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
Hello everyone,
In the near future I am going to purchase either a Beosound 8 or a pair of Pentas. I have not heard the Pentas in person yet. I realize that the 8 has many more functions, however, I wanted to get some opinions on which is the better buy given that I will be getting them at about the same price. Do i go vintage? Or do I go with B&O's adaptation to the new times?
Thanks!!
Dock vs Beolabs??? Without any doubt, and even if I'm always buying the latest things, I would strongly recommend the Beolabs. You will get more in terms of sound reproduction, and you will get the stereo, which no dock is able to provide.
And if one day you want to get something else, I think that you will be able to sell the penta at a price close to what you paid for them... Which will not be the case with the BS8, and if an Airplay BS8 comes later, it will be even worse...
diisign.com
And did I mention that the rumor says that Apple is thining of changing its dock connector to something smaller???
This is really dependent on your lifestyle. If you are a 20 something student or similar go for the 8. If you are not and you have the room for Pentas plus a system to drive them, get the Pentas.
Personally I would go for the Pentas. You can always add an iPod dock to your stereo.
Beo4 'til I die!
Great point. I am 18 and a student, however i am an "audioholic." Music drives me and everything I do. With that being said, I love the fact of airplay. I wouldn't have these speakers hooked up to anything, just a simple aux plug to my laptop or iPhone. Now you say I can add a dock to these speakers...Would one of those docks have the possibility of making airplay possible? Kind of like using Airport Express for the Beosound 8?
mbee, great points! Thanks a lot. I'm just curious as to if the sound in the dock is better than the Pentas due to the 20 year seperation. I'm thinking the Pentas are probably still incredible given the fact that it's B&O
Adamrejino: Great point. I am 18 and a student, however i am an "audioholic." Music drives me and everything I do. With that being said, I love the fact of airplay. I wouldn't have these speakers hooked up to anything, just a simple aux plug to my laptop or iPhone. Now you say I can add a dock to these speakers...Would one of those docks have the possibility of making airplay possible? Kind of like using Airport Express for the Beosound 8? Thanks!!
Well I'm not much older than you and if my decision were between the 8 and a set of Pentas, I would go for Pentas in an instant.
The Pentas will need some work, but it will be worth it in the end.
Regarding the dock, yes, you can add an Apple dock and just control everything with the small apple remote. I have an Apple dock but use it as a source for my 4500 system. It will even charge your iPhone during use. And get this, they are only $60! LINK
I will let the others dive into Airplay, I don't know many details.
In terms of sound, the Pentas are going to be far better. The benefits over the 8 are really quite obvious.
Quite the difference there...
Pentas are 50kg (pair) of style and old school flagship muscle. BS8 is an "entry" B&O, in the form of a dock.
I wouldn't call the BS8 as having more options, IMHO it has only one option, and that's involving having an iPod, iPad or iPhone attached to it.
Too long to list....
I have penta's and they in my opinion are one of the best speakers about!!
Especially for the budget, like Evan said you may have to do a small amount to them (i.e. refoam) but you will love them! Go for mk2 or 3 if possible as they have powerlink connectors. The mk1's have a patch cable that can be used but with powerlink the tv or hi-fi turn them on automatically and won't pop when it senses sound
Not sure about this comparison!! One is very portable and is designed for use with an iPod, the other is a pair of very large loudspeakers! If you are moving around, the Pentas will pick up dents and damage very easily - they are also not really conducive to good relations with neighbours if you live in close proximity to others! I have Pentas and think they are great but if being critical, they have a slightly dull top end and an artificially raised bass to mask the ultimate lack of bass detail. They will however outperform a BS8 - there would be something fundamentally wrong with the laws of physics if they didn't! However they will almost definitely need attention and you will still need a connection device to accept the iPod - cheap ones are available!
Therefore if you are a student and subject to moving, landlords and neighbours, do not rule out the BS8!
Peter
Another option is a 2nd hand pair of beolab 4000's which can be had for as little as £500!
Very true. I've been thinking about how they were the best of the best. Thanks for the input!
Peter, very informative info. Thanks a lot for your post!!