Have we reached 'Peak' B&O?

Getting back to the original post question, I am concerned about the current design language. As was mentioned earlier, will anyone desire the Essence or Moment in a few years like they do the Lewis and Jensen designs? What app are you going to use in twenty years to control your whole home system? No timelessness. I’m not sure I can appreciate the current product vision. Maybe things were easier ten and twenty years ago, but sadly, I think we’ve seen the peak. I hope I’m wrong about that.

DMacri:

Getting back to the original post question, I am concerned about the current design language. As was mentioned earlier, will anyone desire the Essence or Moment in a few years like they do the Lewis and Jensen designs? What app are you going to use in twenty years to control your whole home system? No timelessness. I’m not sure I can appreciate the current product vision. Maybe things were easier ten and twenty years ago, but sadly, I think we’ve seen the peak. I hope I’m wrong about that.

Fair point.

But you could say exactly the same about ‘the Lewis and Jensen design’ - a lot of people don’t want to use/don’t appreciate that today.

Maybe even more in 10 years from now - at least when we exclude the ‘retro periods’.

Things (and products) are changing all the time - some like the way they change, others don’t. There is no timelessness!

Some see ‘the peak’ with these older designs and ways to interact - others regard that as one step in an evolution.........right for that time, but not necessarily for today and tomorrow.

MM

Some of that is true i agree - but i dont blame B&O for that too much (a little, but not that much).

Physical music systems are all but disappearing given how technology is evolving - there's only so much B&O can do to fit in. Of course, they havent shown themselves to be strong at software, far from it. So they could try and make a physical interface ( a better Moment version 2?), but the audience, while there, is relatively limited. 

These questions have been debated to death almost, but software mis-steps aside, the broader industry trends are a little beyond their control, so i dont critique them too much. And in the end, i've still got a B&O setup that i love, is still modern enough, and significantly life improving versus a more mainstream modular setup.

I just spent the afternoon at a friends house watching various sports - it was a horror show multiple remotes and interfaces. When he goes sway, his wife has to call him if she wants to watch something on the projector. Makes me glad I've got the setup i (and many others here of course) do, irrespective of the cost.

Agreed!

I think we should look way more at what we have got - and indeed still have - with a B&O setup.....

.....instead of grumbling over long gone design items.

MM

Millemissen:

Agreed!

I think we should look way more at what we have got - and indeed still have - with a B&O setup.....

.....instead of grumbling over long gone design items.

MM

 

+1

 

 

The more I think about this, the more optimistic I am. I saw BeoLab 50s look fantastic (haven't heard them yet though), the BeoLab 90s look and sound fantastic, and despite the Eclipse being an LG panel + LG software (which might not be a bad thing after reading all of the problems people have been having with B&O's own software) the Eclipse sounds and looks great too (wasn't keen at first based on the photos but after seeing it in person I've completely changed my mind - kind of like the iPhone X).

I do have questions about Beoplay build quality (my first pair of E8s had the problem where the right earphone was quiet, and my H7s + S3s had bad background hiss), but even with those problems Beoplay products are still better built than many (not all, but many) of the products by the competition.

Everything being network connected does raise questions about the timelessness of products, and that's something I do slightly worry about, but by supporting numerous separate technologies (Apple AirPlay, Google ChromeCast, DNLA) B&O are somewhat mitigating the problem of things not working down the line. First gen AirPlay has been around since 2004 (under the name of AirTunes), and I imagine AirPlay 2 will be around for even longer. It's also crucial to remember that most (if not all) of these 'connected' B&O products also have optical input and/or 3.5mm - even if nobody uses AirPlay in 25 years the physical inputs will still work.

As great as the classics are, they're just not the products most consumers want anymore unfortunately. Technology and the market has moved on, and B&O has to do the same. 

I also saw the Eclipse live at the store, and it looked much better than from the pictures. I was quite amazed by the OLED, though it looked too sharp and bright for my taste (and I imagine it is a question of setup). I still prefer the BV11 design and the integrated sound (as opposed to a sound bar). It is a pity there is no way to upgrade the BV11 screen to OLED. 

As to whether B&O has reached its peak, just take a look at the comments section of its facebook page. I have never seen such negative feedback for any vendor. Most of it from its Beoplay product line, but this easily bleeds into mainline products. I use myself as an example and I started with a set of B&O phones 20 years ago - it worked great and it integrated with the BS9000/speakers, which then integrated into the BV11. That initial $1K investment became $30K because of that positive initial experience. I don't think B&O currently is broadly providing that positive initial experience, either thorough its products (with some exceptions - the speaker line) or at its stores. 

Having said that, I am happy with what I have at home and filled gaps in B&O with other vendors (such as McIntosh). And i am still amazed that I can integrated everything together. i just hope my BV11 will last 20 years :)