bang & olufsen

[dkane360]

I'm not planning on buying anything, but I'm curious to see how people view them. Before I did any research on speakers, bang and olufsen seemed like very high end speakers. However, no one talks about them, so i can only assume that they are overpriced junk.

I went to a bang and olufsen store in ny, and just laughed at the ridiculous prices (didn't get a chance to listen anything). If my memory serves me correctly, they had a handsfree house phone for 1k. i did listen to the headphones because i was looking for a new pair, and theyre the most boring and lifeless sounding headphones ive ever listened to.

does anyone buy bang and olufsen? any experience with them?

 

[Adam]

I have very limited experience with them. I recall being at my brother's friend's house, and he had a pair of their amplified tower speakers. He had those things cranked, and I could put my ear very close to them without any pain at all - no distortion. That was the first time that I'd ever experienced that.

So, I'd say that those speakers weren't junk. Worth the money? Hard to say because they were the first non-junk speaker that I'd really experienced, so my bar was set pretty low.

 

[dkane360]

lol i just realized i wrote band and not bang...ah well

 

[Adam]

lol i just realized i wrote band and not bang...ah well

Yeah, I knew what you meant (as I'm sure most people here did, too).

I really do think that some of their stuff is cool. I always thought that their phones and headphones were lame, though.

 

[dkane360]

Yeah, I knew what you meant (as I'm sure most people here did, too).

I really do think that some of their stuff is cool. I always thought that their phones and headphones were lame, though.

yea, and dont forget overpriced lol. i just found an audioholics article on bang and olufsen. i skimmed over it and it had a lot of info about they're research and design, but not a lot about how the speakers sounded.

http://www.audioholics.com/news/on-location-articles/bang-olufsen-on-location

 

[Davemcc]

Some of B&O's stuff is mighty impressive. I saw one of their 720p TVs that simply blew me away with it's video quality. The color, clarity and everything else about that display was amazing, especially considering it was a broadcast or cable source (can't remember now) but not a disc or BD. The display was about $13K IIRC. But it's not your everyday big box TV. It had a built in surround decoder with multichannel analog outs, auto brightness adjust for ambient room light, modular design to swap out components like the built in DVD player or upgraded electronics for BD or HD audio formats. Spendy? Yes, but the quality was there, it was a great looking unit and had unique features that you are not likely to find on other displays. Plus, it's highly unlikely that your uncle or father-in-law has the same TV.

My jury is still out on the speakers. I'd have to spend more time listening to say whether I really like them or not. I didn't really have any major knocks against them but didn't have time to do "critical" listening either. Throw the value equation out the window. My initial reaction is if you have the money and love the design, go for it.

 

[davidtwotrees]

Didn't the audio critic list the Beolab 7000's as the only speakers outside the Linkwitz Orions that he reccomended? I'm pretty sure our own Dr. Mark in Minnesota spoke very highly of those speakers as well because they embrace the technology he espouses, namely lose the amplifier and put the amps in the speakers themselves. I think Meridian's speaks do this as well.
So, B&o has some good stuff..........as well as some overpriced stuff. I wonder how they are perceived in Europe?

 

[walter duque]

B&O is not junk. It is pricy because of their unique design, the stuff does look cool. My father had a Beomaster system in the 60's and it did sound great, especially for the size. For the money though you can get better sound for a fraction of the cost of B&O.

 

[mperfct]

I think people might stay away from B&O due to the price being pretty high, and the fact that they are mass marketed, like blose. Seems a few people here don't mind them, but I think there are probably some better places to look for bang for the buck, pun intended.

 

[dkane360]

so it seems the general response is that their products are unique and high quality, but just very costly. i just wasnt sure because no one ever spoke of them. thanks everyone

 

[CraigV]

Are they even still making products?

 

[winners76]

I would have them if money is not an object. Since I would have a $2 mill home!

 

[highfigh]

I think people might stay away from B&O due to the price being pretty high, and the fact that they are mass marketed, like blose. Seems a few people here don't mind them, but I think there are probably some better places to look for bang for the buck, pun intended.

If they were mass marketed, everyone would know about them. They're very exclusive in their dealership network and are marketed to people with high income, who want something that sounds really good and looks non-traditional. They have always used really good components, too. They were never intended to be high bang for the buck.

 

[jamie2112]

My uncle had a B&O system in the 80's and I liked it. When I heard it again a few years ago I was not so impressed....

 

[Davemcc]

Never mind that B&O came up with the design of the ICE amplifier and all these new class D designs that have shown up in the market lately are licensed by B&O.

 

[jamie2112]

Never mind that B&O came up with the design of the ICE amplifier and all these new class D designs that have shown up in the market lately are licensed by B&O.

Thats something I didn't know.Thanks Dave.

 

[Davemcc]

Thats something I didn't know.Thanks Dave.

It's all right here.

http://www.audioholics.com/education/amplifier-technology/clone-amplifiers