to B&O since 2003 when in about 3 weeks I had a serviced and full system 2000 from the mid '80's + Attyca II. But the reason was always to have something to play music back on and still is. 

I still got to buy my pair of Penta's. Beovox or Beolab does not matter but it depends every time on the B&O need. Beosystem 6500 and 6000 with Beovox speakers handle the need perfectly at this point in time.

I use my 2 Beosystem in 2 different rooms. The 6000 from 1981 when playing drums. It is just loud enough or record play back. The 6500 is in the main room and always in daily enjoyment. I do have loose B&O items that I do not really use and may need service but not to much.

No I do not really want to change anything again! Now this and this all the time. Look at B&O 1991 and then 1999. Keep up with the new things or same thing new wrapping. I am happy with what I got and I can get it serviced by a pro that is Dillen here. 1981 or 1991 it still sounds great even the cassette players which I still use. Old B&O is like one push and you got music out of the speakers. With a remote or without.

Then it is the question of hard drive and music. I am not into keeping music on a Iphone like basis as they keep updating and out of date while properly crash someday with the content. It does not seem to better just different and current trend! I could care less.

Blending B&O? No not at the moment. But maybe I will get DAT player and B&O never made those.

Well the first couple of years it was more about figuring out how different B&O was and the experience of it. Then you find some conclussion to it and just stick with what you have. So the current need as I mentioned is 6500 in one room and 6000 in the other. Perfect world!

Yes I always listen to it on daily basis. That is why I got it and its the world to me. The old stuff sound as good as the new stuff and despite that you have to have it serviced by 20 odd years it is part of the more fair price you can get it at by then.

It would only change if I wanted some other B&O to try. Then I would see what be best for the need. Currently I really dig what I have.

Thank you for a lovely post.

I think this will generate quite a discussion!

10 years ago I was a hoarder of vintage equipment.

Then I branched out into the modern era.

Now I listen purely with the modern equipment; and sadly the vintage I s gathering dust. But I cannot bring myself to sell anything !

To satisfy your itch, I think you should decide which of your existing equipment you'll retire. And plan the next B&O purchase around that.

Let's hope that the "Moment" will be what you need to branch out.

welcome danox and as elephant says you will hear alot of different reasons...

I'm a music geek who just loves well thought out design and I must say I have a good mix of new to mid 80's equipment which all gets used regularly.

My Penta's are connected to a 7000 system and Playmaker and get used most weekends; mainly record deck and radio. BeoSound 1 connected to airplay in the master bedroom generates my weekend morning sounds and BeoLit 12 is in the kitchen where I normally stream internet radio too over breakfast or when doing chores when the family is out. Century sits in my home office and I normally connect my iPod/iPhone to it or use it for 1st airings on new CD's.

Personally I enjoy the physical interaction and preparation before listening to music; but all my audio & visual are backed up in the cloud (I listen continuously to music or podcasts on the move when I am by myself), and in my mind its the same as allowing wine to air or warming up before exercise, I rush around enough in my life and when at home I like to take pleasure in listening to music ..

B&O gives me those selfish moments to enjoy both good sound and design 

 

 

Like Mark my life is hectic and my listening to music at home is confined to the weekend daytime when I use BeoLab 3s to listen to my ripped collection or to iTunes radio, or in recent weeks Vevo music videos.

In the 80s and 90s I used to use my vintage (some might argue that it's too youthful to classify as vintage - I think in the car collector trade it would therefore be a veteran) BeoMaster 5000 stack to play the CDs (that are now ripped) with 55s in the 80s, RL60s in the 90s, and in the early 00s it was back to the 55s.

I listen to the ripped music on an iPad inside an A3 when I am shaving - or I can use it to reach to the wireless and gain access to internet radios or the ripped collection.

And for the rest of the day I rely on my iPhone - usually with Apple's earbuds and their control and microphone so I can take calls; or when flying my A8 earpieces either with the iPhone or with an adapter to the airline's system.

A recent win, is that after travelling with my son to Europe and back and loaning him some A8s (we actually have 3 pairs) he is now asking for some B&O buds as a Christmas present .... YES ... we have contagion !!!

Welcome to Beoworld.
Interesting question you're asking. But, I have to say that this subject have been dealt with in many threads here on Beoworld.
- Why people are buying B&O, when they started, how they are using it, addiction, collecting or not collecting etc.

I am a bit too lazy to write all over again, what I have written in other threads  (and i think some others are too, as there - so far - are only a few postings in this thread)
So I have found a few links to earlier threads, that I hope will answer some your questions:

http://archivedforum2.beoworld.org/forums/t/227.aspx

http://archivedforum2.beoworld.org/forums/t/3036.aspx

http://archivedforum2.beoworld.org/forums/p/11698/102538.aspx#102538

http://archivedforum2.beoworld.org/forums/p/10837/94475.aspx#94475

 

Thank you all, and Steffen, I understand what you are saying.  I see a lot of posts about problems people have with hardware failures, gapless playback, integration with the latest features, and really, although I was initially asking about why you love B&O, the meat of the question is really this: Do you feel like you are sometimes making a tradeoff in sound or features for the design?

I suppose I am attracted to the gear even though it does not do everything other things can do, I don't really mind that, as ultimately when you just sit down to listen, the bells and whistles don't mean much.  Right now, I have a lot of squeezebox gear that I consider to be unmatched actually, and my library of music is carefully curated - sometimes I think I get as much enjoyment out of organizing it as I do listening.  But I am used to having excellent, fast, reliable apps to find what I want and I don't make many tradeoffs to do that.

So, that being said, I have acquired a very, very well preserved pair of Penta II speakers and a Beocenter 9500, and I think there is more to come.  I've a few ideas on how to implement these in my listening areas to see if I am happy with them, so I suppose I will know myself in the coming months.

Thank you everyone!