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A friend is interested in purchasing my Beolab 9s. He asked what material the drivers are made of, or surrounded by? I am not sure how to ask the question. I have read threads here about foam rot?
What is the construction of Beolab 9s? Are there parts/materials that are likely to be deteriorating on a 9 year old pair?
Thanks and sorry if I am not using the right terms.
Beolab 28s Beolab 9s Beolab 12-3s Beolab 1s Beolab 6000s 2 pairs Beolab 4000s Beovision 7-55 Beovision 10-40 Beoplay V1 32 inch Beovision Avant 32 inch Beosound 1 (CD player) Beosound 3000 Beosound 5 Core Essence MKII Beoplay M5
Not likely to deteriorate. The tweeter is soft plastic, the midwoofer and woofer are heavy cloth/fabric with robust rubber surrounds. I have a number of heavy paper coned drivers from the 50s and 60s that still work perfectly, and they aren't even as robustly constructed as the BL9 drivers. There are a lot of good reasons to use woven fiber/paper cones, longevity being one, being able to control the rolloff at higher frequencies without ringing or bad breakup modes being an other. In general more "technically advanced" rigid drivers are much harder to work with than soft plastic or paper/fiber drivers due to the fact that when they do breakup at higher frequencies the breakup modes are undamped or poorly damped and they can ring. You can generally see this in time domain plots of how the drivers freq response decays after an impulse, you can often see severe ringing, frequencies that continue to show output for significant lengths of time after the impulse is removed.
No reason to worry about longevity IMO, at least due to aging.
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
Razlaw:A friend is interested in purchasing my Beolab 9s. He asked what material the drivers are made of, or surrounded by? I am not sure how to ask the question. I have read threads here about foam rot? What is the construction of Beolab 9s? Are there parts/materials that are likely to be deteriorating on a 9 year old pair? Thanks and sorry if I am not using the right terms.
BeoNut since '75
mjmedlo: Razlaw: A friend is interested in purchasing my Beolab 9s. He asked what material the drivers are made of, or surrounded by? I am not sure how to ask the question. I have read threads here about foam rot? What is the construction of Beolab 9s? Are there parts/materials that are likely to be deteriorating on a 9 year old pair? Thanks and sorry if I am not using the right terms. I have an 18 year old pair of lab 5s that still kill it! I wouldn't worry about 9 years. Those babies are surely still rocking hard
Razlaw: A friend is interested in purchasing my Beolab 9s. He asked what material the drivers are made of, or surrounded by? I am not sure how to ask the question. I have read threads here about foam rot? What is the construction of Beolab 9s? Are there parts/materials that are likely to be deteriorating on a 9 year old pair? Thanks and sorry if I am not using the right terms.
I have an 18 year old pair of lab 5s that still kill it!
I wouldn't worry about 9 years.
Those babies are surely still rocking hard
18 year old BL5s? Are they pre-production prototypes? According to this site, they were first manufactured in 2003... 13 years by my arithmetic.
Anyway, I have 15 year old BL1s (2001 manufacture date), and they are still going strong. Some where I have read that, the BL9s design started with the BL1 so this is probably a reasonably fair comparison. I would not worry about it.
mjmedlo:Ok...maybe I exaggerated... I bought them second hand in 06
The only reason I noticed was because I knew my BL1s were 15 years old, and didn't think there were BL5s older than them (so I looked it up)... I hope I didn't sound harsh, I was trying to be fairly even handed because I tend to forget ages (even my own) quite often.
Many thanks to the OP for posting this question as I have wondered this several times about my own pair of BL9s. It is encouraging to see the replies so far as on occasion, I do turn the volume up to 70 when I am listening to some HD movie trailers on my Apple TV; 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' (2013) being a particular favourite of mine that really sounds great through the speakers. I know they are protected but still wonder how loud would be too loud? Further thoughts would be helpful.
Thanks to Jeff for your very informative response to the question and it would be great to hear Geoff Martin's view also on this topic and regarding my curiosity around safe maximum volume levels should he happen to come across this post. Cheers, Simon.
B&O products are V1-32, BS2, H95, E8 and an Essence remote.11-46 now replaced with Sony A90J 65”, Sony HT-A9, Sony UBP-X800M2 and Sony SRS-NS7.
Just a quick 'bump' of this very interesting thread to hopefully encourage some more informative comments.
I am moving home later this year and planing to buy the latest B&O television available with full 5.1 (or more if really needed) surround sound. Can't decide whether to keep the 9s and move them to the back then buy 5s or 20s as fronts. Of course I could simply buy 2 more 9s for and all round 9 setup (albeit it wired) or look at some of the other speaker offerings and go wireless. A nice dilemma to have but with such a lovely choice of design and function, really hard to pin down the best setup at this stage.
Any further thoughts? Thanks, Simon.
The ONLY issues I've ever had with BeoLab 9 is tweeters - and not often. I've had perhaps 30-40 pairs come through and maybe 2-3 have needed fairly low cost repairs under warranty.
They're a great speaker and I'd certainly recommend them.
Lee
BAND'OH!: Of course I could simply buy 2 more 9s for and all round 9 setup (albeit it wired)
Oh I think it is beautiful, not weird at all :-)
Hi Sal, it was wired I wrote, not weird! Wired as opposed to wireless, which the new speaker offerings from B&O are.
Beolab 50, Beolab 8000 x 2, Beolab 4000 x 2, BeoSound Core, BeoSound 9000, BeoSound Century, BeoLit 15, BeoPlay A1, BeoPlay P2, BeoPlay H9 3rd Gen, BeoPlay H6, EarSet 3i, BeoVision Eclipse Gen 2 55", BeoPlay V1-40, BeoCom 6000 and so much else :)
BAND'OH!: Hi Sal, it was wired I wrote, not weird! Wired as opposed to wireless, which the new speaker offerings from B&O are.
My dyslexia strikes again. Ugh, so sorry.
Well, I hope the electronics and such on my BL9s last a long time. I am so in love with these speakers, in my huge living room they just produce the most spacious, smooth, and detailed sound with sufficient bass when called for. Great imaging as well, the side walls are so far away I think the wide dispersion tweeter doesn't have a chance to generate much side reflections to impact imaging much.
A friend sent me a CD of an outstanding vocalist singing some Vivaldi, and listening to it on the BL9s was a revelation in just how good midrange and vocals could be reproduced by a speaker. Stunning.
@Jeff
On a sidenote.
That really show how much influence the room/the placement of the speakers in a room has.
Keep on enjoying your nice BL9's :-)
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
Millemissen: @Jeff On a sidenote. That really show how much influence the room/the placement of the speakers in a room has. Keep on enjoying your nice BL9's :-) MM
Indeed. The main thing you notice about the ALTs is that you can get a good stereo image from a very wide area, even right in front of one speaker you can still get decent stereo, and in the sweet spot very good imaging. I find anymore I am less inclined to sit dead still and go for image depth at a sweet spot and more grateful for a setup where you can hear good stereo from most seats in the room. I've gotten less fanatical as I've gotten older.
Jeff: I've gotten less fanatical as I've gotten older.
I've gotten less fanatical as I've gotten older.
Seems that people have to get older to get less fanatical ;-))
Hi Jeff, I would be very interested to see photos Of your current setup showing as much of the room/space as possible and all the speakers and placements including the BL9s. I found your post very helpful and would like to compare and contrast against my own placement and test out different ideas etc, thanks in advance.
Fanaticism is a young person's game. At my age I just don't have the energy.
BAND'OH!: Hi Jeff, I would be very interested to see photos Of your current setup showing as much of the room/space as possible and all the speakers and placements including the BL9s. I found your post very helpful and would like to compare and contrast against my own placement and test out different ideas etc, thanks in advance.
I'll try and get some pics up, as soon as I remember my Photobucket password! I have been meaning to take some for some time to put on the Flash Your B&O thread. The living room is about 20+ feet across, but runs in width the entire depth of the house, although on the side of the front door and fireplace the area beyond the fireplace is the foyer/entrance, there's also a raised area in the back of the house opposite the entrance that's raised and has a baby grand piano and my wife's pedal harp, with glass doors to the rear deck. This house is huge compared to the tiny place I did have, over 3000 sq ft total compared to less than 1300 sq ft. I love the space, but the Beolab 8000s just, got lost in the living room. Thankfully a good deal on a demo pair of BL9s came along.
I could probably email some to you if your email address is setup in your profile.
Thanks for the interest!
Michael:I was about to purchase a pair of Beolab 5's to replace my Beolab 9 as fronts but the seller seems to have sold them to someone else. Pity, but perhaps just as good. Beolab 9 is not a bad speaker.
This is exactly what I am considering doing at the moment Michael. Did you consider BL20s instead of the BL5s as I am assuming the price point would be similar? I am unsure which way to go; and whichever way I do go, do I keep the BL9s and move them to the back or trade them in for something else? Either way I am looking for a complete surround sound system, which will be at least 5.1 but maybe 7.1 depending on what type of new home I buy in the next few months. Simon.
@elephanth
Expensive listening ;-))
elephant:Wife was out shopping so I seized the opportunity to crank up the BL20s with some classical music (organs, Princess Diana's funeral, last night of the proms, Britten, Mussorgsky) and I felt the floor boards trembling and once I had a sonic punch in the solar plexus. Not sure the BL9s can deliver that. Still they are not as good as the BL5s.
Not sure the BL9s can deliver that.
Still they are not as good as the BL5s.
I am eagerly awaiting my new 20s so I can do the same. Have been listening to organ music on my 9s and will be some of the first things I listen to on the 20s.
Thanks Jeff. Have updated my profile as suggested and looking forward to seeing pics of your setup. Cheers, Simon.
elephant:Simon BL20 = 2 x 160W 10" (not sure how the two amps works out) BL5 = 1000W 15" If you can pickup a BL5 for almost the price of a BL20 then surely it's "game over" ?
BL20 = 2 x 160W 10" (not sure how the two amps works out)
BL5 = 1000W 15"
If you can pickup a BL5 for almost the price of a BL20 then surely it's "game over" ?
Thanks for your thoughts. I would like to know if the BL5s sound much better than the BL9s at a lower (normal, more usual) listening level, for example a volume level of between 50-70? I appreciate the BL5s have awesome power but I may choose to move into a flat rather than a house and in this case would never be able to utilise them to their full potential! I have always assumed the BL5s offered a completely different listening experience to the BL9s and not simply louder but I may be mistaken. Thanks, Simon.
Michael:The BL5 was 50 000 SEK, about 20-30 000 SEK less than new BL20. Very good price, and I wasn't the only one interested apparently - they disappeared without any notice and I even had a truck on stand by to bring them home. Too bad. But I don't think their power is necessary in my small home of only 72 square meters. BL9 works fine but more power would be fun. I'm quite keen on an upgrade to BL20 but I don't know. BL5 is old now but majestic, however takes up a lot of space and might be a bad idea with neighbors above, below and on the side.
This is an unbelievable price Michael and I would have snapped them up too. Shame you missed them but there are lots of pairs out there to be had. I am never in a rush anyway, I enjoy the chase as much as I do the eventual purchase so the build up to buying and talking to dealers and others in between is always such a valuable part of the overall B&O experience and pleasure for me.
BAND'OH!:This is an unbelievable price Michael and I would have snapped them up too. Shame you missed them but there are lots of pairs out there to be had. I am never in a rush anyway, I enjoy the chase as much as I do the eventual purchase so the build up to buying and talking to dealers and others in between is always such a valuable part of the overall B&O experience and pleasure for me.
Michael: I would prefer not to buy to old electronics. Things do fail.
Totally agree, though with the BL5, and I could be mistaken, but didn't the older versions have a more robust power supply as evidenced by a three pronged power cable (one with a ground plug, at least here in the US)? The newer ones don't? Don't know what this says about their longevity or robustness.
There have been a handful of second hand BL5's show up on eBay here in the US. I am so tempted, but then I think to myself: These are hulking monsters of speakers, where am I going to put them, how am I going to move them myself, am I going to use them to their potential in the relatively small living room in which they'd be placed??? Then, reality sets in: However much I'd love to have a pair, for me, they're completely impractical..
I'll have to admire them from afar.. but there is always this desire in the back of my mind... who knows... in a few more years, an older pair may be priced and located somewhere where I can't say no to temptation. LOL
Sal: Michael: I would prefer not to buy to old electronics. Things do fail. Totally agree, though with the BL5, and I could be mistaken, but didn't the older versions have a more robust power supply as evidenced by a three pronged power cable (one with a ground plug, at least here in the US)? The newer ones don't? Don't know what this says about their longevity or robustness. There have been a handful of second hand BL5's show up on eBay here in the US. I am so tempted, but then I think to myself: These are hulking monsters of speakers, where am I going to put them, how am I going to move them myself, am I going to use them to their potential in the relatively small living room in which they'd be placed??? Then, reality sets in: However much I'd love to have a pair, for me, they're completely impractical.. I'll have to admire them from afar.. but there is always this desire in the back of my mind... who knows... in a few more years, an older pair may be priced and located somewhere where I can't say no to temptation. LOL
I believe the power cord change was more a EU regulation thing than a budget thing. The units costs so much, it would be ridiculous to save money on redesigning and retooling for a new cord just to save a few cents on each manufacture. I´d say it was a necessity regulatory wise only. And I guess the change didn't do much either, right? Perhaps it was just a better thing since you don't need as thick cables for the unshielded cables. The speakers seem very awesome but I read a few reviews and most of them say that they are unimpressed by them, that BL9 sound more or less as good, at least to a certain volume level and that they play so neutral (a good thing though) that it is hard to hear the bass. I prefer to make my own choice but it is hard to have a pair of BL5 delivered just for testing, I don't feel comfortable asking my retailer for that either. Well, perhaps I'll get a pair of BL5s in the future. My BL9s are still good. I was actually thinking about going for smaller speakers (BL18) for a cooler style, but whatever :P.
Michael:The speakers seem very awesome but I read a few reviews and most of them say that they are unimpressed by them, that BL9 sound more or less as good, at least to a certain volume level and that they play so neutral (a good thing though) that it is hard to hear the bass.
I've read a handful of opinions on the BL5 that some are unhappy with the way that the speaker sounds after it self-calibrates, that it sometimes overcompensates for the acoustics of the room, but then again, I haven't a clue whether those reports were from people with highly sensitive ears.
Sal: Michael:The speakers seem very awesome but I read a few reviews and most of them say that they are unimpressed by them, that BL9 sound more or less as good, at least to a certain volume level and that they play so neutral (a good thing though) that it is hard to hear the bass. I've read a handful of opinions on the BL5 that some are unhappy with the way that the speaker sounds after it self-calibrates, that it sometimes overcompensates for the acoustics of the room, but then again, I haven't a clue whether those reports were from people with highly sensitive ears.
I had a pair of 5s in my house twice, once for weeks, when I was considering purchasing a pair. Both times I was disappointed and did not buy them. They sounded different than my 9s, but I could not say that they sounded better, in my room, to my ears. Thus I am very curious to see how my new 20s sound when they arrive.