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Bang & Olufsen, overrated?
Dec 15, 2010 at 7:32 PM Post #18 of 31
Guys, I just had a very nice surprise and thought I'd share it in here. I've had some B&O A8s for quite a while, long before I really got my ears on a good track. Still, they were unused for a really long time, being swapped by many IEMs until I arrived in the SE530s, then IE8s and now K701 and K1000.
Then yesterday, just out of curiosity, I plugged them into my Little Dot MKIII and what a surprise!! They actually sound pretty good, really airy and relaxed. They really sound very similar to the K701, which to me are really good headphones. Obviously they're not nearly as good in terms of sounstage, instrument separation and so on, but the tonal balance is quite close. Also, as much as they are really bass-shy plugged into an iPod, in the Little Dot they showed up! The K701 has more, as well as the K1000, but now it's there, and it sounds good!
 
Dec 20, 2010 at 12:20 PM Post #19 of 31
Looking good, sounding mediocre. B&O is designed for people who like gorgeous design but don't really care about sound quality. They used to have Philips standard technology (and not the latest) inside, but I don"t know what they use since they are independant. Even these beautiful $16,000 BeoLab 5 speakers sound better than average but are far from other speakers in that price range. If you go for sound listen to other speakers, if you go for design only this just might be the thing.
I don't know who told you this is the very best but he or she is definitely not an expert!
 
Jan 4, 2011 at 9:00 PM Post #21 of 31
Well said. Even though HF caters to audiophiles and in some ways, to the 'hi end', the target really is performance-only with very little regard given to quality of design, of fit, of style. Those things are looked down upon for some reason, even though HFers will spend loads of money on nice watches that do nothing but look good.
 
B&O are good, but they are good for the person who has the dosh and a love for attractive design. For headfi, I think B&O is a complete waste of time and thread space as overall, we value price/performance and dogging expensive, style-oriented gear.
 
Quote:
bones13 said:
To appreciate the prices for B&O gear, you have to be ready to be paying a premium for the design portion of the components.  I find there are 3 versions of fitting gear into your living space:
 
1) No care for looks, just the best performance and/or price.  Most stereo listening rooms fit into this category, and some home entertainment systems.
2) Blend / Hide the gear in a more formal space - all the in wall speakers, A/V closets, etc.  This category is mostly for home entertainment systems in either designated rooms, or hidden in a living room or den.
3) Gear that is part of the decoration of the space (notably contemporary interiors in the case of B&O)  This gear is not specifically chosen for the sound quality or features, but rather for the appearance, and build quality.
 
When you are paying to decorate, you are paying money according to your desires, and budget.  Some people buy gear only for sound, and don't worry about the looks, but there are those that are paying for looks.
 
As stated previously, this gear is not terrible gear, but it has another point.  With my wife, I get to have my listening room look however I choose, but the movie system in the den has to be mostly hidden, or at least be subdued, and specifically have no wires showing.
 
As long as you take into consideration what B&Os point is in making/marketing this gear, it makes sense, and they have been around for several decades now, they are not a flash in the pan.  As I recall, they pretty much pioneered the class D amplifier (specifically the ICE module) to be able to fit a lot of watts to power small speakers in small (pretty) enclosures.
 
Is the price rather high for the sound quality? Yes.  But, people who choose B&O have another set of factors in consideration, a consideration that usually has little place here on head-fi.
Click to expand...

 
Jan 4, 2011 at 9:04 PM Post #22 of 31
In China PRC, Beo2, referred to as the "UFO", is extremely sought after. One guy went to B&O's retail store in central NYC (Manhattan perhaps) and bought that Beo2. "Went to" as in "flew from China PRC just to get that".
To a lesser extent is the Beo6. The A8 (earhook earbuds) are about the dream buds of lots of audiophiles, with fakes rampant and reals selling more expensive than Triple-BA IEMs.
And then you have Kenwood. Oh dear...
 
Jan 5, 2011 at 1:49 AM Post #24 of 31
I really like B&O products. Bose done right!
 
Regards
 
Macrog
 
Jan 5, 2011 at 2:17 AM Post #25 of 31
Isn't the point of B&O gear for panties to come off?
I don't know how they sound because I've never owned their stuff.
But I would have to say that if it works on women, then the answer is no.
Not overrated.
 
Jan 5, 2011 at 3:39 AM Post #26 of 31
I have heard them with my wife and her panties stayed securely on (sadly) although we did both enjoy the sound.
 
The speakers I heard were Beolab 5s and I would guess that it would cost at least half as much to get the same sound from elsewhere but they are seriously cool!
 
If I had the cash I would have some not for serious listening but just for the coolness!
 
Macrog
 
Jan 6, 2011 at 7:11 PM Post #28 of 31
From the looks of things, it seems that B&O has a aesthetically pleasing design, produces a great product, but at a VERY expensive price.  If it is just the sound quality your after, then B&O will be out done by other manufacturers, given you spend the same amount of money on each 
wink_face.gif
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Jan 6, 2011 at 7:23 PM Post #29 of 31
Its kind of a bit like Apple is to the computer world. You can get more performance for less dollars elsewhere but its such a pleasure to use and so well designed aesthetically that you might not care.
 
Macrog
 
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