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
A BeoWorld Member posed the question of 'are B&O in a Death Spiral' - which is a valid one given that stores are still closing, brand awareness is falling, and products are still hitting the market with issues. True, stores are opening - but mostly as 'Pro Partners' with what can only be perceived as an 'acceptable outlay' for the new dealers. £250,000+ for a shiny new B1 store just doesn't stack up any more.
Dealers in the US are almost non-existent, and as 'hard nosed consumers' the US tend to lead the way when it comes to the way people buy. At least, in the UK, we tend to ape the States - albeit about 6-10 years behind.
Is this a shift away from B1 Stores and back to the Multibrand presence which B&O built on in the 1960's, 70's, 80's and 90's... Is it too late now, as back then they had the brand name in the psyche of the world. Is it effectively the end before the new beginning?
What could sway this is the fact we're all very brand aware on here. We know the company inside out. However, I'm going to say that about 95% of us are all 30+, and a large percentage of that 95% are 40+. What about 'Generation Z" - do they care about B&O? Will they be saving up to buy a £10,000 system without even seeing it?
Lots of questions - and I'm going to add a Poll to this thread with two simple answers. Are your feelings about the future of the brand and the company Positive, or Negative?
Jacques
negative!!!
The competition is intense.
New Play products are available at discounts everywhere: Costco have a big range with special discounts on many items. Why would a regular dealer logically stock Play products?
I think B&O are going to continue to shrink in size, including specialist stores. They once had the USP of beautiful design in a world of rectangular boxes, even if the acoustic performance was often less than that of some high -end competitors. Now the competition has improved designs whilst B&O has moved to the likes of the Moment.
Graham
Struggling to think of the last thing they released that I lusted after!
Also, given the rate at which the low end Beoplay stuff is released and then forgotten I suspect there is very little B&O engineering input and the lack of a Beoplay "design language" or compatibility of features means that it doesn't even encourage a user to expand a system beyond a single purchase whereas there are certainly single purchases that would prevent a user buying more!
Ban boring signatures!
Fantastic post Puncher, I'm not a native speaker so I can't be that eloquent. :)
But I'll summarize my feedback on B&O by using a quote from AbFab: "I don't want more choice, I just want nicer things"
Nicer = finished, technologically uptodate, a bit visionary. Current TV lineup certainly fails to tick these boxes. On the other hand, Beosound Shape might be a very positive example (I hope).
Puncher: Struggling to think of the last thing they released that I lusted after!
Agree 100%
Regards Graham
Puncher: Struggling to think of the last thing they released that I lusted after! Also, given the rate at which the low end Beoplay stuff is released and then forgotten I suspect there is very little B&O engineering input and the lack of a Beoplay "design language" or compatibility of features means that it doesn't even encourage a user to expand a system beyond a single purchase whereas there are certainly single purchases that would prevent a user buying more!
Same here. Last product I truly lusted after were the BL5s. Come to think of it, the last product I truly said "I have to own that!" I bought, the BS9000.
Saying "retail stores are dying" is whistling past the graveyard IMO. For products like B&O, high end audio/video items, no one buys that either sight/sound unseen via the web, and most people won't feel comfortable with someone hauling in a product to their home for various reasons (might damage your home, don't want to feel obligated to buy). B&O used to do pretty well with having their gear sold by other dealers in addition to their usual lines, but look around. How many higher end audio/video dealers are there? And even then it was hit and miss, when I got my BS9000/BL8000 setup the big audio/video retailer did a horrible job. I complained to B&O several times, wound up with some swag from them, and right after the went with B&O only stores. Seems the B&O only stores don't work, and selling in other AV stores doesn't either. They face quite a marketing dilemma.
As for s/w based products, B&O has a litany of some pretty serious product failures recently. Play products and others with network issues that just are inexcusable, bad s/w, TVs that don't live up to full 4K HDR standards, losing apps like Netflix and Spotify. I can understand how they got in this position, I believe many of the products were rushed out the door long before they were ready, as in order to try and sell the company or appeal to investors they had to show a refreshing of the product line. While it appears to have done the trick, at least in the short term, for investment attractiveness, it has paid poor dividends with the buying public and their reputation for a quality product. If I'd just bought a brand spanking new BV14 to enjoy 4k and then was told, well, no Netflix app, here's a free Apple TV which, by the way, won't stream 4K, I'd be pretty angry.
Given B&Os history with s/w development, them bringing it back "in house" doesn't exactly fill me with confidence I'm afraid.
So, I voted negative, as much as it pains me to do so. I love the history of B&O, the fact so many of their items are in MOMA and such, the focus on good sound AND good design, but lately I'm not encouraged by what I see. I would like for them to succeed, but have my doubts.
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
I agree that most of the newer products from B&O/BeoPlay are compromised, cloth-clad, wireless devices intended for mobile millennials. Gone is the era of ultra-modern slim designs in polished aluminum and glass. That all seemed to die with David Lewis, who I believe was the heart and soul of Bang & Olufsen as we knew it. Like one of the other members who posted here indicated, the BeoLab 5 speakers were among the last of these iconic products. I just purchased a pair, believing that they will become highly collectible and difficult to find at reasonable prices. Now if I can find a nice BeoLab 11 and a BeoVision 7-40 Mk 6, my B&O collecting days will come to an end. Ah, the good 'ole days!
BeoLab 5, BeoVision 7-55 MK2, BeoSound 5 Encore, BeoSound 9000, BeoLab Penta III, BeoLab 8000, BeoLab 6000, BeoLab 2, BeoLab 7-6, BeoSound 8, BeoTime (analog clock), Beo 4 remote.
Beosound Stage, Beovision 8-40, Beolit 20, Beosound Explore.
I just think that times have changed and B&O didn't follow the market... When I was 18 I was a huge fan of B&O's design and I saved to afford a Beosound Century after having seen a Beosystem 6500 to parent's friends house. At that time it was almost twice the price of a good Marantz stereo hifi but I was very pleased to own a 'peace of art', compact, and easy to use. I'm not an audiophile, I like good sound but I don't need the best.I like and need to leave with design. So the brand was very attractive to me. I'm now 44 and my mood for B&O was like a sinusoid... I bought many different B&O devices and had several problems with almost each of them (software, hardware, bad dealer, ...) which leaded me to sell everything, and then to buy again and to trade... Right now I only have a Beosound 2 and a pocketable P2 for my suitcase as I travel a lot. I'm for now satisfied and pleased with my B&O gear, but I'm as well almost convinced that in case of problem I'll not renew the experience once more... I can afford more, but I will not as I don't consume music like in the past and I don't feel confident with the brand with no close after sale service center anymore. I don't sit in front of my hifi in the sweet spot and listen anymore... It's more ambient music and B&O made a good job with some 'low end' devices. For TV I planed several times to buy one (mostly again because of the design) but I couldn't push myself to spend so much for just a screen and a unique remote control. I have a 40" Loewe which has good design and decent sound and even with it I'm thinking of getting rid of it and buying a 27" iMac as I consume less and less TV and I prefer to stream something or use catch TV. Around me many people think like me and prefer to spend their hardly earned money in travels, restaurants, leisure with friends and family or home furnitures and decoration...
As you can understand it I voted 'negative' as B&O focuses more and more on very very rich people and not anymore on upper mid classes as it used to be and should be. I don't think it's good to be dependent on a small amount of very happy few which will not bring a big pool of customers and turn over.
For me B&O should be : remarkable design, perfect build quality and durability, visible, and have above average performances for reasonable pricing (not 5 times more than a good well known brand, mainstream range speaking)!
I too started with a Century. This was a simple"unboxing" but things are more complex now. The life cycle of products too is shorter. Our first MX was a quicker install than the V1. The remote for all products was a Beo4 including the Beolit12. Now the focus is on an Apple product and B&Os attempt to avoid this I was advised against.
I'm afraid the customer who's renting because they can't afford to buy nowadays is spending their monthly money on the car and other "portable" luxuries instead of an installation of expensive equipment they suspect will soon become obsolete?
Beo Century ,Beoplay V1, Beocenter 6, Ex-Beolit 12, Beotime , A8. Beolit 15 , Form 2i , Beolab 2000, Beoplay A3.Beosound 1
B&O SAYS ACCESSORIES WILL ONE DAY OVERTAKE LUXURY TV SALES!!!
A recent article in January this year https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-13/bang-olufsen-soars-as-profits-are-buoyed-by-new-11-500-tvs
Another nail in the coffin for B&O was its partnership with HP rather than Apple, which shares a similar design philosophy. In the process of making certain HP products more upscale by placing the Bang & Olufsen logo on them, B&O diminished its own brand.
I voted negative.
I have really never been especially impressed by B&O like mosy of you affectionados have. That in spite of having grown up in a home with B&O stereo, (many) years ago - and having Struer within a 40km radius. Having a weakness for HiFi and "good sound" didnt help on that.
A few weeks ago I bought the Beolab 5, and had to swollow my prejudice. The best sound I have ever had in my home. This didnt quite come as a surprise really, as the BL5 has the (allmost secret) reputation in some HiFi forums as a hidden diamond in the B&O offerings. And is now discontinued..
On the plus side of course is the Beolab 90 that should be just about the best HiFi money can buy - and is priced beyond the stars alas.
As for the rest of the B&O portfolio, it simply leaves me cold. That I was supposed to travel to the nearest B&O store to buy a Beo One controller for the BL5s, and couldnt order it by phone or net ("our products are too complicated to send to customers") didnt help.
My immersion in B&O started with my BeoSound 8 which I almost immediately converted it into a streaming system with an airport express. It was a great system and it was no surprise when B&O released the BeoPlay A8, but I essentially had that with the exception of the lightning connector.
I thoroughly enjoy all of my B&O systems. They were not without minor glitches, but most of them have been worked out. I know of other similar systems, mainly Meridian, but B&O has a big advantage for me as it is iTunes friendly. I love my BeoSound 2 as it seems to be unique out there. I am happy with the Essence Mk II and I could live with it for a lot longer. There seems to be a rumor of an Essence replacement and that intrigues me.
I would *love* to think that the Gramophone would sell the full B&O lineup. I have some doubts though. While I would buy a BeoSystem 5 rather quickly I am open to other options. I have a guy from the Gramophone coming to my home this week to check out my home theater system and make a recommendation (which I'm sure will be the McIntosh MX122) to replace the BeoSystem 4. I want to show him some of my other Bang & Olufsen systems to show him why I love B&O.
I may be able to hold onto my BeoSystem 4 by only using it for audio, and maybe there may be a change of mind and a 4K BeoSystem 5 will be released.
I still have positive feelings for Bang & Olufsen, but I would like it to be more accessible to me.
Bang & Olufsen predicted it will eventually book the majority of sales from more affordable headsets, portable speakers and computer-sound technology instead of the sleek, black and metal stereo systems and $10,000 TVs on which it built its luxury reputation.
B&O Play, which produces accessories and tuning software used in PCs and laptops, generated 43 percent of the group’s revenue last quarter, compared with 57 percent for the Bang & Olufsen segment, the Danish company said Friday. Play is expected to expand as much as 30 percent in the 12 months ending May 31, versus the “low single-digit” growth seen in the main segment.
“We used to be a company that had the Bang & Olufsen segment as our main business and the B&O Play business as a start-up, but now we’re at a stage where both are significant in size,” Chief Executive Officer Henrik Clausen said in a phone interview. “Pure mathematics indicate that over time the two business units will become equal in size and, if the development continues, B&O Play will become the relative largest.”
The Danish consumer electronics manufacturer has manged to turn the corner just in time away from static, big and expensive stereos and TVs to more nimble products like portable speakers, harnessing the cachet of the B&O brand while making it affordable to a broader range of consumers. Sales plunged abruptly after the financial crisis at B&O while revenue from the Play range, introduced in 2012, has been growing rapidly in recent years.
The success at B&O Play, combined with new luxury products that enticed top earners back into its stores, led Bang & Olufsen to a pretax profit of 31 million kroner ($4.4 million) in the fiscal second quarter compared with a loss of 23 million kroner a year earlier. The company forecast a 15 percent sales increase this year. The shares soared as much as 13 percent to the highest level in more than eight years.
“Transforming sales to profit has been the company’s Achilles heal for a long time,” Morten Imsgard, an analyst at Sydbank, said by phone. The second-quarter results “show that the company’s efficiency plans are working.”
The shares traded up 8.7 percent at 93.50 kroner as of 3:20 p.m. in Copenhagen, after touching their highest since October 2008.
B&O launched new TVs in August -- BeoVision 14, which costs as much as $11,500 for the biggest model with all the fixings, and BeoVision Horizon. (One of the company’s most expensive TVs, the BeoVision Avant, costs more than twice that.)
“It very important for B&O to keep introducing new products,” Imsgard at Sydbank said. “B&O’s sales always plunge when they fail to update their portfolio with new products and it’s tough for them to regain ground. Customers in this segment don’t want to buy luxury TVs that have been on the market for many years, they want something new.”
B&O’s revenue rose to 867 million kroner ($124 million) in the second quarter from 729 million kroner a year earlier, the company said on Friday. It had earnings before interest and tax of 37 million kroner, compared with a 14 million-krone loss the previous year. Management also clarified its full-year outlook, telling investors that sales will rise as much as 15 percent this fiscal year.
B&O became the target of a takeover speculation last year, when Chinese billionaire Qi Jianhong bought up roughly one-fifth of the company. The Danish company said in April it had terminated talks with Qi after failing to reach a formal agreement. Qi remains B&O’s largest shareholder.
“We have a major shareholder and he’s also represented on the board,” Clausen said. “There’s no direct involvement in the daily operations.”
The CEO said his focus is to make sure the company “can have a future as an independent Bang & Olufsen.”
“It’s always flattering that people think we’re interesting but it’s not something that I’m focusing on as I’m concentrating on developing the company,” he said.
Did you write the article you appear to have copied and pasted?
Maybe I misheard my dealer, but he said on Friday that they were....taking on other brands? I didn't think that was allowed in a branded B&O store?
I said my piece in the "Spiral" discussion, so I won't repeat it all here. Frankly though, it's all stacked against a B&O store for various reasons.
No it is a Bloomberg article for some reason the link did not work i try it again for the benefit of the readers!
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-13/bang-olufsen-soars-as-profits-are-buoyed-by-new-11-500-tvs
They will have to diversify to survive! few have started selling Loewe brand among other brands too! in their stores.
Hungedu: Another nail in the coffin for B&O was its partnership with HP rather than Apple, which shares a similar design philosophy. In the process of making certain HP products more upscale by placing the Bang & Olufsen logo on them, B&O diminished its own brand.
Oh I so much agree with this. And to make it worse, I tried all Bang & Olufsen-branded computers in a store one day, and IMHO none of them sounded nearly as good as the closest equivalent Apple computer.
— Tuomas | Bang & Olufsen | Bang & Olufsen Create
I think the A3 taught B&O all they needed to know about working with Apple.
BeoNut since '75
Interesting thread! Personally I think where B&O are failing is with regards to their stores/customer service and, secondly, with their tv strategy. To be honest, I should mention that I have a love/hate relationship with B&O!
I am 35 and my parents were the first to own B&O products. My wife bought me a beosound 8 for my 30th birthday and about two years later we went to Denmark and bought some second hand beolab 9’s for about 2600 pounds.
Loved the speakers! Hated owning them for the first few months. The problem was I did not own a B&O tv and wanted to hook them up to a Samsung, decent enough and top of the range that year, also within my price range. Anyway I went to several stores within the area and to say that the staff were all assess would be an understatement, I was merely asking for advice on a good DAC which paired well with the sound of the 9’s. I had a budget of about 500 pounds and what happenend…… most stores attempted to sell me a Beosound or Beovision which was out of my price range, they were not very approachable on giving advice and in general it was really not a nice experience. I also remember in one of the stores I visited there was a young couple, late 20’s, which came in to look at a dock and in the end walked out because the staff were pushing to sell them higher range speakers on financing instead.
Follow up to this was in 2016, I saw some Beolab 20’s for sale, they were 5000 pounds and I was offered 3000 pounds for my 9s as a trade up so great deal. I had to travel quite a bit to get them and once I got them back, again the issue was how to connect them to my Samsung as I had sold my dac. Again, went to a local store, they sold me a connection hub but the problem was whenever any tv app was started a large static pop sound would come from the speaker. Its was crazy loud! Took the connection hub back to the store and they would not give me a refund and suggested I buy an essence instead, more expensive. I was pretty fuming, in the end after several rounds the guy in the store said he would check with Denmark tech and guess what…he came back a week later stating that this was a known fault and he was very sorry. Took him awhile to come off his high horse but in the end he did. In the end I bought an essence and it worked wonderfully but I had to spend more than I planned.
Now after all of this I would like to say I love my Beolab 20’s I would not change them for anything! They look great, sound great but the experience in dealing with a B&O dealer was not! I believe B&O need to make their stores way more accessible to younger people and be open to advising on integrating their products into non-B&O solutions. What is really sad is that I had a much better experience buying some H9’s from a normal hifi store than any B&O store ever.
On the TV range, tech is moving way too fast and it must be difficult to stay ahead, also peoples purchasing habits have changed and their now use to upgrading regularly. With that in mind 8000+ pounds for a 55inch tv (rumor price for B&O oled) is a bit sick these days as well as selling buggy televisions without the latest feature (HDR) even when they are designed well.
I don’t really think that B&O have any excuses here, I will use one example and that’s Loewe, which is another brand I will now be looking at for a new TV from. Loewe have new owners and developed their new range from scratch. Loewe has always been more a TV brand than an audio.
Whilst Loewe may not 100% out design B&O their new TV range is impressive. Loewe now use oled’s for almost their entire range: Bild 7, Bild 5 (New June 2017) and Bild 4 (New July 2017), both have been listed early here: http://www.gersdorf-shop.de/) . Same OLED panel, processing, surround sound module for entire range and made and designed in Germany, just slightly less feature at lower prices but the core is the same.
The Bild 7 has gotten great reviews (http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/bild7-201705194469.htm) for image processing and quality. Its interesting as there are now several threads in mainstream av sites such as avforums which show new customers coming to the brand.
The prices are competitive starting at 3000 Euro gbp with 55 Bild 4 (Their Horizon with speaker bar and stand). The Bild 5 is modular so you can just buy the monitor or with an attachable sound bar and stand for 500 euro more, starts at 3500 Euro for 55 and 5000 Euro for 65. I think the range is genius and I don’t see why B&O cant do the same with their current set up rather than just over designing, over pricing and not provided the latest in picture tech.
On top of this from what I understand Loewe are just buying customized panels from LG and just to give you an example, the Bild 7 will not support 3D from july because it moves to LG 2017 panel tech. So least you buy a product which keeps a design longer than a year and you know you are getting the latest tech at the moment of purchase. I am not trying to oversell Loewe here, I just feel they provide a good example of a different direction, and have been through similar challenges over the past few years but that is now turning around.
I think the problem is that B&O’s tv strategy is messy and not competitive price or feature wise.
Anyway, just my opinion, look forward to reading more from others!
elephant: - I have bought BeoPlays for the wife and the two daughter-in-laws and they all
- I have bought BeoPlays for the wife and the two daughter-in-laws and they all
H5's aside, I love all my BeoPlay products. But, I don't think we can compare BeoPlay with the future of the B&O brand and retail stores as, frankly, most of the retail stores despair over BeoPlay (as the products are available everywhere, often discounted, the profit margin is low, plus dealers are forced to stock and display them).
The OLED TV is an interesting one - see my comment in the thread about the OLED TV. Dealers have seen it now, but where's all the positive feedback? Where's the dealers telling us it's going to be superb? Not seen much at all. My dealer, who has seen it, told me he'd prefer my BV12-65! Usually dealers are at the forefront of positivity as they need to sell product - it seems us consumers (who know nothing about the OLED) seem more excited than the dealers who've seen it. Or am I wrong?
i wouldn't read too much into what is extremely limited feedback re the new TVs........months of complaining (not without justification) about the current TV range, and we'll get an LG OLED screen packaged by B&O with their audio processing and connectivity options.....that should be enough to get many forum members more on board.......as for standout / iconic design, thats a bit more subjective......
as for preferring the 12-65, why in particular? some prefer it as a high quality dumb TV, unencumbered by today's smart stuff, and that could be his primary reason.....but it certainly didn't suit everyone (form / size / price)....
lets just wait and see........i think the issue (for me) with the 12-65 was that it was the best plasma out there, whereas while the LG OLEDS are very well reviewed, they don't have the very best picture processing......Panasonic and Sony (on their high end screens) do a better job, so things like the ZD9 at 3.5/4K become sorely tempting......
Hungedu:Another nail in the coffin for B&O was its partnership with HP rather than Apple, which shares a similar design philosophy.
Beoworld app with direct photo upload and emoticons.
Sandyb:as for preferring the 12-65, why in particular? some prefer it as a high quality dumb TV, unencumbered by today's smart stuff, and that could be his primary reason.....but it certainly didn't suit everyone (form / size / price)....
I just asked about the OLED TV he'd seen at the dealer conference and that I might be tempted to 'upgrade' from my BV12-65 later this year. He simply said he'd prefer to have my BV12-65 and that it's a "proper" B&O TV. At a guess - and it's only a guess - whereas the BV12-65 takes a panel and wraps it up in B&O technology, the new B&O OLED is an LG-manufactured TV, so maybe lacks some of the quality you'd normally find with a B&O TV? ie. it's more LG than B&O?
So the BV12-65 reference only came about because I mentioned me upgrading to the B&O OLED from my TV.
no i get it.....and i think echoes my point about video processing, which on the new screens i would suspect is not B&O......and lets face it, the 12-65 is still some TV......mine aint going anywhere........
@Sandyb
Do you remember the price of the 12-65, when it came out?
And the additional speakers, that you at least had to have as fronts?
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
i do, they were crazy.....i bought mine ex-display, so half price, so i am well aware.......
though that was a stand out, werent there other B&O TV's at a less crazy price....
anyway, i think the point remains, that whether the B&O offering is 8k or 12K, it should at least offer outstanding TV credentials, the 12-65 did, the recent offerings don't quite.....
Good discussion, with some very valid points. I've hung back from interjecting as I didn't want to steer the course of the poll - but it looks like two thirds of the total voters get a negative feeling. Not good.
Will the Play brand eventually overshadow the 'main brand'? Was that the objective all along, where the forecasters and analysts could see where the future of AV was going? Has TV had its day as a main focal point of the home, where family gather and watch things together? Do we actually have time to sit down and watch a movie these days? Actually, do we even have the attention span to do so?!!
So many questions....
think its well documented, especially in the US, that the younger generations are much much less likely to buy a TV for their home than previously........
9 LEE: Good discussion, with some very valid points. I've hung back from interjecting as I didn't want to steer the course of the poll - but it looks like two thirds of the total voters get a negative feeling. Not good. Will the Play brand eventually overshadow the 'main brand'? Was that the objective all along, where the forecasters and analysts could see where the future of AV was going? Has TV had its day as a main focal point of the home, where family gather and watch things together? Do we actually have time to sit down and watch a movie these days? Actually, do we even have the attention span to do so?!! So many questions....
I personally think that Ammier has really hit the major point, and I'll try to add my own personal views here.
I'm 33 years old, from Minnesota, USA. The only reason I even know of the B&O brand is because my Dad bought a pair of Beovox S45-2's and ran them with his Pioneer receiver, and I grew up listening to that stereo. About 10 years ago, I wanted to get back into owning a turntable, and I thought I'd give B&O a look, and that's when I found my 1602 on eBay. Somehow, I got lucky with it, and it was a pretty good turntable for it's age and the old cartridge played well (MMC20EN).
Fast forward a few years to 2016, and after a few other turntables, I wanted to go back to a B&O deck, so I bought an RX2 this time, and a brand new SMMC3 cart for it. I LOVE it. It's been by far the best turntable I've had in my system. So I figured I should look into other B&O products.
I've looked at B&O's newer products, but I can't see any of them in person (stores are too far away). Also, the new products are just way too far out of my budget. Most of my friends would consider the amount of money I spend on audio equipment to be beyond ludicrous, and B&O's prices take that to a level that even I can't handle.
Also, online is where the vast majority of shopping takes place. Since discovering the beauty and enjoyment of the B&O brand, I have bought:
Beogram 1602, Beogram RX2
Bemaster 5500, Beocord 5500, Master Control Panel 5500, Beogram 5005 (from a forum member)
Beocenter 9000
Beolab Penta I's
I have also bought:
B&O Play H6 headphones, and I love them. They were a bit steep, but affordable, and the sound is very nice.
I see others here talking about financing, and I have to be honest, if I can't pay for it in full, I'm not going to buy it. I think many of us in our generation feel that way also. I'm sorry, but financing a TV or a sound system is a horrible idea. It will never hold it's value, and never increase in value either. Even the classic B&O items that I have owned or still own don't hold their original retail vale. Technology is now made to be a very fast moving industry, especially audio and TV. Other brands keep their products priced so an average person can afford them, own for a few years and move on. While I personally hate that philosophy, the brands are making sure it continues to happen by releasing new technologies every few years.
Personally, I'll stick with what I have till I no longer find it usable, but I sure as heck won't finance a new piece of electronics only to see it replaced by something better before I even come close to paying it off.
I know I'm not really B&O's target audience here, but those are my thoughts.
----------(PS Update)-----------
I guess I'd be interested in knowing who your target audience is? Or at least who B&O perceives their audience to be. If it's audiophiles, you have some great products, but you need a turntable, and you need to be able to listen to the products with out having a TV screen on. Also, most people who are heavily into audio these days will also be Apple product users. I'm not sure if that's always entirely true, but I would believe that it's more true than it isn't. Also, realize that everyone today is either an Apple product user, or an Android user (It's quite literally 90% of the market, maybe even more). So making your products workable with those two things really will help, and that's why the B&O Play has been doing so well. People can afford to save up, buy it online, pay off their CC bill, and enjoy the product with their other daily use devices that this society now expects us to have.
I'd personally love to have Beolab 18's, but the cost is too much, so I'm rebuilding some Penta's for my Beocenter 9000. I love it, and it will take me a lot of time to get it done right, but it will still be an easier thing to do than purchase the Beolab 18's.
9 LEE:Has TV had its day as a main focal point of the home, where family gather and watch things together? Do we actually have time to sit down and watch a movie these days? Actually, do we even have the attention span to do so?!!
Are you inferring that we can't put our phones down for 5 minutes?!? I would be very surprised to hear that TV's days are past, at least for movie watching.
Has the tablet or phone replaced the need for a TV for watching content?