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
Hi Folks,
I know that this has been discussed to some degree in various threads but I was hoping to try and get a fairly definitive discussion going on relative sound quality of these speakers relative to room size.
I have the opportunity to buy used or shop demo 5's or new lab 9's. I would have tried the speakers in my home environment, but Australian B & O are pretty unhelpful as far as home demo's are concerned. I am hoping to get some thoughts on the relative merits of these speakers for my room size, given the big outlay in the context of untested sound quality.
Does anyone have any thoughts on how big a room has to be to before the 5's come into their own? I have an open plan living-room/kitchen area of 5m width and 7.5~8m length with a very firm oak floor and reasonable soft furnishings/acoustic properties. The speakers would be at one end of the room playing into the length of the room. Is the room too small for the 5's which will be used for both music and television content?
Thanks for your thoughts guys!
Regards
JR
Beology:both music and television content?
doesn't the video content call for a longer term plan of surround sound - in which case 4 x BV9s are a better solution ?
BeoNut since '75
Thanks Elephant, but for me stereo music content is far more important than surround sound.
I'm not interested in a surround sound set up for the TV.....perhaps I may change my mind- but I have resisted the notion for long enough to not need it.
Beology:I have an open plan living-room/kitchen area of 5m width and 7.5~8m length with a very firm oak floor and reasonable soft furnishings/acoustic properties. JR
That's just about the same size as the room where I had my BL5s. I also have a firm wooden floor. Apart from their size (you'll be surprised how much they dominate the room), as long as you do not calibrate them to your room, you'll be fine. When my BL5s first shipped, from the factory, the sound was very wide. I didn't bother calibrating for a good few months and enjoyed the BL5s. Decided to calibrate - don't ask me why - and that affected the sound completely. Removed much of the bass and narrowed the audio experience. Was noticeably different. Clearly the BL5s had adjusted to the size of the room and, of course, the wooden flooring. As a result, the bass was toned back. After this, they were never the same again - ended up trading them back in against other kit about a year later.
The BL9s are a different beast. They can be manually adjusted using the pot settings. Powerful speakers and won't dominate the room. The BL5s are clearly better - but then we would all prefer an Audi R8 over an Audi R5 - but you just need to work out if a) you can justify the expense, b) you can push them hard enough (neighbours?) and c) you can live with the size of them dominating your 5m x 7.5m room. If you can tick those three boxes, you might as well get the BL5s.
Beology: Does anyone have any thoughts on how big a room has to be to before the 5's come into their own? I have an open plan living-room/kitchen area of 5m width and 7.5~8m length with a very firm oak floor and reasonable soft furnishings/acoustic properties. The speakers would be at one end of the room playing into the length of the room. Is the room too small for the 5's which will be used for both music and television content?
If it’s not a question of money I’d always prefer the 5 over the 9. I’m using my BeoLab 5 now since nearly six years and never regretted it. Our living room is like a long corridor, but the BeoLab 5 are standing less than five meters away from the wall they’re directed to and mainly for acoustic reasons exactly above another wall from the floor below – the less the places where they stand vibrate, the better the result.
I’m also only using stereo and refusing everything else. The audio and video source in my case is a computer and of course I’m connecting to the digital inputs of the BeoLab 5. I created my proper remote control using iRedTouch/IRTrans and can adapt it to any new situation I might encounter.
What is important in case of the BeoLab 5 scenario is that you’re always using the best sound source possible. So it should be CDs or better, lossless audio conversions and a DVB quality television signal. You might also want to pay attention to the mastering quality of your records (what can be a time eating matter) and verify any re-mastered record before buying it (loudness etc.)
HTH
Thanks Moxxey.
I think the room can accommodate their size as it also has a walk-through to the dining room which is visually part of the same space.
Can't you simply set the speakers back to default if the calibration makes them worse??
Financially I can get a pair of 5's at less than half new price i.e. similar to brand new 9's so it really comes down to looks and sound.
I have been trying to decide the same question as the title of this post. I currently have 9s and have been debating a second pair of 9s for 9s all around, or 5s in front and 9s in rear.
I have listened to the 5s at different dealers and had different opinions. I had the 5s brought to my house a year ago and was not impressed. They certainly sounded different but that does not always mean better.
I was in the mood again recently and had another in home demo scheduled but technician was sick and had to cancel.
Because of my fondness for B and O, and the 5s being the top of the line speakers, and looking at the specifications, I want them. But listening to them I still am not sure that I want them.
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
Hi Peter and Razlaw.
Thanks for your insights. I was also set on the Lab 5s.
Had the renovation with the house prewired for the 5s, BS 9000, computer to digital 5 input and record player with a switch to also take input from the TV.
The only reason I have delayed the purchase is for cost and trying to source a used pair. In the meantime I am using beolab 8000s with a BS3200 with the speakers in a new location from before (in the dining room playing into the lounge rather than in the lounge) and the sound is so much better than before I am wondering if the 5s would be a waste, given they have to be in the old speaker position.
It would all be easily settled if I could demo the speakers at home but no-can-do, hence the call for opinions and suggestion from others.
petermc:We don't feel that the sound is 'restricted' or that the speakers are too large for the room. Yes they are too 'big" for the room when the sound is really pumped up but that scenario is rare at our place.
Depends if you believe they dominate the room or not - they aren't small! Some people like their gadgets to take centre stage, other users prefer them to be more subtly arranged. Buy any magazine on cool homes and you rarely see any electronic gadgets dominating the room. That's the only downside with the BL5s. They are big, heavy and stand out. If you like that, of course you won't feel they dominate - that's what you are looking for. For many B&O owners, who prefer that their TV is a work of art or products compliment their room, the BL5s can dominate everything in the room. And then some.
petermc:Where is Australia are you located?
We're in Melbourne. Spoken to the dealers in Richmond and they're not very helpful re a home demo.
Dealers in Richmond?? I went in there the other day to buy something, there was one staff member with another customer, and they didn't even acknowledge my presence or excuse themselves and say something like "i'll be with you as soon as I can, we're understaffed today". I waited half an hour before I cracked it and said you get better customer service at the local discount shop. Absolutely pathetic. Worse customer service I have experienced in my life. I went to write an email of complaint and it turns out the Richmond store is head office for Australia. What a joke for a retailer on the higher end of the market. It's just basic common courtesy. The guy should be selling $20 stereos in Kmart or wiping bottoms in a nursing home. All the other stores have had great service. For all of you in Melbourne, Kim in Camberwell is the best.
I recently relocated from Sydney to Paris, for work. rather than risk shipping my Beosound 4 and Beolab 3s, I bought a beosound 5 and spent about 4 months gradually transferring over 1,000 CDs to the Beomaster hard drive. I hand carried this - and found it was of above average interest to airport security - and it arrived in paris safely. I then went to the B&O store on the Champs elysees with the intention of buying a pair of Beolab 5s. I was more than impressed that the salesman asked me what sort of place I lived in, and when I replied on the 3rd floor of a classic old apartment building, he told me to get the (cheaper) Belab 9s, on the basis that they had the same sound, but would not drive my neighbours above and below nuts. I followed his advice, and they sound terrific.
The only problem I have encountered is that a couple of times I have woken the Beosound 5 up, but it has not in turn woken up the speakers. Eventually, after rebooting a couple of times the system has started working. i don't think it coincided with a software update, and have yet to speak to the dealer, but wonder if anyone else has had this problem.