New to B&O

Although very aware of B&O I had never really taken a lot of notice, as I always felt the product was expensive, and that lower cost alternatives offered better value. I then visited the local distibutor and, as a gadget fanatic, was suitably impressed. So much so that I'm looking at the Avant 75, with 2 x 18's (front) a 19 sub and 2 x 3's (back). 

I have now started reading forum comments about OLED, which I believe will be available next year, and wonder if it is worth waiting. My thoughts are that next year, I'll hear about the next new screen/format, and wonder whether to wait again. It's such an investment that you want to get it right, and as a newbie, I am not sure.

I would be interested to know what experienced B&O users have to say. 

Thanks in advance

A warm welcome to BeoWorld!

Two things you need to know about B&O: (1) You will always pay several times the price of other brands and (2) many aspects of B&O technology will always be a step behind.

That being said, there are many great benefits of B&O including excellent craftsmanship, beautiful design, multi-room distribution of sound and video, and products that are built to last. Many of us have B&O products that are over 20 years old and still function. Also, unlike other companies that replace models after just a year, the B&O products stay in the product portfolio for many years.

B&O is always a step behind in some areas of technology. Waiting a year for the OLED will not change that. You will still find that the product is not the latest in technology. If it was only a matter of a few months, I might suggest waiting. However, with a product launch expected to be over a year away (and product launch delays do happen), I would recommend buying the Avant and enjoying it for the next year!

Many thanks Jeff for taking the time to respond to my post. I also appreciate your frank and balanced comments. I had already concluded that B&O equipment is not cheap, as the owner of the store shook me upside down to check if I had any more money left on me! You can certainly spend a lot of money on this stuff. I wasn't aware they were behind the curve with technology, until I came on to the forum, something you have confirmed.

I guess you have to balance this with the quality and the design of the product. If, as you suggest, I can expect my purchases to last 20 years, there's a good chance they will last longer than me. 😂

I will take your advice, take the plunge and enjoy the new experience of B&O. I am sure I will not be disappointed. 

Once again thanks for your help. 

Welcome Cousin Jack

Good call. The current Beosystem 4 based TVs are a good platform. And you are right to wait on the screen technology. B&O's recent agreement with LG will likely materialise products in 18+ months as OLED and other associated technologies becomes more mature at the right sizes. Meanwhile you'd be missing out on a great experience.  I'm sure you've read tons on the forum about HEVC and HDR, but these are just x.1 updates versus a full 2.0 upgrade to the overall experience. You may have also read about the shift to a new rev of smart TV, but honestly does anyone use it? Just get an AppleTV and you'll have all the smart you need including Netflix and Amazon for TopGear or whatever it gets called. An Avant is a great jumping on point. 

 

 

Thanks for the advice. I am not at bothered by Smart TV. There's plenty of ways of doing that, as you say. I will take the plunge, and enjoy. I'm sure I won't be disappointed. 

 

Why not get some older B&O tech that costs peanuts in comparison, and see what happens if that's on you mind?

You can get a good 5-42 or 9 for between £200-£2,000! A 7-40 Mk6 or 7-55 can be had for between £2,000-£5,000 and they still have fantastic pictures and sound. If you ended up getting the next batch of TVs, you could always try and trade them in or move them to a bedroom!

That's a fair point, although I am terrible at wanting new. I'm the same with my car. I will go for new, in the knowledge I will have value in the TV if I device I want to change in the future. In fairness, to my eye, I will probably not notice the difference with the current technology and the new, when launched. 

That's a fair point, although I am terrible at wanting new. I'm the same with my car. I will go for new, in the knowledge I will have value in the TV if I device I want to change in the future. In fairness, to my eye, I will probably not notice the difference with the current technology and the new, when launched. 

The Beovision 5 is very old analog tech based on the Beosystem 1 processor. Even the BeoSystem 4 is unacceptable, in my opinion. However, the new Avant is 4K capable. The Avant is rather like a car: the value is far greater than the sum of its parts. With the Avant, you get the AV processor as well as the center channel speaker. I've been eyeing one myself.... Yet, I hate to part with my BeoLab 10 center channel and to downsize from a 65 inch screen to a 55 inch. For me, I hope for a BeoSystem 5 that would be 4K and have Dolby Atmos.