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 all, I have recently acquired a system comprising of Beomaster 4500, a 4500 CD player, 3500 record deck and BeoLab 6000 speakers this I may add after 40 years of lusting after. So to my question I’ve noticed that newer cds ie recordings from 2017-2020 seem to my ears harsh, yet older cds from around the 80s 90s seem to sound better. I didn’t notice this on my old system which comprised of Yamaha s500 amp, arcam fmj cd23 CD player and b&w 602s speakers. Is the harshness and simbulance on some cds normal, or do my ears need to become accustomed to this wonderful B&O sound. If so are there any upgrades(don’t tell the wife) or tweets that anyone could suggest. Mark
The harsh (I like to describe it as "sterile") sound seems to be modern.I don't like it either, - but I'm not 20 years old.
Younger visitors are often impressed with the warm, pleasant and yet powerful sound of the Beomaster 8000 in my livingroom, particularly whenplaying from a good tape or one of the earlier CD decks.
Martin
Hi Martin, don’t get me wrong I absolutely love the system, as I’m new to this wonderful brand, I’m try to work out if it’s my ears or a characteristic of the system, the sterile sound as you call it could that be because there is so much compression in “modern “ cds. I also get a slight simbulance on some classic opera cds. I have been going through my cds around 4000 , and it’s definitely the older ones from the 80s 90s that sounds better, one example Pink Floyd Dark side of the moon, I have an original from the 80s and 2 remastered versions. The original sounds better than I’ve ever heard it, the remasters sound rubbish. On a plus side 70s reggae sounds wonderful bass is full and warmMark
I myself still collect CDs and rip manually to my computer. I own some of the old songs from Diana Ross, Sade, ABBA, Cyndi Lauper, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Whitney Houston, and so on.I agree to you that newer recordings are not so sophisticated like they used to in the 80s and 90s. I heard that newer recordings are mastered for loudness, unlike in the 80s and 90s. When I listen to my 80s or 90s songs, let's say No Ordinary Love by Sade, the song gives a lot of beautiful details. I think if the song were produced today, it would not sound so delicate.I once compared playing the same song on my B&O system and my Samsung television. The difference is like night and day. My B&O system gives more nuances and My Samsung television seems to not be able to produce any details. So, your B&O system plays a big role in the sound quality. In conclusion, I believe due to the mastering processes, older CDs from the 80s and 90s sound better. Your B&O system makes your listening experience much much higher since it produces beautiful details.
Best Regards, Mit freundlichen Grüßen, 감사합니다Antonius Robin Iriawan, 로빈 올림
Beosound 35, Beoplay E8 3rd Gen, and Beoplay Earset 3i.
No longer in use: Beoplay H5
Hi Antonius, thank you for your comment, I totally agree with you, just this afternoon I have been listening to Yazoo, Eurythmics beautifully detailed better than I’ve it before. My old system was very good but the B&O has put it to shame. I also played Lana del Rey: Norman Rockwell album this again sounded
a bit lifeless. I’m just wondering if I should play about with speaker positioning, comments?
Minim4d: Hi Antonius, thank you for your comment, I totally agree with you, just this afternoon I have been listening to Yazoo, Eurythmics beautifully detailed better than I’ve it before. My old system was very good but the B&O has put it to shame. I also played Lana del Rey: Norman Rockwell album this again sounded a bit lifeless. I’m just wondering if I should play about with speaker positioning, comments?
Regarding the speaker position, Sorry that I can't give you any recommendations as I do not have such set-up. Mine is a simple Beosound 35.Sorry :-(
If you're hearing harshness from some CDs, I'd say it's probably more about your ears and what you're used to than the system itself. The BL6000s are normally criticized for their low end vs. their higher frequency performance. I'll admit I've never heard the b&w 602s, but from a handful of reviews I just skimmed, it sounds like they're more laid back than the 6000s.
Some music is mastered like crap. The "B&O sound" tries to not "color" the music which will expose bad recordings while making good recordings sound superb. Give yourself a few more days of listening, and they'll probably sound better.
Hi Stan, thank you for your comment , from what you are saying this does make sense, so it’s down to user error. I was a bit worried I might have a player or speaker problem. Although today I did take most of the treble out and to be fair it did sound a bit better with the Lana del Ray disc. Is speaker placement important with B&O, as I’ve said before with the right discs it does sound amazing even the wife agrees!regards Mark
That’s no problem thank you for your comments and interest
regards Mark