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
Beofan53:Thanx John for the review. I do not have a V1, but your reviews were a pleasure to read. Professional and objective. Well done! This is what a forum should be.
Thank you too Beofan53 for your most kind comments.
If you were to purchase a V1, should you have a need, I doubt you'd be disappointed!
I agree, a forum should be a resource of helpful comment and opinion and constructive criticism where necessary.
Sometimes though, I get the feeling criticism of B&O here is less than constructive, and whilst I agree totally that B&O is not perfect, I'm not sure that such criticism helps - whereas constructive criticism is another matter.
I also feel sometimes, that some members are unaware of B&O's contributions to the world of HiFi re R&D and their overall technical excellence, and having made the mistake myself of having deemed them as being mere lifestyle systems for the rich and ignorant, I have learnt through my aforementioned audiophool experiences, and extensive personal research, that this is not at all the case - B&O are at the cutting edge when it comes to loudspeaker design in particular and the room/loudspeaker interface, coupled with the study of psych-acoustics.
As such, I feel that is something well worth mentioning in any discussion of B&O - they're far from average HiFi in a pretty designer frock!
Kind regards
John...
Hubbe: Flappo: New review of V1 on line , usual disparaging remarks by the great uneducated although they do acknowledge the superb picture and sound . Isn't that what really matters on a tv after all ? http://www.wired.com/reviews/2012/07/bang-olufsen-beoplay-v1/ I can´t take that kind of reviews seriously no matter what they review. The reviewer has already made up her/his mind from the very start about the product. I´ve seen it countless of times in reviews about cars, motorbikes, electronics etc. I think that buyers of more expensive gears looks for reviews elsewhere than in this kind of magazines. The reviewer of this article pointed out from the very start how expensive the V1 is in the most exaggerating way before he continued to write down the product. Let´s face it, the Bang Olufsen remotes has always been easy to operate. The Beo4 is no exception from that legacy. The reviewer does not exactly review the product in my opinion. And John, thank you again for more nice opinions about your new buy. Will most likely join you within a couple of weeks.
Flappo: New review of V1 on line , usual disparaging remarks by the great uneducated although they do acknowledge the superb picture and sound . Isn't that what really matters on a tv after all ? http://www.wired.com/reviews/2012/07/bang-olufsen-beoplay-v1/
New review of V1 on line , usual disparaging remarks by the great uneducated although they do acknowledge the superb picture and sound . Isn't that what really matters on a tv after all ?
http://www.wired.com/reviews/2012/07/bang-olufsen-beoplay-v1/
I can´t take that kind of reviews seriously no matter what they review. The reviewer has already made up her/his mind from the very start about the product. I´ve seen it countless of times in reviews about cars, motorbikes, electronics etc.
I think that buyers of more expensive gears looks for reviews elsewhere than in this kind of magazines. The reviewer of this article pointed out from the very start how expensive the V1 is in the most exaggerating way before he continued to write down the product. Let´s face it, the Bang Olufsen remotes has always been easy to operate. The Beo4 is no exception from that legacy. The reviewer does not exactly review the product in my opinion.
And John, thank you again for more nice opinions about your new buy. Will most likely join you within a couple of weeks.
I also read the review in question, and agree with your comments. I also thought it was arrogant and patronising as well, and garnered the opinion that perhaps the writer had the B&O remote lodged firmly in his fundamental orifice, whilst writing the review.
Thank you also for you kind comments about my review - I doubt you'd be disappointed in a V1 as regards sound and picture - albeit there are undoubtedly nicer B&O TV's further up the range, but of course at considerably greater prices. For what it costs, I find the V1 fantastic VFM and worth every cent I paid for it IMHO.
Kind Regards
Chris Townsend:Some people know the price of everything, but the value of nothing.
I could not possibly agree more
When working in retail electrical/electronics, it was sad to see so many people choosing objects to adorn their living rooms, and to be used as an adjunct to their lifestyle, on purely price grounds. Many were largely uninformed technically and were easily mislead by either well meaning, or otherwise deceitful salespeople chasing their commissions. I once overheard a salesman flogging a Yamaha system at the time, telling the customers it sounded better than the opposition, because the amplifier had more 'magniticity' - I kid you not!
If you don't exercise discernment, and only buy on price, you will likely fill your home with cheap dross which will still cost you, and if it doesn't satisfy you, then it could be argued the entire cost of it was a total waste of money.
Again the old adage - buy right, buy once; buy cheap, buy twice.
John..
gennaro:Excellent review!!! Honest writing, standing ovation... Lol I'm ordering a 40" in white for the kitchen.
I'm ordering a 40" in white for the kitchen.
Thank you very much Gennaro for your most kind comments.
I think you'll be very happy with a V1 - the white is a stunning shade - neither a 'blue' white, or an overly warm/beige white, but a beautiful 'eggshell' white.
I find the picture and sound truly excellent.
On all acoustic music (classical and jazz) I find the system well able to play plenty loud enough to fill a medium size room (5 x 4 metre) with no troubles.
On electronic music, with heavy bass, it can again fill a medium room with sound - however I'd opinion that it'll not likely take head banging or party levels without excessive strain upon the bass unit - it is after all a TV and has a single 4" unit to provide bass. However at sensible levels, I find the bass very balanced and integrated with the rest of the sound re midrange and treble.
My thoughts are that for general TV viewing, i.e. drama, news, movies etc, the sound is more than capable. Playing back music CD's or computer files takes it to another level re clarity, dynamics etc. For movie viewing, where it can double as a centre channel, I would say it will be excellent; any concerns about very high volume levels/strain in the bass will be ameliorated because the crossover will likely send lower bass to the main left and right speakers, and/or sub, which will allow the midrange and treble, and upper bass, to be even clearer and more dynamic than it already is.
I look forward to your comments when you get it, and congratulations on your purchase...
If there's anything I can help you with re my experiences with my TV thus far, please feel free to ask...
I just want them t sort out the game lag then I'll be buying a 40" in black def.
..
On my trawls through the various av forums on the web , only two tv brands consistently escaped any real condemnation ; panasonic and bang & olufsen !
In fact most people seemed to agree that while b&o left out all the crazy gimmicks like 3d , voice and motion control etc they left in what really matters - excellent picture & sound and solid build , oh and this time plenty of connections - 5 hdmis !!!
Sony's apparently suffer from excessive banding , samsung's have pixellation problems and poor backlights , toshiba's are unreliable and badly made , etc etc
The main complaint regarding b&o was always one thing - the price.
I guess you get what you pay for. :)
Panasonic are on top as they've bought pioneer's old kuro tech. So that explains why they're suddenly flavour of the month .
I don't know why I bothered responding to this review (on the wired page), but if anybody agrees with me then feel free to vote me up - let's give the V1 a bit of support!
Jonathan
Jonathan - happy to vote you up. But then I realised I need to do more - so added my own comments! Lets hope others do likewise.
jkhamler: I don't know why I bothered responding to this review (on the wired page), but if anybody agrees with me then feel free to vote me up - let's give the V1 a bit of support! Jonathan http://www.wired.com/reviews/2012/07/bang-olufsen-beoplay-v1/
Duly voted - an excellent rebuttal!..
Flappo: The main complaint regarding b&o was always one thing - the price.
Well, that stops them becoming a product for the masses and, let's be honest here, B&O TVs aren't really produced for the masses. None of us here want B&O TVs to be products for the masses, either.
I couldn't care less about the comments that non-B&O owners write underneath B&O reviews or news. I'm not going to say it's "jealousy", but there's a certain amount of reverse psychology behind some of the negative comments. Almost as if they diss the product to convince themselves that it's of no interest whatsoever. However, if you offered most of those negative commentators a free BV10-40, I bet the majority of them would accept the offer with open arms. Everyone always wants the "best" TV, but most people can only afford a run-of-the-mill Samsung, so they convince themselves that B&O are ridiculous, simply so they can reassure themselves that their top-of-the-range Samsung is the best you can get in the market. They don't like to think that it can be trumped by a BV10-40....that they can't afford.
Excellent followup comment - cheers Peter!
No probs, Jonathan - I was just incensed!
Flappo: I just want them t sort out the game lag then I'll be buying a 40" in black def. .. On my trawls through the various av forums on the web , only two tv brands consistently escaped any real condemnation ; panasonic and bang & olufsen ! In fact most people seemed to agree that while b&o left out all the crazy gimmicks like 3d , voice and motion control etc they left in what really matters - excellent picture & sound and solid build , oh and this time plenty of connections - 5 hdmis !!! Sony's apparently suffer from excessive banding , samsung's have pixellation problems and poor backlights , toshiba's are unreliable and badly made , etc etc The main complaint regarding b&o was always one thing - the price. .. I guess you get what you pay for. :)
I would hope they will sort the game lag out - it's most likely to be a software thing rather than the panel itself I would think
Re the Panasonic, Sony, Samsung etc, and all the consumer gimmicks etc, I totally agree.
Despite having had a good run with my previous Sony TV, on out and out absolute picture quality grounds, the only LED backlight/LCD TV that I've seen outperform the V1 overall, on absolute picture quality, is the more expensive B&O's.
I considered a plasma, which in my opinion is where I thought the Panasonic's the best of the mainstream bunch, and perhaps the only mainstream set to truly compete with the V1 on picture quality grounds, and in some areas like black levels out perform it at least technically due the plasma technology, but weight and heat issues in a hot climate like Australia counted against it, as did power consumption with our carbon tax hiking electricity charges considerably, and when you added in the B&O style, quality, active speaker array and surround sound processor, it was really a no-brainer, despite costing quite a bit more.
As you say, you get what you pay for...
moxxey: Flappo: The main complaint regarding b&o was always one thing - the price. Well, that stops them becoming a product for the masses and, let's be honest here, B&O TVs aren't really produced for the masses. None of us here want B&O TVs to be products for the masses, either. I couldn't care less about the comments that non-B&O owners write underneath B&O reviews or news. I'm not going to say it's "jealousy", but there's a certain amount of reverse psychology behind some of the negative comments. Almost as if they diss the product to convince themselves that it's of no interest whatsoever. However, if you offered most of those negative commentators a free BV10-40, I bet the majority of them would accept the offer with open arms. Everyone always wants the "best" TV, but most people can only afford a run-of-the-mill Samsung, so they convince themselves that B&O are ridiculous, simply so they can reassure themselves that their top-of-the-range Samsung is the best you can get in the market. They don't like to think that it can be trumped by a BV10-40....that they can't afford.
I very much agree with this, and think it a very good insight into how a lot of people think when it comes to consumer items and justifying/rationalising their purchases on a psychological level.
John: I very much agree with this, and think it a very good insight into how a lot of people think when it comes to consumer items and justifying/rationalising their purchases on a psychological level.
One thing that these non-B&O owning misunderstand is their £1500 Sony TV is worth peanuts in only a couple of years. Many of these people are quite keen to keep buying a new TV every couple or so years which, somewhat ironically, means that they are spending more than many V1 owners.
Buy a V1 now and you should be able to trade it in against a new V1, or another B&O, in a couple of years. Try doing that with a Sony or similar.
But, it's good that these people don't understand this. It's what keeps the brand somewhat special and unique.
Just out of interest, what do people think of this listing? It's been up for ages now and the price has been dropped a couple of times. I wonder where it's from and what kind of after sales support (if any) would be provided?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Bang-Olufsen-BeoPlay-V1-40-Black-With-Floor-Stand-Beo4-Play-Remote-/390446895965?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_Video_Televisions&hash=item5ae872d35d#ht_2951wt_1143
Hi John,
Congrats on the V1. Excellent purchase. I will be taking mine in white..
I think B&O have made a seriously great product here. It's different, pretty much up to latest spec and outperforms a lot of other well known, established brands. It also does it at a realistic price. When I was involved with B&O, the BV7-40 was about $20k Ozzie money. Thats quite a chunk. Now its about $4.5k....! So for B&O, a steal in comparison for the same size.
I think the TV is really excellent and it shows what a tiny, insignificant Danish company can do when they stop being so arrogant. They have some hugely fantastic people and now their head is well above the sand, they are starting to realise the can make a fantastic product that people want to buy! Believe me, I have had my share of rants at the upper echelon.
I have read the review that has been posted and it's fairly typical. I agree that the V1 is more expensive than some of the TVs on the market. Big deal. It's B&O, it won't ever be cheap, but at least you can view a decent movie and see all the detail as the director intended and hear the sounds that add to the experience. The $400 jobbie, like a friend of mine requires constant setting adjustment and I find myself struggling to hear some dialogue. But like anything, if you have a passion for good movies, fine wine, fashion, cars etc. you pay for what you get - that's life.
So, I think good on you. It gives you enjoyment and I think it's a great buy. The people who look for bargain basement sets will always be a little awed by the picture and sound of B&O in my experience.
Dude1: Hi John, Congrats on the V1. Excellent purchase. I will be taking mine in white.. I think B&O have made a seriously great product here. It's different, pretty much up to latest spec and outperforms a lot of other well known, established brands. It also does it at a realistic price. When I was involved with B&O, the BV7-40 was about $20k Ozzie money. Thats quite a chunk. Now its about $4.5k....! So for B&O, a steal in comparison for the same size. I think the TV is really excellent and it shows what a tiny, insignificant Danish company can do when they stop being so arrogant. They have some hugely fantastic people and now their head is well above the sand, they are starting to realise the can make a fantastic product that people want to buy! Believe me, I have had my share of rants at the upper echelon. I have read the review that has been posted and it's fairly typical. I agree that the V1 is more expensive than some of the TVs on the market. Big deal. It's B&O, it won't ever be cheap, but at least you can view a decent movie and see all the detail as the director intended and hear the sounds that add to the experience. The $400 jobbie, like a friend of mine requires constant setting adjustment and I find myself struggling to hear some dialogue. But like anything, if you have a passion for good movies, fine wine, fashion, cars etc. you pay for what you get - that's life. So, I think good on you. It gives you enjoyment and I think it's a great buy. The people who look for bargain basement sets will always be a little awed by the picture and sound of B&O in my experience.
HI Dude1 - gotta love that name....
Many thanks for your most kind comments.
If you're not happy with a V1 I'll be mighty surprised.
The novelty/newness of experience of mine is slowly starting to wear off a little, but I'm still finding myself sneaking admiring glances at it when It's switched off, and for general TV viewing, and Bluray movies in particular, I am still in awe of the picture quality which is simply stunning regardless of technology platform re plasma v's LCD etc.
I also think it's a stunning buy for the price, and as you say, from A$20k to A$4.5k is much more mangeable and outstanding VFM IMHO.
I figure that I will have this TV for 7-8 years or beyond - the only thing likely to replace it will be an B&O OLED set when and as they make the market, and the technology matures to LCD prices.
Amortising the cost over that period of time, actually makes it very cheap entertainment. I am also a great believer in the old adage of buy right, buy once; buy cheap, buy twice, and always look for quality re design, engineering and an total ownership experience, before the upfront cost.
I'm not a wealthy person, so have to think carefully about what I spend money on, but never the less drive a Benz and own Miele appliances etc, because the quality and pleasure of long term ownership far outweighs the initial upfront cost, and these are items one is likely to keep for a long time - 14 years thus far for the Miele washer/dryer & VAC, and all running faultlessly and looking like new, meanwhile giving me the best washing and cleaning results I've ever experienced.
That to me, is an outstanding value for money buy as an overall total ownership package, and the same I believe with B&O, which is why I'm very happy to buy into B&O and the V1 as my first serious piece.
Next up, is speakers.....
Michael:Hi John Trust you're still enjoying your V1, I'm still curious what it looks like on the stand you purchased. May i ask please how it worked invoice wise? On the beoplay website it mentions in the box is the tv, manual, remote, and floor stand. Did that mean they were included in the price or were they all invoiced separately ? Kind regards Michael.
Trust you're still enjoying your V1, I'm still curious what it looks like on the stand you purchased.
May i ask please how it worked invoice wise?
On the beoplay website it mentions in the box is the tv, manual, remote, and floor stand. Did that mean they were included in the price or were they all invoiced separately ?
Michael.
Hi Michael
Well, the honeymoon period has waned a little, which is to be expected, but I still find that when watching Blurays in particular, that the picture quality often takes my breath away, or just elicits a loud WOW! - it really is a quite sensational picture to my eyes at times for it's accuracy and naturalness of colour and detail.
So I'm definitely still a little bit in love, and comments about a new/revised/changed BV10/11 around the corner rendering the V1 soooo last summer (hello Paul.. ) don't trouble me one bit - I'm sure it'll be an even nicer TV, but for the money it cost and value re picture and sound, I'm very, very happy with the V1.
Re the invoicing, the price included the TV, Beo4 remote, manual and the floor stand, BUT they were all listed as separate items on the invoice.
So, for instance, I could've chosen the table stand instead of the floor stand, and the price would've been adjusted accordingly. Or, as I considered, specifying a Beocom 6 instead of the Beocom 4.
I also had the choice of the Beocom 4 remote with the largish 'B&O' graphic inscribed on the bottom of the remote, or the more traditional 'Bang and Olufsen' one. Both the same remote, but just an stylistic difference to reflect the BeoPlay model range.
The TV arrived in one box (and manual inside), the stand in another, and the remote in another yet again. And a palleted box for the cabinet I bought, which is identical to the one made for the previous 8-40, except it doesn't have the hole for cables in the top - you need to use either the rear or underneath ventilation slots for cable routing if you put some kit in the cabinet behind the hinged, damped door.
With the advent of Mountain Lion, and iCloud, and the demise of MobileMe, the Gallery feature is no more, so I need to create a flicker account or similar and do something about a picture or two.
I'm very happy with the dark Grey V1 on matt black cabinet, and the comparative small size of the cabinet which 'fits' well aesthetically with the V!, with only a little extraneous space on the sides similarly to the 8-40; my choice of colour was determined mainly by my desire to add B&O speakers, for which I prefer black; if it wasn't for that, I may have gone with the white, as in some ways it's a more standout/hero colour than the Grey, and in some ways a colour I prefer re looking light and modern.
But then the grey looks slightly more formal and elegant, so it's a tradeoff IMHO.
Aesthetics are very personal; I find the look of the set and cabinet has really grown on me; albeit I prefer say a BV10 for looks and elegance overall.
I'd opinion that the 8-40 looked marginally more elegant/integrated on the cabinet I've bought for it over the V1 as well, but then the cabinet is desiged for a BV10-40, and I've never seen a photo anywhere of that TV placed upon that cabinet.
So whilst the cabinet is not made specifically for the V1, but the BV10-40, it still looks good with the V1 in situ - I find the V1 and cabinet juxtapose well to my eyes - the dark grey disguises the hinge effect so it becomes a background rather than foreground design feature, and the leaning back effect with the glint of stainless steel at the sides gives it a hint of both striking modern design, and yet 'class' for lack of a better word as well.
The angular/rectangular design of the cabinet compliments it, and the fact it is clear underneath, gives the combination a lightness of aesthetic as well, which I really like, as against a solid cabinet to the floor looking 'heavier' in the room.
Yes, the naysayers are right, there are better looking B&O TV's - but thus far, not at that price new, and not with that value re the latest state of the art surround sound processor, picture and sound performance.
I'll endevour to organise some pics soon...