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
As you said it is a question of taste.
According to the fact they have stopped most of the speakers, it is normal that they sold only this one (most affordable with bl4).
As you seem to be interested by classical b&o product, I am afraid you haven't done a good choice.
Fortunately, you will have time to change your mind :)
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...
Olvisab, Tv and loudspeakers are mounted on wall. The best choice for my deco. Thank you !
Puncher:... and then discard the supplied frets in order to replace them with hand covered replacements!!!
Living Room: Beosystem 4, Beolab 7-2 (Center), Beolab 9 (Fronts), Beolab 8000 (Rears), no Subwoofer. Screen: Sony KD-85XH9096Dining Room: Beosound Essence MK II with Beolab 4000 on stands, fed by Amazon Echo Show 8Home Cinema: Beosystem 4, Beolab 7-4 (Center), Beolab 1 (Fronts), Beolab 4000 (Rears). Projector: Sony VPL-HW55Home Office: Beosystem 3, Beolab 7-4, Beolab 5000, Screen: Sony KD-55XH9005 on Beovision 7-40 stand, ML to Beosound 9000 MK3 and Beosound 5/Beomaster 5 (1 TB SSD version)Bedroom: Sony KD-65XH9077, Beosound Essence MK II with Beolab 6002 and Beolab 11 (all white, wall-mounted)
In storage: Beolab 5000/Beomaster 5000 (1960s).
BeoBoy68:Of course they are others Credo, quality of sound, picture and crafmanship.... But the new young CEO have no excuse to destroy the Classical collection. BeoLab 12 / BeoVision 12 collection... What else ? BeoTime
Bit negative here! I am looking forward to seeing what these are like in the flesh and in the different colours. As stated above, ebony could well be stunning.
Peter
imac: But why then redesign a product that is not selling anymore? Why not design a new product?
But why then redesign a product that is not selling anymore? Why not design a new product?
Okay, fair enough. But how many options do you have to design a new speaker? Another BL12 look-a-like? No thank you!
"People like change, but hate changes"
It seem that this is the feeling I am getting over here in this topic.
Things will change, not everybody will like it and in my personal opinion I do like the wooden frets on the new BeoLab. It gives an warmer atmosphere to the where the speakers are placed.
I feel 'radical' is the way to go with the new floor standing speaker designs personally. How many people heard about B&W for the first time whilst reading about the Nautilus when it was launched?! Or what about the Anthony Gallo Reference - another "wow, that's different!" speaker. Not to everyones taste, but done properly B&O could break a new barrier and make a bold statement.. They did this with the 8000 in the early 1990's - then a decade later with the BeoLab 5. It can be done.I'm not saying make a new speaker the same shape as a garden or sea creature, but something that makes you say "Wow - Who makes THAT?!"
I'm sure the 'new 8000' will grow on me but it's more of an evolution than a transformation, and it's come at a time when transformation is needed...
Lee
i couldn't agree more lee... evolution is such an exciting word and isn't it especially exciting when it concerns our beloved bang & olufsen ?
as much as david lewis brought us heart stopping design , there must always be products that make one look again , and this glimpse of the
new speaker the other day , certainly made me look again ..can't wait for the release of the other new products at the end of the month.
kallasr: Puncher: ... and then discard the supplied frets in order to replace them with hand covered replacements!!! Leslie could start his own business! ;-) Ralf
Puncher: ... and then discard the supplied frets in order to replace them with hand covered replacements!!!
... and then discard the supplied frets in order to replace them with hand covered replacements!!!
Leslie could start his own business!
;-)
Ralf
BeoLab17 Leslie Edition
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
The more I look at the picture (singular) I think what I find awkward is that the wood is wider which alters the height/width ratio compared to the old 8000 and makes it look more stubby and bloated. Of course it could well be the picture and in real life they could still look slim and elegant, in which case I can return to my original concern about the awkwardness of the lens plonked on top (it could have even been motorised just to hide it when it's not playing)!!
I could even maybe see the appeal to some of the slatted wood speaker without the stilletto stand and the lens, but I agree with Chris (earlier) - the picture looks like a college exercise where the students were given the B&O design cues of BL8000, wood, ALT .......... and this got a "C".
Ban boring signatures!
DoubleU: imac: But why then redesign a product that is not selling anymore? Why not design a new product? Okay, fair enough. But how many options do you have to design a new speaker? Another BL12 look-a-like? No thank you!
No - we don't need a BL 12 look-a-like...
The point is to design a NEW different speaker - a good designer can do that...
Just think about how different the Penta's were to any other speaker when they came out... And the BL 6000's, 8000's -or BL3 etc. I would like to see something new and different, as we were used to from B&O... Not re-designs of old products...
I think the re-design may be a result of managing development budgets. It might be a financial thing that drives this, they make due with what they have and can get away with in the situation they are in.
Stefmag5:a good designer can do that...
I like the idea of the wood, but I would have preferred it to be on the back of the casing..
The alt lens looks a bit like it's just been stuck on the top, like it was an afterthought.
I give it a C-
x:________________________
kallasr:Well, why do so many speakers look the same?
Well - maybe because most manufacturers don't care about design...
kallasr:Form follows function?
If it was only a matter of sound, we would never have had speakers like the BL 6000 or BL 8000.As far as I have read about those iconic speakers, it was the design that came first. It was not the sound engineers who said: An aluminum pipe is the best solution for a speaker...No - Lewis came up with the design first. The story goes, that some were quite shocked, when he came with a cardboard tube (the first model, ofcourse) - and said "This is a speaker".The task for the engineers was then to make it sound good - and they did a remarkable job. But honestly...The 6000/8000's are not the best sounding speakers in the World... Imagine a wooden box from another Company (at the same Price and a similar sound) - I guess it would not be a big seller. It was mostly the design that made it worth the price....
The BL5 is quite another story. Here the main theme was the sound (have you seen the Pictures of the 'fridge' as they called the early prototypes?) - and then Lewis had to make it look good afterwards.
No it's not easy - but B&O has never chosen the easy road...
kallasr:Well, why do so many speakers look the same? Form follows function?
Form follows function?
And yet the BL5 looks completely alien but is a technical and performance tour de force!
Puncher: kallasr:Well, why do so many speakers look the same? Form follows function? And yet the BL5 looks completely alien but is a technical and performance tour de force!
Do you remember the washing machine and the rocket?
Do you remember the lamp too?
And the final result we saw in Struer?
kallasr:Maybe a beoworld competition - just design / no worrying about tech possibilities - might help...
Wouldn't it be a riot if he won.
Steffen:The BL5 is quite another story. Here the main theme was the sound (have you seen the Pictures of the 'fridge' as they called the early prototypes?) - and then Lewis had to make it look good afterwards.
I neither loved or hated the design of the BL5 when it was introduced, in fact, I didn't know what to think of it simply because there is nothing out there that resembles it. Over time, the design grew on me. I never had any doubts about the performance.
I too purchased my 8000's now 13 years ago because I loved the iconic design. But very soon I had to conclude that it is not a good speaker in terms of performance, especially at lower/normal volume levels. I regret not saving up and buying the Beolab 1 instead at the time. Very soon I started to develop a "form over function" feeling. I still love the design and I really love them as objects but I will think twice when purchasing my next speakers.
I agree with many of you, the new 8003 looks off (in a similar way that the BL9 looks off, TO ME). Taking the 8000 and slapping some things on top of it is simply a very bad mistake. I like the wood as a material but the proportions seem way off. The width of the speaker does not fit the elegant organ pipe base. They should have started from scratch. My oppinion will not change even if it sounds stunning.
The next speakers I buy will need to meet both criteria of a stunning design and solid performance, that is why the BL5 is currently at the top of my wishlist :-)
Perhaps B&O is pulling a prank on us and the real thing is yet to be revealed.
(I still think the old penta is a very good reference when evaluating the performance of a new B&O speaker)
I think that there are a lot of options if you have a good designer. David Lewis proved that many times.
Beovision 11-55, Beovision 10-46, Beovision 7-40, Beocenter 6-23, Beosound 9000, Beolab 18, Beolab 19, 2xBeolab 3, Beolab 8000, Beolab 6000, Beolab 2, Beocom 6000, Beosound 3, Playmaker
As I have posted in the Geoff Martin question thread:
Can the ALT unit be produced as a speaker add-on, a bit like the old 2500 cube concept?
Graham
Hero71:I neither loved or hated the design of the BL5 when it was introduced, in fact, I didn't know what to think of it simply because there is nothing out there that resembles it. Over time, the design grew on me. I never had any doubts about the performance. I too purchased my 8000's now 13 years ago because I loved the iconic design. But very soon I had to conclude that it is not a good speaker in terms of performance, especially at lower/normal volume levels. I regret not saving up and buying the Beolab 1 instead at the time. Very soon I started to develop a "form over function" feeling. I still love the design and I really love them as objects but I will think twice when purchasing my next speakers. I agree with many of you, the new 8003 looks off (in a similar way that the BL9 looks off, TO ME). Taking the 8000 and slapping some things on top of it is simply a very bad mistake. I like the wood as a material but the proportions seem way off. The width of the speaker does not fit the elegant organ pipe base. They should have started from scratch. My oppinion will not change even if it sounds stunning. The next speakers I buy will need to meet both criteria of a stunning design and solid performance, that is why the BL5 is currently at the top of my wishlist :-) Perhaps B&O is pulling a prank on us and the real thing is yet to be revealed. (I still think the old penta is a very good reference when evaluating the performance of a new B&O speaker)
Beosound Stage, Beovision 8-40, Beolit 20, Beosound Explore.
Speaking of the BL5's.
I love my BL5's, and hopefully I'd never bee so silly to sell them, even if there was a replacement for them coming.
I wouldn't necessarily call them good design, or beautifully designed. I do like the look of them, but so many of my friends don't neither do my wife.
What is beautiful with the BL5's is besides the technical "tour de force", the balance that they have. Just look at one, it may not be beautiful, but it's a very balanced design, from any angle.
Design is so much more than "looking good", design can be neutral. Awkward looking, but soothing to the eye.
Then again we look at the BL8003. It isn't beautiful. It's awkward looking. Is it a tour de force? Without hearing them, I can say no. Why? It would be impossible. Wood? Well, one reason wood has made a comeback might be price reasons. Wood is much cheaper to form and work with than aluminum. Almost anyone who had woodshop lessons in high school could form those pieces of wood, now who could form those from aluminum?
Yet to confirm this, but is the designer the same as playmaker? He should have been locked away and forgotten after the Playmaker, why o why use him!? (If that's the case) Looking at the BL8003 I see no fluidity, I see no reason, I see no balance. What I do see is a messed up design. If this is going to be a big seller, and something a guy could easily convince his wife should be in their homes. I'll eat my hat.
Too long to list....
bayerische: If this is going to be a big seller, and something a guy could easily convince his wife should be in their homes. I'll eat my hat.
If this is going to be a big seller, and something a guy could easily convince his wife should be in their homes. I'll eat my hat.
Is this your hat?
bayerische:Wood is much cheaper to form and work with than aluminum.
and there is the issue of discoloration ...
kallasr: bayerische: If this is going to be a big seller, and something a guy could easily convince his wife should be in their homes. I'll eat my hat. Is this your hat? Ralf
Hope not!
If the "wooden" BeoLabs will ever find their way next to my BeoVision 11, to keep the overall design of the setup somewhat consistent, B&O ought to make wooden speaker covers for the BV11...
I cannot help but wonder for whom, and to what setups, these speakers are meant for? Only for music enthusiasts using the new wireless capabilities and these speakers separately from BeoVisions? Or is there a wooden BeoVision in the works? Perhaps the successor to BeoVision 7 will have speakers with wooden grilles? Now those would look particularly great if there was a Fireplace blu-ray playing on the screen
"Do you hear something burning?" on the other hand might not be an entirely pleasant question to hear in that scenario. Are the speakers burning, or is it just the sound from the blu-ray?
On a more serious note, those ALTs better be motorized. Then there would at least be a bit of good old B&O mechanical magic to these new speakers!
I'm still all *facepalm* with these "refined icons".
PS. As always, I'll reserve the right to change my facepalmed opinion upon seeing and hearing the speakers live.
KMA
B&O product history since 1991: Ridiculously long to list in a signature.
Hi KMA,
I like your P.S.
Just seen on the b&o Facebook page they are talking about the iconic BL8000, and then asking what products would you like to be kept in the current line up
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
They ask which features not products.
You are correct it is features not as I miss-read products, did think it was a strange thing to ask!
I'm really excited about some new high end products, my only annoyance is that they haven't been released them yet, so far the wood looks good to me. Proportions might be a bit strange, always the risk when you modify something that is loved, like the BL 8000.
Also, I'm guessing someone here would know, who is the designer of the sideboard in the background ??
badgersurf:Just seen on the b&o Facebook page they are talking about the iconic BL8000, and then asking what products would you like to be kept in the current line up
BeoNut since '75