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Hi
I am planning on purchasing my first B and O and am looking for advice.
I am torn between the 9500 and 9300
Is there a marked difference between the two ie sound quality? I am thinking of coupling it with the Beolab 8000 or 6000's which would, in our opinion would be the best?
Are there any issues or problems I should be aware of with the two units?
Thank you for any advice.
The '9500 despite the numbering is the older but better unit imho.
The styling is very similar,but the bulk of the electronics is different between the two units.
Reliability seems to have been better with the '9500 too.
There is a subtle difference in sound quality.Although the output stages are virtually the same,the signal processing is different.
This will be less important to you if you are using active 'speakers though,as they don't don't use the main amplifier in the unit.
The '9500 also has an integral RIAA pre-amplifier,whereas the '9300 does not,so if you intend to add a record player you are limited to the later types of turntable with that unit,unless you add an external pre-amp.
There are several "usual suspects" problems to consider with both unit's,the most common being loose glass panels.
Try and collect your purchase rather than shipping it,to avoid the risk of the glass panels being broken in transit.
The '9500 has been a reliable and versatile design,and is well loved by people here,They are nearly alway's fixable.Good luck with your search.
Nick
Hi Nick
Thanks for the information it was very useful.
Regards
Steve
Steve, I'll add my thoughts to solderon29's excellent post. I have a BC9500, and not a BC9300, so I don't have direct knowledge. The general opinion here on Beoworld is that the 9500 contains superior parts (e.g. the cd mechanism) and may yield superior audio...but I'll bet that not 1 in a 100 could tell in a blind test.
Something else to keep in mind, all other things being equal (e.g. price), is that the 9300 is a newer and may be less likely to need repair. But you need to do due diligence on the specific unit under consideration. I *love* my BC, but it's slowly breaking down and where I live (U.S.) it can't feasibly be repaired. I use it mostly as a preamp for my speakers, fed by an Airport Express.
On the topic of speakers, I have both BL 6000 and BL 8000. The 8000 are superior, full stop. Either speaker will profit from the addition of a subwoofer. I finally got my hands on a BL2 which I've paired with the 8000s for my stereo music listening; it's my best audio purchase in a decade or more.
Hope that helps.
Once again thanks for the advice.
I have now bought a 9500 The seller has assured me it has been professionally refurbished and amp checked etc.
I have been told that the 8000's are only really needed for large rooms. As it will be used in an average size room the 6000's would be adequate. Putting the obvious difference in power to one side, would the sound quality be the same at lower volumes?
Steve.
Hi Steve,
First of all congratulations to your BC9500, it is a B&O classic and my favourite system. I have one as my main music system and I don't want to change it.
I don't want to sound too harsh, but in my opinion the person who told you that Beolab 8000 outmatches Beolab 6000 only in a large room and at higher volumes did:a) wanted to sell you a pair of BL6000 instead of BL8000, orb) is more than partially deaf on at least one ear
Beolab 8000 has definitely more bass and a fuller sound picture than Beolab 6000 and the difference is notable even at low volumes. Active speakers (like the Beolab range) do, in my opinion, not really need high volumes to show their abilities. I suggest you do a bit of research in the forum about BL6000 vs. BL8000 (the difference has been discussed many times) to get more opinions on this.
My main living room where the BC9500 is setup is rather small (about 20m²) and I did a bit of comparison between a pair of Beolab6000 (that I bought two years ago for the office, but then I changed plans) an a pair of Beolab Penta (my main speakers) in the same room/position both connected to my BC9500. BL6000 has decent treeble and middles but does definitely lack performance in the lower frequencies.
I won't go deeper into the (really big) difference in performance between BL6000 and Beolab Penta as a direct comparison would be a bit unfair (Beolab Penta is situated above Beolab 8000 in the B&O hierarchy) but listening to the same piece on both speakers does show the weak spot of Beolab6000 (low frequencies).
Don't get me wrong, Beolab6000 for itself is a decent speaker, but if you compare it to it's bigger brothers like Beolab8000 or Beolab Penta (I won't mention Beolab 5, Beolab 50 or Beolab90 as they are a completely different league), you will notice the difference in the lower end. Paired to a small subwoofer like Beolab11 does really help increase the performance of Beolab6000. Between Beolab6000 and Beolab8000 I would always choose Beolab8000.
When you plan to buy a pair of BL8000 just be aware that older pairs tend to have problems related to the deteriorating damping material (like Beolab4000), but this can be repaired.
Greetings from Vienna and happy new year!
Foxtrott
"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."
William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 2, Act 4
You have asked about the difference.And there is a big differense. BC9300 is actuallly a Beosound Ouverture in a BC 9xxx Cabinet.without a Masterlink plug.The BC 9500 is quite equal to Besystem 6500.The recordplayer offers both Dolby B&C BC 9300 only Dolby B.Frq in the recordplayer goes up to 18.000 Hz BC 9300 only about 16.000 Hz.The recorddevice for tape recording are identical to Beocord 6500/7000.The CD is the swingarm system and equal to BG CD 6500/7000. BC 9300 uses toothshaff drive..It has twoway operation with BL 5000 & BL 7000. BC 9300 only one way. (Beo 4)As others has written its a state of the art system, and very stable.
.
Fritz: BC9300 is actuallly a Beosound Ouverture in a BC 9xxx Cabinet.
BC9300 is actuallly a Beosound Ouverture in a BC 9xxx Cabinet.
And from what unit is the power amplifier in 9300 borrowed?
It was borrowed from MCL 2P, as the BS Ouverture did not have at power stage. MCL 2P is very close in design to the output stage on the BC 9500.