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
Okay - this is a very simple question, so no rambling onto a different path here.. (we're absolute masters at this.. LOL)
Out of the CURRENT 2015 line-up of B&O products, which one single item is your favourite - and which one single item do you dislike the most?
I'll start :
Favourite : The BeoLab 18 in Rose Gold. Gorgeous - but only about 4.7% of the world seems to think so as the dealers seem to be struggling to get rid of their sample stock! I think they're stunning, but I can see how they wouldn't work in most rooms.
Least Favourite : BeoPlay H6 'DJ Khaled - We The Best' Special Edition - purely for the fact B&O actually associated with him. It's like making a Rolls Royce in collaboration with Manny Pacquiao. The two don't go together. End of story. Also, 'we the best' is poor English, and I don't like that.
Yes, I'm pedantic. I know. Sorry.
Over to you guys!
Lee
Good one Lee :)
Favourite - A8 Airplay because five years on, it still looks amazing, iconic even. I just wish that it was brighter sounding.
Least Favourite - A2 - it sounds dull, flat and lifeless to me and it's ugly / Avant - boring design
Favourite - Beosound Moment - the concept is unique
Least Favourite - New Avant - boring design
Beosound Stage, Beovision 8-40, Beolit 20, Beosound Explore.
Favourite: Beoplay A9 MkII (especially in Rose Gold)
Least favourite: mainstream design for the new Avant
BeoVision Haermony 65"...BeoLab 28 Anthracite....BeoLab 17 as REAR....BV10-32....BC6-26....Beosound 9000....Beosound 1 New York edt....Beogram 4002....Beoplay Emerge....Beoplay M5....Beoplay M3....Beoremote Halo....BeoRemote One BT....Beo6....Beo4....Beo4 Cinema....BeoLink 7000....Serene....H95 Black LTD....H9i Rimowa....6 x H6....Form 1....U70...
Least Favorite: I tend to agree with Lee. The Beoplay H6 DJ Khaled edition is awful. I really cringed when I saw the introduction video. I understand the B&O is trying to expand the market for the H6. I hope it works but I don't think so.
Favorite: I am thinking of purchasing the Beovision 11 in Rose Gold and I am also thinking of getting the A2 Black Copper edition. Not too long ago, I would have thought the Rose Gold color as too much bling. I agree that the Beolab 18s in Rose Gold are absolutely stunning. However I already have a pair of Beolab 8000s in black.
Chris Townsend:The H8s are world class, and the only thing stopping B&O being swamped with orders is their own poor marketing. The Beolit 15 is a worthy upgrade to the 12, and at a much better price point. Again poorly marketed(flop). H2s again brilliant, and also at a good price point. The problem with the Rose gold for me, is that if I bought a pair nothing B&O makes would go with them by the time I'd saved up enough money! Still gorgeous though. Flops? I just like Paul think the Avants design is quite boring, but I'm told many people just want a panel with a plain design. If they sell loads great. The V1 not being replaced, massive flop. No that's not me [:\'(]
The Beolit 15 is a worthy upgrade to the 12, and at a much better price point. Again poorly marketed(flop). H2s again brilliant, and also at a good price point.
The problem with the Rose gold for me, is that if I bought a pair nothing B&O makes would go with them by the time I'd saved up enough money! Still gorgeous though.
Flops? I just like Paul think the Avants design is quite boring, but I'm told many people just want a panel with a plain design. If they sell loads great.
The V1 not being replaced, massive flop.
No that's not me [:\'(]
let it lie Chris,
the V1 is not being replaced for other reasons such as the TV market becoming commoditised. Good to see you took your headphones off for the dive!
On the subject of the Avant, at least the back of the V1 is designed to be more than a collection of extrusions and flat materials. But that's my opinion as a product designer.
and the Beolit 15 is not an upgrade other than losing the Apple Airplay,in my opinion. The loss of the IR and degraded leather quality and the cost-reduced grille are a shame.
Beo Century ,Beoplay V1, Beocenter 6, Ex-Beolit 12, Beotime , A8. Beolit 15 , Form 2i , Beolab 2000, Beoplay A3.Beosound 1
SimonBeo you are very bitchy! So you're insulting a human because he made a remark about a stupid piece of non living materialistic product? A product that has never lived or breathed. Seriously, get your values sort man!
Of course B&O are giving the BeoLit 15 a cheaper leather handle. They're a greedy profit wanting company. You don't honestly think they've reduced their margins because of the price drop do you? :)
Favourite: BV11 on a motorised wall hinge.
Least favourite, both BV11 and new Avant on floor stands, with a load of set top boxes and other devices hung on brackets on the back of the TV. You should be able to look at the TV from any angle and see it as a piece of elegant technology, even when turned off. If you need STB's put them out of sight elsewhere and have neat cabling up to the TV.
Graham
Paul W:SimonBeo you are very bitchy! So you're insulting a human because he made a remark about a stupid piece of non living materialistic product? A product that has never lived or breathed. Seriously, get your values sort man! Of course B&O are giving the BeoLit 15 a cheaper leather handle. They're a greedy profit wanting company. You don't honestly think they've reduced their margins because of the price drop do you? :)
I don't know whether it was a forum issue or an issue with my iPad, but I suddenly found that I had verified as the correct answer every post in this thread.
Hopefully now corrected.
Paul W: SimonBeo you are very bitchy! So you're insulting a human because he made a remark about a stupid piece of non living materialistic product? A product that has never lived or breathed. Seriously, get your values sort man! Of course B&O are giving the BeoLit 15 a cheaper leather handle. They're a greedy profit wanting company. You don't honestly think they've reduced their margins because of the price drop do you? :)
I'm not insulting a human. This thread is about the flops and hits amongst B&O material objects! And some humans don't understand other humans materialism? We all share an interest in B&O.
Still I'm glad to hear my TV has been blessed.
Hit - Beovision Avant family. Why? Well positioned mix of capabilities, elegant simple design with just the right amount of 'show', future proofing and 'how did they do that' picture quality across old as well as new content on a 4k display - all for a reasonable price. No wonder its selling well.
Fail - Beosound Moment. A very low quality tablet display - look at the gap between the glass and the LCD. Entirely unacceptable 802.11n networking. Which engineer got away with that? And software that in its first version was trying to be too clever and did not deliver the music I wanted to hear.
mawheele: Hit - Beovision Avant family. Why? Well positioned mix of capabilities, elegant simple design with just the right amount of 'show', future proofing and 'how did they do that' picture quality across old as well as new content on a 4k display - all for a reasonable price. No wonder its selling well. Fail - Beosound Moment. A very low quality tablet display - look at the gap between the glass and the LCD. Entirely unacceptable 802.11n networking. Which engineer got away with that? And software that in its first version was trying to be too clever and did not deliver the music I wanted to hear.
I agree on both. The Avant seems an appropriate product for the company at the moment, especially with the wall mount. The Moment however was obviously not ready ,reinforced by my local dealer advising me not to look at it on my last visit as it had been doing his head in that week with its random selection of music to his taste,not.
Simonbeo: Still I'm glad to hear my TV has been blessed.
And by an Apple Onanist no less!
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
I took the question to mean products recently released, so here are my opinions:
Favorite: BeoRemote One - I think the BeoRemote One really exemplifies modern design and seems to be a next step for B&O's design language as well as functionality. it is sexy, functional, and customizable to a point. Yes, it takes getting used to, but leaps forward aren't easy sometimes.
Flop: Beovision Avant, especially 75" / 85" - For me it is a matter of design. At a basic level, I don't like the design of the Avant -- it doesn't screan B&O --but mostly, to me, having a panel in those larger sizes, without changing the speakers width in proportion of the size of the panels just seems a bit lazy; even though it makes operational / manufacturing sense. (Again, only my opinion).
Sal:I took the question to mean products recently released, so here are my opinions: Favorite : BeoRemote One - I think the BeoRemote One really exemplifies modern design and seems to be a next step for B&O's design language as well as functionality. it is sexy, functional, and customizable to a point. Yes, it takes getting used to, but leaps forward aren't easy sometimes. Flop : Beovision Avant, especially 75" / 85" - For me it is a matter of design. At a basic level, I don't like the design of the Avant -- it doesn't screan B&O --but mostly, to me, having a panel in those larger sizes, without changing the speakers width in proportion of the size of the panels just seems a bit lazy; even though it makes operational / manufacturing sense. (Again, only my opinion).
Jeff:And by an Apple Onanist no less! Jeff Beovirus victim, it's gotten to be too much to list!
Best: Avant, especially with the option of piggy backing peripherals on the back. It's great for corners where no one sees the back. For me in this room the BV11 is too heavy in design, and I love that the Avant is lighter, and for me, it's a more user friendly product. Pity the Remote One isn't backlit nor doesn't have a dedicated record button
Least: Ive never seen DJ Khaled Red and Gold numbers, but i have seen a Rolls Royce in the same colour way. But for a product I have seen and touched, the Moment. It failed on me in the store! And didn't work - and i really wanted to love it.
Most surprising: BeoPlay H8. I bought them today. I prefer over the ear headphones, but i actually love these more - so comfy. I have Grey Hazel. The sound is amazing, and the noise cancelling great. Also paired them with no issue to my MacBook Pro and also to my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact.
Chris Townsend:No that's not me [:\'(]
My children have updated my candidate for Worst current Beoproduct; They both prefer the Skullcandy (?) headphones to the Form2i provided for them. I'm sure they' are not fans of open 'phones but the Form has a kind of retro appeal .
Simon perhaps they don't prefer the rough feel of the pads of the Form 2s. Skullkandy is a cool name but then thats who they are marketing to.
I never really liked the Form 2 but i admire their minimalism, form and retro appeal. I saw the pepsi-esque ones today at Myer Bourke Street when i purchased the H8
I like my Form 2's, both for the design/style and the sound. I have never been a big headphone listener, so they suit my needs well, sound good, pretty comfortable, stylish. My wife's H6's sound much better and are the most comfortable cans I've ever listened to but I don't use headphones enough to justify two pair of them due to price.
I think the most hideous product is the hiphop H6, but that's just color not technical, I tend to evaluate products as good/bad on function before form. On that basis, I think the best and worst product has to be the Moment.
Best, because of the potential it offers. When/if they get the bugs worked out, and Deezer every comes to the US (or Spotify unpacks their head and allows other firms to do multiroom) it has the potential to revolutionize how people listen to music, and is very attractive to me.
Worst, because it's not stunningly attractive, and also because it seems to be very much a buggy work in progress from the reports I've read here. Of course, it not being available on my side of the pond means my views can't be based on actual touch/feel/evaluation so I'm not completely sure.
It's the one B&O product now that could tempt me to upgrade my current system.
I think the Beolab 20s might be a great product. Haven't heard them yet, and my ears may find the changes from the BL9s to be good or not, and I don't like the looks as much as my penguins. But, I think that in the hierarchy of B&O speakers these, and the 9s, sit at the sweet spot of performance/price. Lower than these, while good sounding, there are more design compromises to achieve smaller size, larger the price escalates to eye bleeding levels.
Simonbeo:mawheele:Hit - Beovision Avant family. Why? Well positioned mix of capabilities, elegant simple design with just the right amount of 'show', future proofing and 'how did they do that' picture quality across old as well as new content on a 4k display - all for a reasonable price. No wonder its selling well.Fail - Beosound Moment. A very low quality tablet display - look at the gap between the glass and the LCD. Entirely unacceptable 802.11n networking. Which engineer got away with that? And software that in its first version was trying to be too clever and did not deliver the music I wanted to hear. I agree on both. The Avant seems an appropriate product for the company at the moment, especially with the wall mount. The Moment however was obviously not ready ,reinforced by my local dealer advising me not to look at it on my last visit as it had been doing his head in that week with its random selection of music to his taste,not.
StUrrock:Totally agree to make a TV like the Avant, which stands out in today's market place, is truly a great achievement. Have to agree on the Moment, showing up B&Os software and user interface design problems yet again. Just like the BeoSound 5, I want to love the thing but can't work out how to use it.
w5bno123: Your clearly need to be in the 'Mood' to use it.
Your clearly need to be in the 'Mood' to use it.
Like Glenn Miller...
Jeff:w5bno123: Your clearly need to be in the 'Mood' to use it. Like Glenn Miller...Jeff
StUrrock:Have to agree on the Moment, showing up B&Os software and user interface design problems yet again.
The interface development was outsourced to an agency in the valley. Either the brief was bad, budget too small or the agency under served them. Its funny, because the agency has it as their lead showcase on their own website. Of course they show the hardware rather than what they've developed for it - not surprised.
mawheele: StUrrock:Have to agree on the Moment, showing up B&Os software and user interface design problems yet again. The interface development was outsourced to an agency in the valley. Either the brief was bad, budget too small or the agency under served them. Its funny, because the agency has it as their lead showcase on their own website. Of course they show the hardware rather than what they've developed for it - not surprised.
Could be a lot of things as you say, the brief being bad, also known as the requirements were poorly written and testing was poorly done is a classic symptom of most companies that have no experience in systems engineering. If you don't do your up front analysis of what you want well, and don't document it well with clear, concise, testable requirements, you're doomed from the start. The typical I can't fully say what I want but I'll know it when you deliver it doesn't really work well.
.... annnndddd we're off on a ramble!
Or maybe it is just a user interface, that don't fit in with your preferences and needs.
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
Best product: Beolab 18 and 19.
Worst product (that I have used): EarSet 3i. They broke 3 times within 2 years. The earphones themselves are good but the cable is of the same build quality as free inflight earphones. B&O Should be ashamed of themselves for that.
Beolab 8000 MK II, Sennheiser HD 800
9 LEE: .... annnndddd we're off on a ramble! Lee
Thread drift...the Brownian motion of the Internet!
9 LEE:.... annnndddd we're off on a ramble! Lee
BeoNut since '75
Hit: Avant - minimalist design, clean and classy look (wall mount). Perfect picture quality without being artificial. WISA
Hit: Beolab 19 - Incredible design for a subwoofer and increasing sound quality. Not boomy at all. Performs well with Music sources as well as Video sources. WISA. Well done B&O
Hit: BeoRemote One - Even it's difficult to use in the dark, it's a great device to control whole your system with its shortcuts. Possibliy the best remote ever made.
Neutral : Beolab 17 - Minimalist design, detailed sound and power. WISA. But the build quality is far away from Beolab 4000. (Plastic side covers etc.) The Bang & Olufsen lettering is up side down if you install the Beolab 17 on the wall with an angle!
Flop : There is no complete AV system in B&O product range for today's consumer. Samsung, LG etc. all sell 3D Blue Ray players, Harman Kardon sells CD players etc. I know very well that these technologies have no future but company needs turn over today not tomorrow. Many customers going away because there is no product matching to their needs by B&O.I have friends who invested fortune for their TV's but still using their Ouvertures. A system which is covering all customer needs like BR Player, Ripper, Network Device, WiSA, MOTS missing. BS5 ripper device could not be over 1000 Euro in second hand market if I'm wrong! So, my flop is the B&O management with their wrong decision just on AV systems.
By saying this, I also know that it is too late for all. However, we all have CD/DVD/BR collections at home and a system makes life easier to ripp our collections can sell well.
Beovision Avant 55 / BV 11-40 / BV7-40 / Beovision Avant / Beosound 9000 / Beosound 5 Encore / Beosystem 4500 / Beosystem 6500 / Beocenter 9000 / Beolab 5000 / Beolab 18 / Beolab 19 / Beolab 11 / Beolab 17 / 3 sets of Beolab 4000 / Beovox Red Line 60.2
Millemissen:Or maybe it is just a user interface, that don't fit in with your preferences and needs. MM There is a tv - and there is a BV.