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This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
I've finally decided that I do want to pick up a BeoSound 9000 but I'm having a little difficulty choosing between two different players.
One is of unknown age (based on the instruction manual, which is the old purple one I'm assuming it's no newer than a Mark II) and includes a wall mount bracket, Beo 4 remote, all original documentation, and most importantly the seller claims it was recertified with a warranty until May of 2013, along with some kind of recent service running about 800.00, but I haven't gotten a run down of what was done, yet. This particular player does not include the original box but it is by the original owner, so I'd feel more comfortable picking it up in person.
The other player includes the original box, the floor stand, all original documenatation, the wall mount and a Beo 4 remote and other than the player having belonged to the current seller's mother and having been boxed up for a long time. I don't know much about a service history. He does claim his Mom was the kind of person who brought her items into the dealership or the selling store for anything she owned for whatever was recommended.
Both of these units would be almost exactly 1600.00. One because of travel costs, and the other because that's the price we negotiated. I should note that I really don't plan to wall mount it so the wall mount is going to get sold regardless, and I definitely want the floor stand. So it essentially comes down to one player having recent service and about a one month warranty, and the other player having the floor stand I really want. The local player was purchased new in 1999 and he said the glass is attached nice and firm.
I guess my question is what scheduled "maintenance" should these players have had, and do the belts and stuff go "bad" in them after 12 or 13 years to where the first player should be purchased strictly if nothing else because it has had recent service? Or if the other one with the floor stand is working fine now should it be ok for a while to come? I don't know what kind of regular maintenance these require, if any, and I can't find much about it. I know on the cassette decks the bands and stuff tend to dry out and break, and I don't know what the Clamper mechanism runs on for the 9000 that could also wear out. It seems like the second player wasn't used much at all, but that could be bad rather than good.
Could use some help deciding. Thanks.
Hey there,
I would only buy stuff with original box and papers.
In terms of service, the only thing that needs service on the Beosound 9000 is the laser unit.
I have a BS 9000 MK2 which was serviced some years ago and regardless of the usage, the laser machanism needs to be serviced again ( complete swap) .
The mechanical parts on the inside are very sturdy in my opinion and the glass door was only a problem of the MK1 version if I remember correctly.
I plan to sell my BS9000 as well, depending where you live this could be an option for you ( comes with box, manuals, Floorstand ( also boxed ) ) and a freshly B&O serviced laser unit...
Feel free to reply / pm me directly for pictures etc. if you are interested ( I live in Germany )
Stephan
Hi Stephan,
I was getting pretty excited until you mentioned that you are in Germany. Sorry I did not mention that I was in the U.S. It's easy for me to forget this is a very internationally based forum.
Let me ask this... What actually goes "bad" in the laser pickup? I believe the clamper is a complete self contained unit so is it the servo motor that spins the CD that goes bad or the laser itself? It sounds like in this case I better get the unit that has been serviced, because the other unit despite having the original box, has no indication of prior service history.
Of course there's another way to look at this... Buying the floor stand for the player that's been serviced is going to run between 3 and 500.00 US. I don't know what the laser replacement will cost on the local unit if and when it ever ends up needing the new laser. Perhaps I'm really splitting hairs at this point and just get the local unit if it's working properly now.
Yeah I'm still not fully clear on what he meant by "re-certified with warranty until May 2013". I mean that makes sense that the warranty would be on whatever was serviced. But it probably was the laser based on what Stephan is saying.
Keep in mind most of the time the unit will be used on the AUX input anyway as I don't listen to a whole lot of CDs, so the CD mechanism isn't going to get a ton of hard use, but it would be nice if it worked when I wanted it to.
Scenarios of a faulty laser:
You choose a CD, the clamper moves to it, disc starts spinning - no sound, disc sops, switches to the next one
Clamper reaches CD, spins it right and left, no sound, no playback etc.
You can see that the laser is about to break if the discs arn't positioned correctly anymore ... if you line up the CDs with their label and then switch to another one and its not exactly in the same position, I would start to worry.
The swap of the entire Laser unit was 220 Euros ( 5 years ago ) with a B&O technican coming to my home doing it.
A pity the you live in the US, I would love to sell my unit here and not over ebay ...
You have to see the units in person, slot all 6 CDs and try it out...
And, the re-warranty thing looks strange to me as well... I don't know how this is handled in the US but in Germany there is not such a thing as extending the service plan of a unit....
Hmm... All of this has given me a second to pause and think about what my ultimate goals are here. I really want to have one iconic piece of B&o gear after loving my initial introduction SO much, but given how prickly the BS9000 can be to get at the right price AND make sure you don't end up with a lemon, and given the fact that most of my music listening will be piped in from my Apple TV (accessing iTunes), I'm beginning to wonder if that investment is not best utilized on the best pair of B&o speakers I can obtain.
The only reason this came about is that I was referred by a friend to a mutual friend who is moving and wants to sell his BeoLab 1 for approximately 2400.00 US plus what it will cost me to go get them (no way I trust anyone to ship something like that as well intentioned as they may be). At first I was pretty excited about this possibility knowing where these sat in the B&o lineup at the time they were released. Unfortunately the majority of the personal conjecture I've read here about these has not been very positive. Yes, I know, speakers are a personal preference issue, but I need to think of the law of diminishing returns here and wonder if the BeoLab 1 are 3x better than my BL4000s as they would cost 3x as much. They sure sound like an impressive and beautiful piece of B&o gear. Had never even considered replacing the BL4ks, but if the BL1s are worth it then I'd much rather invest in something that will get all of the use, rather than some of it.
I have BL1's and love them ! Are they better than BL4's.... YES. I also use a BL2 with them. It would be harder to get a good pair of these than a BS9000 which are starting to show up more on ebay. The price is a bit steep but go listen to them and make your own mind up.
Hi,
You'd better buy a pair of beolab 3 than beolab 1. Look at some threads about beolab 1 on this forum and you will see that this flagship is not so efficient.
I was attracted by them too but when you take into consideration the quality of the beolab 3 and the WAF factor, this is the good choice.
If you are not satisfied by them , you can easily resell them.
I am going to sell mine because I have recently bought a beolab 7.2 and this one alone suits better to my needs.
Before taking your decision, you 'd better t make some listening of different b&o speakers (beolab 3, 8000, 9).
4 beolab 5, beolab 9, beolab 10, beolab 5000, beolab 8000 mk2, beolab 6002, beolab 3500, beovision 7 55 mk2, 2 beovision 11 46 mk4, beotime, beosound ouverture, beosound essence, beoplay A8, beomaster 900 RG de luxe and the collection continues...
Thanks, I've decided to grab them. It will be a long time before I can justify the purchase price of a set of BL5s, so I think the BL1s will do in the mean time. Since they ARE so appreciably rare now, I don't think I'll be able to audition them anywhere before picking them up, but at least I won't have a hard time moving them on (just as when I got the 4ks) if I don't end up liking them for any reason. I actually like a nice flat toned speaker with shimmering highs, so I don't think I can go wrong with these.
Congratulations to your choice of Beolab 1.I own a pair of them, too. I guess the negative comments about the Beolab 1 are based on the fact that the Beolab 1 speakers are tuned different than the Beolab 4000, 6000, 8000 etc. The 4000, 6000, 8000 ... have a "warm" sound while the Beolab 1 sounds more analytical, cleaner or perhaps colder. The Highs and Mids are very present while listening to music.Perhaps you'll see it more positive and calm down after reading a situation I had with my wife:My wife doesn't give much about the audio things and says that todays speakers all sound the same and she even can't understand why someone (that someone is ME) could spend so much money on those components. Than I upgraded from Beolab 6000 to Beolab 1. I didn't tell anything about the sound and just loaded a CD with "Sting - it's probably me (which is a very good quality recording in my opinion) and let her listen to my new toys. The track played for about 3 seconds when she first said "WOW, I can't believe that you are right: I can hear the difference and it is amazing how fine and detailed it sounds!So, I didn't have to discuss with my wife... At first they sound somewhat colder but they reproduce much more details, high resolution and real power. I simply love the speakers. They are a great value and they deserve to be called high end. They sound different compared to other B&O speakers but this is a positive thing! I added a custom subwoofer to the setup and I enjoy e.g. "Steamy Windows - Tina Turner" with the powerful sound this music deserves at listening levels as I where on the live concert without problems! It just makes me smile!!!I hope you'll enjoy them, too! It's important that you adjust the switch of the speakers correctly dependent on the position in your room (wall, free, corner).
Great info, thanks!
Do you think that if I AM satisfied with the bass in the BL4k (which I can only describe as astonishing for that tiny little box) that the bass in the BL1 would be sufficient for me?
Sorry I didn't see the comment about the BL3 earlier. Curiously, a few of those have finally come up for sale on the second hand market on a couple of places here in the States. At least the places I've looked. But they're actually more than the BL1s. One set of those I saw has a PlayMaker with it in a special box that fits all of it and the person is asking 3200.00 US, while another set is 3000.00 US with no Playmaker. Given how much those cost, I think the BL1 deserves a shot first. :)
If you are satisfied with the Bass of the BL4k you will be MORE than lucky, happy and satisfied with the bass of Beolab 1.The only "problem" could be your room - but this is a problem you could have with every loudspeaker on this planet. :-)But be prepared that they sound really different compared to the 4k.
You are right if you couldn't find a pair of beolab 3 for less than 3200 USD.
In Europa, it costs less. I "just" ask 2000 USD for mine.
It's really hard to make the good choice, especially when you can't hear them side by side.
I have the setup you mentioned - BL1 with BS9000 on a stand, and it is fantastic. I have had this for 12 years now and the speakers are still great. I did have to replace the laser on the 9000, it died after 6 years and it took me another 6 to finally replace it. For the last 6 years I was streaming music from the Mac via apple airport connected to the 9000. After fixing the 9000 and playing CDs I rediscovered the quality of the speakers - the DAC on the airport is horrible and does not demonstrate the characteristics of the speakers well. I also enjoy the aesthetic of the 9000, the spinning discs, the movement from one disc to another, and the red LEDs. It is a work of art.
Enjoy the speakers and hopefully the 9000 in future.
BV11-55, BS9000, BL1, BL19, Transmitter 1, Beo4, Beocom 6000, BeoTalk1 200, Sennheiser HD600, McIntosh MHA100
rxcohen: I have the setup you mentioned - BL1 with BS9000 on a stand, and it is fantastic. I have had this for 12 years now and the speakers are still great. I did have to replace the laser on the 9000, it died after 6 years and it took me another 6 to finally replace it. For the last 6 years I was streaming music from the Mac via apple airport connected to the 9000. After fixing the 9000 and playing CDs I rediscovered the quality of the speakers - the DAC on the airport is horrible and does not demonstrate the characteristics of the speakers well. I also enjoy the aesthetic of the 9000, the spinning discs, the movement from one disc to another, and the red LEDs. It is a work of art. Enjoy the speakers and hopefully the 9000 in future.
Looking forward to it. Who knows, maybe I'll just get the 9000 as well (the speakers and the 9000 are ironically within miles of eachother) ;)
Playdrv4me:maybe I'll just get the 9000 as well
Opps you have gone Beo viral :-))
The detail you will get in Bl1's has to be heard to be believed.
Picked up the BL1s today. I did a short demo in the seller's home and must say it IS a very different sound from the BL4k, but so nicely detailed. Each speaker also weighs WAY more, even without the stand, than I expected. These are some quality pieces for sure.
And today picked up the BS9k... I've been driving all day and the wall plate is still attached to it so I haven't had a chance to see what Mark it is but based on the all documentation with it I'm *assuming* it's a Mark II. It's definitely not a Mark III because it still has the A.AUX button rather than the N.MUSIC button and the manual doesn't mention N.MUSIC. In any case, I finally got to peek at the service documentation from B&O which the seller provided for me (he told me that he originally sent it in because it would run for a few moments then shut down or something similar) and it turns out the laser mechanism was replaced by the South Florida B&O store and warranted for 90 days from the date of replacement. Looking forward to setting it up and hopefully enjoying it with the BL1s when I finally make it home. Fingers crossed!
Beo Viral sounds right!
You don't need to remove the wall plate to determine the Type number. Lift off the control panel. Type 2523 = Mk 1; 2563 = 2; 2573 = 3
And the repair you mentioned wouldn't have been performed by the B&O store - they don't do repairs. Most likely it was outsourced to AAA TV Inc in Miami, an authorized B&O repair center.
Playdrv4me:Beo Viral sounds right!
Enjoy your new set up.
Yes that is correct, they sent it to the authorized B&O repair center and started the 90 day guarantee the day the customer picked the player back up.
Apparently the owner was told that they had to "check" whether the player was even eligible to BE repaired before he sent it in. I'm assuming this is because the parts for the oldest Mark 1s must not be readily available anymore.
So how your BL1's sound ?
valve1: So how your BL1's sound ?
Just got home from the long trip and its late here, but as soon as I get a chance (and some help) to get them out of the vehicle tomorrow I will post an update :)
I hope you like your new speakers. I really like mine. I actually shipped mine cross-country (CA to IL). The ups guy tossed them off the truck on to my driveway (he thought they were tarps). I bought them from a pawn shop so who knows their history (I did audition them in the shop before I bought), but, to my ears, they are a huge improvement over the bl4000s, and a large improvement over the bl8000s.
Stan
After listening to them for the better part of a day now I have to agree. By far the nicest mids and highs I've ever heard on any speaker I've owned. I set the bass filtering switch to the unfiltered position of "floorstanding" and I find the speakers can really reach down when they need to. The BL4000s are definitely a warmer overall tone but when it comes to piano and vocals, they simply are unable to compete. The only thing I have to say for anyone considering these is BE PREPARED for the size and weight. These things are not light and as a result resting them on anything when moving them must be done carefully, or the weight of the speaker can actually cause little indents, almost like door dings on the aluminum (admittedly a soft metal). Regardless, there is no doubt this is a world class speaker, and when you consider that you're not coming out of pocket for a suitable set of amplifiers, can be way more affordable used than an equivalent pair of passive speakers and the supporting hardware.
Quick question for everyone. Does anyone have any idea what this member is talking about in the following paragraph?:
"I've achieved this sound, by ultimately backing them up against the wall, swtiching them both to 'corner' setting the potentiometers for the woofers from 4, to zero and adjusting the bass setting on the beosound to approximately +3. I also tweaked the midrage from 6 to zero and taking down the treble setting on the beosound to approximately -3."
I have no idea what potentiometers (in the form of knobs, I'm assuming) he is talking about. He obviously mentions the sound settings for his Beosound separately.
Taken from the following thread: http://archivedarchivedforum2.beoworld.org/forums/t/25953.aspx
Playdrv4me:By far the nicest mids and highs I've ever heard on any speaker
Glad you are enjoying your lab 1s. Enjoy the detail !
How is the 9000 you got doing ?
valve1: Playdrv4me:By far the nicest mids and highs I've ever heard on any speaker Glad you are enjoying your lab 1s. Enjoy the detail ! How is the 9000 you got doing ?
I have very limited space in my apartment so while I played with the 9000 a bit to test it I won't get to set it up until the stand for it arrives (bought from a different seller) in a few days. In the mean time, the BM7000 is standing in.
Between myself and my friend I've come up with some conclusions, some positive and some negative, about the BL1s. That the highs and especially the mids are especially magical is almost not in question. If you look at the mid range driver in these things it looks like some kind of space cadet device sitting behind its little cage. It is, in fact, very similar in appearance to the other "best" set of speakers I've ever owned which were my JBL XPL140s. However, while the JBLs have an astonishing ability to reach low with their 8 inch woofers, the Lab 1s simply can not. I have to say that while the 4000s can not compare with the Lab 1s on the mid and high front, and the sheer power, they do best the Lab 1s in bass output when adjusting for size and power output.
My friend (who now owns the JBLs and has for some time as we're room-mates) said it best when referring to George Strait's "Run"... The bass line in that song, when it kicks in, is supposed to hit you right in the chest, which it does with the JBLs. Do not mistake this sentiment for COLORING the sound, rather the opposite, the bass is a necessary component of that song and many others which use it to fill in the low end. The Lab 1s just can't reproduce that kind of bottom end even after fiddling with the potentiometers which I finally found in some small holes under the lowest woofer. In another thread someone mentioned that these are designed to work symbiotically with the Beolab 2 subwoofer and I'm inclined to believe that that must be the case. This is a little silly when you consider that there's already 750w of power per channel in these things, but then, that is why they have such an iconic and beautiful appearance. There's simply no room for the kind of bass insanity integrated into the Lab 5 or Lab 9s.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm quite happy with these, but I am also glad I wasn't the guy who got stuck with the $8000.00 original tab as I would have been a little upset. Another realization I came to is that these speakers were introduced just as home theater was really beginning to see some impressive innovations in both sound quality and sound delivery. In this sense I also think these are designed to be geared even more for home theater than for music. Because the mid range is SOO sweet for the human voice and dialogue tracks in movies that usually get squashed or completely and utterly lost with most speakers of a lesser caliber.
In conclusion, I will probably hang on to "the twins" as the member in that other thread likes to call them, simply because selling them now would probably prove quite difficult as its a very speciality item with a high price tag. That said, while I am very pleased with them in many senses, if someone came along with an offer that got me out of them for whatever I had in them, I'd probably take the cash and happily go buy a pair of BeoLab 8000s. I believe the 8000s would give me almost all the look, and a sound profile much more similar to the BeoLab 4000s, which while not nearly as detailed as the Lab 1s, would probably suit my taste just a little more *overall*, for half the cost.
Playdrv4me:bass line in that song, when it kicks in, is supposed to hit you right in the chest, which it does with the JBLs.
Hi, if you want the lab1's or the 8000's (never heard the bass enhanced version) to deliver a kick you will need the sub. I use a bl2's on both and "kick" it will
Playdrv4me:I believe the 8000s would give me almost all the look, and a sound profile
The 8000s imo do not have the detail of the bl1's but look great.
I can understand the "problem" you have with the bass. My personal experience is, that the Beolab 1 are more sensitive to room acoustics. Where I sit at the couch for listening to music the sound is good. Do I stand up and walk across the room the sound is... just ok regarding the bass of the speakers. Behind my couch (where I don't sit regularly) the bass is great, deep enough and with enough "punch" or "kick". So I know what these speakers are capable of - yes, in terms of bass power, too! - but the room seems to play a big role.I'm adding a subwoofer to my setup because of my bad room acoustics but it is difficult because I don't want to change the complete room setup (placing of furniture etc.)Perhaps the room is too small for the Beolab 1? Bass was easier with my Beolab 6000 and now with my Beolab 1 the bass is shifted behind my couch, I can hear it in the corridor and in the kitchen but in the living room it's not the best bass... sadly.Don't judge your Beolab 1 to negative, in my opinion they are really capable and great sounding speakers - which need the right room size to live up the expectations.
TWG:My wife doesn't give much about the audio things and says that todays speakers all sound the same and she even can't understand why someone (that someone is ME) could spend so much money on those components.
Oh yes. Quite funny...Women and hi-fi
They (mostly) have no interest in hi-fi, speakers etc. - but they can still tell you that 'all speakers sound the same'... -interesting...
- at least she could hear the difference...
Great, (and funny) observations, guys!
I may end up throwing a small Jamo or Definitive SuperCube sub with them and see how that goes. Another thread mentioned that adding a BeoLab 2 allowed the towers to "relax" as they didn't have to do so many things at once. I feel like that's a little bit of a "cheat" so unless the BeoLab 2 is *specifically* timbre matched to the BeoLab 1 (I doubt it is) I'll probably make a compromise and get a nice subwoofer, but I'm not spending 1500 to 2k bucks for the BL2, either. I know I know... sacrilege to mix components!
:)