Oddly enough here in Denmark even tho it was relatively expensive, "normal" people had it anyway, because you could buy something and know for a fact that you could have it for decades and not only would it work flawlessly it would always look great. B&O is not just great HiFi it is furniture with function and timeless design
Agree, both my parentes were low educated. But we could afford a Beocenter 9500 in 89, witch replaced my dads Beomaster 900 from 1964. And a Beovision LX 2802 from 1988. No problem! But as a car, we had a Skoda 120 😄 Today, i have the Bc 9500 in my bedroom, and the Beomaster 900 with my dads Beogram 1700 , still working I also got the two Redline speakers my dad bought a coupple of years after, the Bc 9300. Thats definitely not a high quality speaker, but looks great though.
B&O is quite a bit more expensive outside Denmark. B&O took a big risk in North America when they refused to sell their products at regular audio stores, insisting on B&O only boutique specialty stores where no comparisons could be made and prices were never discounted. In fact prices rose substantially thanks to this arrangement. Consumers said "WTF?" and B&O sales suffered... so they went back to selling through regular retailers.
Ridiculous. I’m a blacksmith - hardly rich but I’ve bought and enjoyed B&O products for the last 35 years and here’s the important point, have still got them and use them everyday and they’re still going strong... If you’re talking just about money, some of my kit has actually risen in value. To conclude, some spend £30k on a car for it to be worth £15k the year after - they drive for perhaps 1 hour a day. I’ve spent £15k on my hifi which I use for hours a day and have done for 35 years. Sounds cheap to me.......
Bought a Beolab 5000 amp back in 1971 and have had it serviced one since then, still works well and sounds beautiful. Only problem is the old style connectors which do not work with modern Hi-fi cables.
There are plenty of those NEW on Amazon. I just bought two pair of 5 din interconnects (5' of shielded cable with them) and the 2 pin din speaker connectors. Now, you can hook anything up to the B&O equipment.
I really like Beovox S45 and S45-2, as far as I understand they're supposed to be one of the best passive speakers from B&O. They definitely sound nice, especially after replacing old and dry electrolytic capacitors in the crossovers with ClarityCaps...
So true about vintage watts, it's astounding. My Harmon Kardon 330B (with 18 wpc) has no problem keeping up with my Parasound 275v2 (90 watts a channel all day). They both sound excellent, but the fact that the Harmon is so beautiful to look at takes the day. The s45-2 is the little brother to these and sounds wonderful. He's not lying about the Rosewood cabinets, they are gorgeous in person, never comes across in pictures.
Personally b&o gear is the best for me! Some of the hifi fraternaty become snobbish when it comes to b&o equipment with the old excuse "Style over Substance" Absolute crap in my opinion! Ive just bought a pair of beolab pentas mk3 and ive not heard speakers as good in their price point ,originally £3000 some 20 years ago! I had afully restored pair for £1000 from iconic av and the quality is jawdropping I kid you not! Ive been to many hifi shows over the 2 years and ive heard nothing to better them! Some friends have indivually been round to hear them and all have gone away with their jaws on the floor! B&O use the very best electronics in their equipment and they also look the dogs bollocks!
B&O test their speakers probably better than any other European brand. They have a dedicated anechoic chamber known as the cube which certainly was the biggest speaker testing chamber at the time you are mentioning. I agree that S75s are not the most accurate speaker - very blousy bass but great when you are young, as you said. The two speakers worth looking at for an audiophile would be the S45.2 - the S75s smaller brother. The other one, rated particularly by B&O is the S120 which was the next version of the uni-phase speaker. The receiver you have there is the 1900-2 which was similar to my first B&O which was the 2400-2. This is much the same but has remote control. Again not the best of B&O but one of the best looking. For the best performance, look for a Beomaster 4400 or 8000. These are the Hi-Fi range and they both sound fantastic. I can lend you an 8000 if you wish to try it - it is however very heavy and very large! I have some of the big speakers you mentioned - M100.2 - a much more refined listen than the unruly S75. All are better on stands. The advantage of this era of B&O is that there are proper service manuals available and this era did not use surface mounted components and had only started to use IC technology so are eminently repairable and many will be made to be repaired with service positions for the individual boards. Their present tonmeister is a splendid chap called Geoff Martin - worth looking up. He has worked on the newer high end speakers which are fantastic - both in sound and price unfortunately!
I bought that 1900 new in the 1970s with a B&O 1900 turntable and a pair of Yamaha NS_690 3 way speakers when I was a student & newlywed working my way through school. It was pricey, I recall about $250, but not outrageous. We paid installments and never regretted it. We thought it look super cool and sounded great. We didn't blast it so it had plenty of power to drive the speakers. I still have the receiver though it's in a closet since I stream everything now. They go for as low as $100 on ebay now so I just keep it because it's a work of art. I did have an issue once with the turntable after warranty. When it was repaired B&O told me "No charge. It never should have happened." Now THAT is standing by your product.
For years I used B&O phono cartridges... the MMC 1 and MMC 2. Among the finest cartridges I ever owned or heard. Featuring neodymium magnets, very low moving mass and laser drilled hollow sapphire cantilevers. Unfortunately time tales it's toll and all of my B&O cantilever suspensions failed with no replacements. But I'll never forget the sound they produced.
There are substitutes ,but crazy expensive www.sound-smith.com/bo-replacement-cartridge-models . They also can rebuild your cartridges www.sound-smith.com/services/cartridge-rebuilding-retipping .
I beg to differ. I paid $220 for a (sapphire cantilever) 20CL cartridge in 1980. Soundsmith sells a new equivalent for $799. I believe that price is about right over 40 years after inflation. Speaking of which, the Beogram turntables and cartridges were certainly audiophile quality. The turntables had 3-point suspended subchassis and heavy platters with super low mass tone arms and perfectly matched cartridges compliance-wise. You always got perfect alignment, azimuth and VTA as well with no real effort. The cartridges used moving iron instead of either moving magnet or coil and were also low mass and high compliance in that respect as well. I had no regrets in buying my one B&O product - the Beogram 2400, other than the self destructing cover hinges. That was addressed in he second replacement (third time’s the charm!) and it stood the test of time. I let it go about 10 years back and regret that, but the albums were long gone by then anyway. I would take it back now for sure and snatch up a Soundsmith 20CL or EN without hesitation.
I was asked to fix a Beocentre 9000 and a pair of CX100. I had seen that the CD would open, close and "reject" the CD instead of playing it. No aerial so FM was useless. I cleaned it up. The glass touch panel lifted off as the foam/glue had aged. Cleaned all that down. Powered it up and ran through all the parts. CD now worked and repeated worked. Speakers do not compare to my floor standing ones but they are genuinely good. The cassette deck was a surprise. It has Dobly B and C and also HX Pro and sounds amazing. Radio with a proper FM aerial is also first rate. Wire in the TV or computer/laptop to the aux. Match this (2nd hand from £200-400) with a pair of Beolab 6000 speakers (around £350) or the passive CX100 (£150) and it will hold its own against systems of a similar price.
Yes they are mostly basically underrated I would agree I think maybe I didn’t state that as clearly as I could in that video. The good thing is hi-fi enthusiasts generally don’t look at Bang and olufsen And the rich folk don’t one secondhand Appreciate the comments cheers K
Hi, I just picked up a B and O 3000-2 Tuner amp and a pair of 3702 speakers only yesterday at a local auction house. No idea if they worked BUT they were in the factory B and O boxes so I took a chance and bid and got them. Took it home and voila it works perfectly. The tuner amp is fully intact even down to the little plastic cover that fits over the tuner bars. I need 2 bits of advice, 1. where dies the aerial go, it recieves well without but I think it may be sharper with. 2.how do the covers come off the 3702 speakers as they seen a really snug fit up to the metal ring around the teak boxes.
Quick story: I was a kid...12 years old. Babysitting my next door neighbor's bratty kid. He went to bed early (thank goodness) and I decided to put on the stereo. I had a Pioneer SX 450 Receiver and a Dual table at the time with some crappy Radio Shack speakers. I went to play his system. It didn't sound good. He had a Kenwood receiver with some Bang and Olufsen tower 2 way 40 watt speakers. (Beovox 2600) from 1971. One speaker was out. The other was so badly distorted I just shut it off. When the parents came back home I asked him about the system. He said, "Those speakers haven't worked in years. I think there blown. Do you want them? " I was like, heck yeah (I mean the cabinets were cherry, so I thought even if I couldn't get them to work I could always swap out the speakers for some Radio Shack internals). Well, the long and the short of it...the speakers didn't work because there was evidence of chewed wires. (they had a dog) I re-spiced the wires together and guess what??? Worked amazingly...and here's the kicker...I still have them. All original and still sound amazing. I pay them through my NAD amp and Dual table. No one around me can believe the sound this makes. And it's over 50 years old.
Yeah thanks for the story I like to hear them and yes 2600 I just great the tweet is great those speakers completely hit the mark And they look great too Cheers K
Beolab 3 - IMO the most musical speaker B&O ever made and all from a tiny 6" "solid ball' with HUGE gorgeous room filling sound...& yes they have bass. They are active so don't need external amplifiers, all you do is connect them up to a half decent streamer & they sing. I have them in my kitchen and bedroom, each connected to a streamer and TV. There is nothing I know of that size, with such beautiful timeless design and performance. A modern day classic.
Yes interesting thanks this is kind of incredible isn’t it I mean there has to be an amplifier inside of that too. I will definitely check out if I get a chance cheers K
I found some B&O Beovox S80 for $30 at thrift store. Re-foamed the woofers and my favorite speaker so far. These speakers give a big full sound with those 8 inch drivers.
That sounds like a bargain in England we don’t have a thrift store it seems like all bargains come from thrift stores don’t they know anything in those shops🤣
B&O was ahead of their time. They provided styling and sound quality and charged for both, but so do current companies. Their stuff was not that expensive: In the US they charged about a 20-30% premium for styling and novel features. Today you pay much more.
I'll second that. The styling was often decades ahead. The interface friendly and smart. The sound quality enjoyable and often compared well with other top end equipment that may have lack the style more utilitarian but was then a tad less expensive. When it comes to second hand market a working B&O is most definitely worth considering and good value.
I picked up a beomaster 3000 type 2932 tuner/amplifier today from a lady at a car boot sale for £20. She said her husband had stored it in their garage for years and that it was working so I took a chance on it. There's some minor rusting on the underside and it's in need of a good clean but it's all working. I think I got a bit of a bargain there.
You certainly did get a bargain truly the thing about being oh is it is inclined to break more than other stuff but some of it so fucking gorgeous I just wanna look at it
Ive had these exact speakers and yes, the bass is softer than it looks, long throw but the bass isnt very heavy, but its good, it is smooth all around, i think their pretty good for what they cost.
It always seemed to me that B&O gear was something people who wanted to be "snobby" purchased... largely because they loved how much it all cost as opposed to good it actually sounded. Of course, I know naught about B&O as I've never owned any... maybe I'm just envious. All said.... great review & I'm better educated for it. Thanks!
YES GRANT I'M A WORKING CLASS MAN WHO HAS SAVED FOR OVER 30 YRS TO ATTAIN MY EQUIPMENT, SO I AM DEFINATLY NOT SNOBBISH, FAR FROM IT! B&O GEAR LOOKS GREAT BUT ALSO SOUND QUALITY IS AMONGST THE BEST! OF THAT I CAN ASSURE YOU! Just go along to a b&o dealer and have a listen!
In total agreement with your statement my company car is a Vauxhall white combo van and I love B n O there’s no other brand like it plus it sounds phenomenal Ok MBL Wilson audio etc could be said to br the most specialist but as hi fi that is affordable for a person not on a six figure salary I’d go B n O all day long
I have generally thought of B&O hi fi gear with it's classy futuristic design aesthetic from the late1960s to now, as the middle to upper class non audiophile persons Japanese or Bose etc. hi fi gear. The first time I heard a B&O system was in the late 1970's after an older cousin of mine, who was a successful architect, bought a new B&O system with a 1900 receiver/amp, turntable and S45 3 way speakers. It was the best sounding system I had ever heard up to that time but expensive. Since then I have learned that I can get as good or better sound for much less money by doing some diligent research and evaluation of the good quality new and second-hand gear that is usually available.
Yes Bang And Olufsen It’s funny because hi-fi people wants to mock it because it is visually orientated But they are good at making cohesive equipment almost always enjoyable
@@stereoreviewx B&O always has good quality sound but the problem with much of their gear from the 1970's and 80's, is the complicated and delicate mechanical controls (switches, sliders, buttons, lights etc.) needing difficult repairs after 40+ years of use. Compared to the less aesthetically refined or interesting looking but mechanically more robust and simpler construction of most vintage Japanese, American, European, British gear etc, I baulk at spending the extra money required to buy and repair old B&O gear, no matter how much I would like to own some.
I totally agree. My father bought back in 1981 a Beomaster 1900-2, a beogram 1700 and a pair of Beovox S45-2. They were (and still are) unique pieces of art. Some years later he bought a Beocord 2000, which, although had the same line, wasn't as delicate and beautiful as the 1900-2.
One of my favourite speakers is the Beovox M100. Amazing speakers with very deep and good bass and very clear and refined sound. They are so enjoyable to listen to.
@@henriksrensen3220 Altså har også et sæt JBL 120Ti som self gør det en lille tand bedre. Men ærligt, så er M100 bestemt et lyt værd, hvis du ikke har hørt dem før. Men ja det er jo forskelligt. Jeg hørte forleden et sæt Dali Epicon 8 i hi-fi klubben. Jeg var nu ikke synderligt imponeret taget prisen i betragtning. Det er så forskelligt hvad man synes lyder godt jo :)
@@xXLegendXx70 For mange år siden havde jeg beolab penta og beosystem 5500. Jeg gik for mange år siden over til audiovector højttalere som jeg langt bedre kan li lyden af. Spiller sammen med gryphon forstærker.
@@henriksrensen3220 jeg har nu heller aldrig været så pjattet med Penta og 5500. Audiovector er gode sager. Så det forstår jeg godt du. Bedre kan lide. Altså B&O har lavet gode sager, bare ikke meget. Det kan tælles på en hånd. Men derfor er de få gode sager de har lavet også værd at nævne
For simplicity and blending in with decor in a room they appeal to the wealthy. I unpacked several rooms in an expensive home and set up a B&O system and was impressed with it for sound and ease of operation and looks. A niche stereo for non stereo buffs.
As a vintage audio tech I would take a Pioneer SX 1050 any day over B&O. B&O amps cook themselves. That yuppie styling means high component density which means heat. I just had to repair a old Beomaster combination tuner, amp cassette deck and turntable. What a nightmare. A classic case of form over function.
I always think of Bang and Olufsen as being the Mac of a hi-fi. High end, yes, decent quality but not as outstanding as it looks and at an extortionate price, added with plenty of proprietary stuff. This approach has some advantages in terms of integration, but I'm really not a fan.
Well I kind of agree with you I mean the thing is maybe three years ago you could get all of their speaker is really cheap which isn’t the case now. The receivers and turntables though just break too much. You know it all depends how much you paid really. Appreciate the feedback cheers K
If it's better than early Sansui it must have been great. I remember the brand well, but I never heard it back then. Beautiful looks as I recall, saw them in stores, upscale stores. No one I knew could afford them back then apparently.
Thanks for this review. As your other videos, i really enjoyed this video. Your channel is called Stereo review X, but do you know anything about quadrofonic sound, witch was kind of a big thing in the 70 ies? Just found out that Bang & Olufsen made a 4 channel amp, called Beomaster 6000 4 channel. As did many other manifactors. I was surprised to learn about this pre sourround era, witch ended more or less witout succes. Could be interesting if you could do a review of some 4 channel amps, or just talk about them, if you have some experience with them.
I had a 2400 receiver and the smaller S series speaker. My B&O speakers are so lame. I plugged in my newer (late 80’s early 90’s) KEF C10 to the 2400 and it was light years improvement. As a designer, it looks great, sound wise it’s just ok.
I own 2 x Bang and Olufsen complete hi fi systems plus a sound bar and several of their multi room speakers and 3 pair of headphones It’s excellent equipment it sounds beautiful too I’m an ex owner of rotel arcam A n E speakers Heybrook speakers Nad etc I will not go back to those systems I set up a Beocenter 2 , Beogram 3300 , beolab 8000 speakers a beolab 19 sub woofer with a project DS2 pre amp and a pair of Townshend super tweeters I also use an Olson mains conditioner It works exceptionally well The other system is an Beosound overture with beolab 3 speakers and a beolab 11 connected to a Beosound core this system I use for streaming it’s a cracking little system it leaves my last Arcam 7 cd Arcam 8 amp and acoustic energy speakers FOR DUST !!!! even when I’m just streaming Plus it’s exceptionally well made Why oh why so many audiophiles totally disregard B n O I shall never understand It’s a great brand that sounds great that will last a long time it’s second hand price holds well too
At that time , these seas scanspeak and philips component were from the best, ATC made an even better dome mid later...but costing 10x more.....but the flagship speaker from philips 3way actif sounds still superb ...using this dome mid
Listened to the end - so were B&O a bit like Bose 901 speakers? Looks and magic, rather than sound quality? I guess, Danish, they used ScanSpeak drivers - still great reputation.
The problem test an amp, is that not all of them have good headphone outputs... Some great amp have terrible headphone output. Though usually when you get a good headphone output, the amp is good as well...
Remember that David Lewis set the design, the engineering had to fit inside. Today you can easily improve a lot due to modern components that fixes the amplifier stage.
The "Fried Signature Model A", it's a Harvard University Law graduate's speaker. It'll just be paired up with a Carver 400 or some such ... you know 'expensive' system. K thinks B&o is a 'rich man's' Audio. Quite right to let him know about Fried. But B&o is lower-middle-class (factory owners) and Fried is Judges and Lawyers and such. It all depends on what is hooked up and where it is playing. A nice glass of vintage wine ($800 a bottle) helps too if you live in a coastal elite villa. But if you drive a Jaguar, better stick to the Pioneer system.
It's not fair all the things that you say, the Beovox S series is the standard series, but the drivers are still at the better end of the line, the crossover filters are very good, many times better than many other speakers still today, the drivers are from seas and Philips and Peerless, many of them was the best they have to offer back then, if you take the M series it's the best they have at the time, it was the Monitor series like the M100 and the M70, M75 and so on, they have the very best from Seas, Peerless, celestron, and so on, the filters was also very good and well designed, remember that B & O holds many patent on speakers, phase correct and so on, I don't remember specific on the S75, but the M75 it's not a 4way speaker, but a 3 way with a fourth speaker as a filler drive, maby the Philips speaker over the bass in the S75 is the filler drive. 90% of the stereos they made back then was all made in Struer Denmark, from the aluminum parts to plastics to transformers and so on, this is something Denmark should be proud of. Regards from Denmark.
I do appreciate Bang And Olufsen I think I have five or six amps and speakers by them. A few years ago they went so cheap here in the UK I couldn’t resist them Cheers from London thanks Kelvin
You are right . Philips speaker over the bass is filler , or Phase link driver . People neglect also the fact that speakers are positioned on a curved surface to compensate for phase difference. Also these speakers should be positioned slightly tilted backwards to achieve the sweet listening spot .
I got the cx100 for free and I'm modifying them with new drivers for the low and mid range. The bass is already much better but the midrange and bass share the same compartment so the midrange needs to be sealed off.
Hi there. I’ve reviewed all of your clips, some more than once, and I can only say you’re very unique in what you do. Just keep going! One question, vintage Pioneer CS-A50 with 10 alnico magnets and 100 dB sensitivity, what is your experience with that or similar alnico sets? Thanks.
Yes I’ll Nico magnets I think they’re just more potent magnets basically I mean regarding pioneer speakers old ones mostly the Japanese did not make good speakers nine times out of 10 that’s probably the best thing I can say
One question, is it worth buying a B&O beovox 3702, do they sound good? It would be to connect them to a Pioneer sa - 510 amplifier. They would be for listening to Rock, Pop, Opera, classical music, etc. a bit of everything. greetings 😊
Well, the Bang, all of us are not bad quite a big sound but I don’t like the twitter myself. It doesn’t have enough life in the top end, but if it was £100 And they’re working, not a bad deal
Do You ever come across ads Speakers before they became Brauns? I dont think they were ever very Popular on your side of the Pond ,but were very popular in the us an still hold up very well against a lot of the crap ( competion ) out there to this day very nice tweeters i might add!
Yeah yeah yeah it’s Phillips in a fancy costume 😂😂😂😂😂🇦🇺 Please cmon Bang and Olufsen invented class D amps and have innovated and tread where Angels fear to tread continuously throughout their history I think your comment is quite unfair and a bit dogmatic in line with other audiophile myths about the product
@@simonduncan8327 true they made great speakers and amps , ice power etc...it was in the 70ies and philips made great loudspeakers aswell, like the RH499, or the actif MFB speakers , even today these sound amazing, a audiophile friend swapped B300 kef bass speakers for philips AD1256 alnico 12 inch old bass speakers and he kept it, it sounded muxh better....philips payed top engineers and wow they knew how to make top sounding speakers, thats why B&o put them in their products, like today they use scanspeak etc
B&O always had a reputation of "style over substance", nice looking but hard to use. Probably as they used DIN plugs, not RCA. 4ohm speakers, not proper British 8ohm. And a premium price. They did have lots of technology - like the parallel tracking turntable.. And the Beolit 707 was great portable radio - but £50 pounds in 1975!! Have you seen any Lecson gear? Late 70's, designed and styled by Boothroyd and Stewart, founders of Meridian. The AC-1 preamp was a killer design - I still want one! The power amps were cool too!
l remember the Lecson gear. The power amp was a black vertical cylinder. The flat bed thin control/pre amp had colourful sliders. I never heard them though.
I haven't seen all of your videos and you generally review vintage stuff. But maybe have a look at the elac unifi b5 (slim)? I have mine close to the wall and the bassport plugged. They are fed by chord mojo, a super t-amp and a hefty power supply (actually bigger than the super t-amp) Huge soundstage. Voices are clear as day. The bass is fast (due to the plugging) but still goes deep. They are not fatiguing but still detailed. They scale up to the point where the neighbours complain. Concentric drivers ftw.
Also if you think that the ls50 are too analytical you will maybe find the unifi b5 more "soulful". Especially combined with the unusually warm super t-amp and the chord mojo.
@@stereoreviewx "lighter airier" is kind of hard for me to image :-) I'll check out your review of S-75 again and hopefully I could get the idea. Thank you!
I had the s75:s but yes, I agree, they either messed up the crossover or the 4way is just not worth it (or bad combo of drivers). The drivers should be good so I almost regret selling them. I could have taken a look at the crossover but I didn't.
I can't say much for B&O performance overall, but there are several negatives and he points out a good one with the amplifiers and receivers. I was an audio tech for many years and B&O receivers and amps are pretty unreliable. They don't like to be pushed and they blow up often. Worse, they are hard to fix with many parts being ONLY available through B&O. So that put a damper on the products right there. Then there is that large speaker. I would be leery about anything that has more than 2 crossover points and that speaker has 3. Worse, the drivers are not all in line. Every time you have a crossover point, you will have phasing, imaging and frequency response issues. That is why most people favor two way speakers or even better yet, full range. However, it is very difficult to get a nice even full range response from a single speaker. While I rarely listen to 3 way cabinets today, the trouble with a lot of two way cabinets is that they put the crossover point right in the middle of the range where hearing is most sensitive. But three ways introduce a second crossover point and as I said above, more crossover points = bad. However, if you can get a good midrange that crosses over at a lower frequency, that will help. Going active crossovers and tri-amp helps too, but it does end up getting involved for a home setup as it does require careful adjustments. However there are some audio enthusiasts that do this and I see it often with those that have multi-way horn systems. But I just know that when I see a speaker like that large B&O that has more than 2 crossover points, I run as far from it as I can. Today I laugh when I see those Pioneer, Technics and some Sansui floor speakers that have 8 drivers in it and it has 4 crossover points or more. However, I would be more interested on how that little B&O MTM aluminum speaker sounds.
Interesting stuff and I pretty much agree with you there is a review by the way of those aluminium b and o speakers on my channel The one thing I would say with three-way speakers is if the right drivers are used with the right materials they can sound cohesive and then it’s great but I agree most times it’s not done properly I have a admiration for the KEF concerto somehow that works I think it’s something inherent in the drivers themselves not so much the crossover that allows it to work nicely Cheers K
@@stereoreviewx Yes, I am curious about those MTM B&O speakers myself as I know they can be had for a good price too. As for the multiway speaker, any off axis line puts me off, but as anyone in audio will agree with me on, the more crossover points you have, the more issues with phasing and imaging you will have. This is why two way are more popular. Also, speaking of phasing and imaging, that smaller one with the MTM configuration supposed to help with imaging. It is funny as this design was very popular for a time, but then it fell out of favor. I know that in more commercial systems that are bi and tri-amped, they use mostly horns and the drivers should ideally be set up in a line with the originating points in the same plane. But that is advantage of a big system like that. But I have to laugh when you see those old speakers from the 70's and they have drivers all over the place and of all different sizes and depths. There is NO WAY that could sound good. As for those KEF speakers, I probably would pass on them just by seeing that driver configuration. Anything with off center drivers like that puts me off. Of interest of late are concentric speakers like the KEF Uni-Q or Tannoy. Also, I think it is Elac that has concentric three way systems with the tweeter and midrange in one driver like on the UB52. I have yet to hear these though, but many seem to like them. Also, I been looking into some single driver, no crossover systems that are based around a transmission line as I am very much into something that has high efficiency.
Ever heard of Uniphase concept or Phase Link driver in these BO speakers ? Ever listened to these speakers in their sweet but narrow spot for listening position ? S75 is famous for this narrow listening spot , but while you are there, they sound heavenly . And don't forget the capacitors in the crossover . You might get a totally different sound with new capacitors vs original ones which are now too old even when they are good on a multimeter . And you only need good electrolitics .Expensive audio film capacitors won't make a difference . I would say BO put a lot of thought and work on this Uniphase concept . With some speakers they did it better, with others , not so much . I have CX100 speakers too . They only sound very good for their size . S75, S80.2, S120 (MC120.2) even S45.2 are other story though . I own them all .
@@seaman5705 I heard one of these Uniphase speakers before and didn't like it. I don't remember the model as it was many years ago. But frankly, in all fairness, I never liked any cabinet that was more than a three way crossover. As you pointed out with old capacitors in crossovers, they would have to be redone and the more branches you have, the more problems to deal with.
I can see you know what you’re talking about but I’m going to push back on one thing having your drivers offset or not in a vertical line I literally have experimented moving tweeters around and I found the traditional offset arrangement creates more space science for this I can’t tell you but I have literally experimented in detail and I actually would say I think it’s the better configuration I think the straight line may be anaesthetic consideration CheersK
In 1997 i bought a Yamaha amplifier, cant remember witch model. In 2001 i bought my dads Beocenter 9500, and i remember comparing the sound, before i sold the Yamaha amplifier. The Yamaha sounded a bit better regarding stereo. Just a bit more clear sound than the Beocenter. But the Beocenter 9500 delivert much more sound. The base was better. I got power full sound all the way up to maximum, where the Yamaha just faded out base and sounded just awfull when i turned more than half volume. Over all, i liked the sound better from the 9500. Later i bought a Yamaha surround receiver, for my first home theater. I thought i would put the Beocenter in the bedroom for good looks. But the sourround receiver soundet absolutly horrible, playing stereo. I dont know what went wrong for Yamaha with this receiver.
It’s probably just the old ones were better I mean it just amazes me How something good sound good in 19 80 x 2000 I can’t make it any more I wish someone could tell me what’s going on
I live in Denmark and you can get used B&O products sometimes cheap here. I got a pair of Beovox S60 speakers for $119 that sounds very good. its better than the danish brand Denver, all Denver products are made in China.
B&O Expensive? Mate I just ran across a guy that paid $65,000 US for a turntable and another $25,000 for a shock absorbent table to put it on. $12,000 for the stylus (needle). THAT is expensive. I get what you mean for mainstream stereos but there are MUCH more expensive units out there.
Back in the 70s you could by a Japanese amplifier (and they all looked the same!) or with the right amount of money buy a B&O. The BeoLab 5000 was a monster. 60W per channel and a clean look that at the time was unique . I had the luck to enjoy B&O systems in the 70s and they were fantastic. Take a look to the BeoGram 4002 for instance.... ua-cam.com/video/Y07OnrcxfZk/v-deo.html
The word "envy" comes to mind. I have B&O gear and it hasn't given a moments problems & bought NOS at a reasonable price. You would probably say the Beolab 90 sounds "good" Lol. Check out Sounds Heavenly channel for real reviews of Bang & Olufsen gear.
B&O is Philips in a sexy dress. You should buy it on a saterday afternoon in the City. Your SAAB double parked in front of the B&O toko. A glass of Burgundy and bla bla... B&O is a kind of HiFi Leica. It is just the name, but a keeps a small size FF- frame. A Leica is the rich man's holiday and X-mas snapshot camera for 4 x 6 colour prints.
I purchased a B & O cassette deck many years ago just...to see(& hear). I had not owned any B & O gear up to that point. Yes, I liked how it "looked", but the "sound" was very...average, & that was after I purchased a new belt and had it..."tuned up". I won't speak on other B & O gear, ad the cassette deck was the only B & O component I've owned...to date. Again, it looked(still looks)...cool, with the cassette that gets inserted into a "drawer", but otherwise...spund is very...*average*.
Hello! I have a modern (PRO-JECT) turntable for vinyl, which has an RCA cable. I wanted to buy an older band and olufsen speaker to go with it. Does anyone know if its possible to connect the two?
Yes I have a project debut carbon and beolab penta mk3 speakers and connection is easy as long as you have the right cabling! Get in touch with sounds heavenly on you tube and he will see you right! I have 3500 b&o amp between my turntable and speakers ! If you have a b& o amp at one one end you need a din plug connection from the to 2 rca plugs
Sorry cut off! Whichever amp you have there isnt a problem as long as you have the right plugs at the amp end! If you have a phono amp connect turntable in and then out into your amp and connect speakers into your amp! Sounds complcated but it isnt! Hope this helps jenna!
right, firstly you are extremely wrong saying 'only the richest people buy bang and olufsen' . my old man was a pro musician but poorly remunerated. but his ear was so good, he went without other things to have the best sound he could afford.
@@high-endvintagelover5779 well, if you want a sound as close to the real thing as possible, audiovector is sure much better speakers than bang and Olufsen. Bang and Olufsen has a very easy going sound, but lacks detail, transparency, focus, deep and wide spundstage. Bang and Olufsen is not audiophile speakers
Don't forget it's old equipment and will need modernising, yes you can make the speakers sound really good I've had a few sets over the years and and they can compete with any £800 speaker today not seen the Towers you've mentioned be interesting to get a pair. but the turntables are the best you can get for the price a well worth it with a soundsmith cartridge on it and some modernisation and servicing are really unbeatable. I'm after SME 3009 arm if you come across one let me know or any other arm's, where abouts are you based, sounds like the Midlands.
jeg var sonymand i halvfjerserne, og havde flere casetter fra dette firma, men så prøvede jeg en 5000 fra b og o, det var en elegant, og virkelig god lyd, og prisen var dengang ikke dyere end sonyen
I am sorry to point this out , but the B&O gear just does not look right in your room. Most emphatically , because I visited a friend's flat in Regents Park (and do not make assumptions about this, we were working on a building site at the time) and he had the complete system including the DD linear tracking turntable that just the stylus would have cost a months wages. But the catch is , all this equipment was fixed vertically to the wall. The most impressive set up I have ever seen.
Lol to me this is a wth speaker. Peerless tweeter from Polks, Philips midrange, Seas bass driver (similar also used in Dynaco etc) and whatever that midbass is. I had a pair of beovox m70 once. Sounded OK but cabinet resonance was big from plastic back.
One of my mates in the 1970’s/80’s dad was a doctor and they were complete snobs. He had a B&O hi fi that he used to show off but it sounded sh*t. My Rega/Pioneer/Mission set up cost a fraction but sound wise it blinded his. I later worked in a hifi store for 6 months and his type loved B&O, they bought with their eyes and not ears.
explain to me why you and many others do not use furniture protection under speakers to protect them so they do not get a million with scratches I think it's stupid not to use it. If you buy used, you will get speakers that are damaged under the box
bang and olufsen were for rich people without knowledge who wanted something nice to look at but did not care about how they were built inside. much bang and olufen was not so well built
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WILL DISAGREE WITH THE SHITE YOU ARE SPOUTING! As I have mentioned on here before I have been to many audio conventions and B&O gear gets my vote everytime! Anyway hifi snob what is your set up?
Oddly enough here in Denmark even tho it was relatively expensive, "normal" people had it anyway, because you could buy something and know for a fact that you could have it for decades and not only would it work flawlessly it would always look great. B&O is not just great HiFi it is furniture with function and timeless design
Good description thank you K
I totally agree....
Agree, both my parentes were low educated. But we could afford a Beocenter 9500 in 89, witch replaced my dads Beomaster 900 from 1964. And a Beovision LX 2802 from 1988. No problem! But as a car, we had a Skoda 120 😄
Today, i have the Bc 9500 in my bedroom, and the Beomaster 900 with my dads Beogram 1700 , still working
I also got the two Redline speakers my dad bought a coupple of years after, the Bc 9300. Thats definitely not a high quality speaker, but looks great though.
B&O is quite a bit more expensive outside Denmark. B&O took a big risk in North America when they refused to sell their products at regular audio stores, insisting on B&O only boutique specialty stores where no comparisons could be made and prices were never discounted. In fact prices rose substantially thanks to this arrangement. Consumers said "WTF?" and B&O sales suffered... so they went back to selling through regular retailers.
Top of the line TV sets 20 years ago cost as much as a small car here in the uk
Ridiculous. I’m a blacksmith - hardly rich but I’ve bought and enjoyed B&O products for the last 35 years and here’s the important point, have still got them and use them everyday and they’re still going strong...
If you’re talking just about money, some of my kit has actually risen in value.
To conclude, some spend £30k on a car for it to be worth £15k the year after - they drive for perhaps 1 hour a day.
I’ve spent £15k on my hifi which I use for hours a day and have done for 35 years.
Sounds cheap to me.......
Bought a Beolab 5000 amp back in 1971 and have had it serviced one since then, still works well and sounds beautiful. Only problem is the old style connectors which do not work with modern Hi-fi cables.
There are plenty of those NEW on Amazon. I just bought two pair of 5 din interconnects (5' of shielded cable with them) and the 2 pin din speaker connectors. Now, you can hook anything up to the B&O equipment.
I really like Beovox S45 and S45-2, as far as I understand they're supposed to be one of the best passive speakers from B&O. They definitely sound nice, especially after replacing old and dry electrolytic capacitors in the crossovers with ClarityCaps...
Hmm, I just got a pair of these speakers and I'm very disappointed with the sound. I might just do that.
So true about vintage watts, it's astounding. My Harmon Kardon 330B (with 18 wpc) has no problem keeping up with my Parasound 275v2 (90 watts a channel all day). They both sound excellent, but the fact that the Harmon is so beautiful to look at takes the day. The s45-2 is the little brother to these and sounds wonderful. He's not lying about the Rosewood cabinets, they are gorgeous in person, never comes across in pictures.
Personally b&o gear is the best for me! Some of the hifi fraternaty become snobbish when it comes to b&o equipment with the old excuse "Style over Substance" Absolute crap in my opinion! Ive just bought a pair of beolab pentas mk3 and ive not heard speakers as good in their price point ,originally £3000 some 20 years ago! I had afully restored pair for £1000 from iconic av and the quality is jawdropping I kid you not! Ive been to many hifi shows over the 2 years and ive heard nothing to better them! Some friends have indivually been round to hear them and all have gone away with their jaws on the floor! B&O use the very best electronics in their equipment and they also look the dogs bollocks!
B&O test their speakers probably better than any other European brand. They have a dedicated anechoic chamber known as the cube which certainly was the biggest speaker testing chamber at the time you are mentioning. I agree that S75s are not the most accurate speaker - very blousy bass but great when you are young, as you said. The two speakers worth looking at for an audiophile would be the S45.2 - the S75s smaller brother. The other one, rated particularly by B&O is the S120 which was the next version of the uni-phase speaker. The receiver you have there is the 1900-2 which was similar to my first B&O which was the 2400-2. This is much the same but has remote control. Again not the best of B&O but one of the best looking. For the best performance, look for a Beomaster 4400 or 8000. These are the Hi-Fi range and they both sound fantastic. I can lend you an 8000 if you wish to try it - it is however very heavy and very large! I have some of the big speakers you mentioned - M100.2 - a much more refined listen than the unruly S75. All are better on stands.
The advantage of this era of B&O is that there are proper service manuals available and this era did not use surface mounted components and had only started to use IC technology so are eminently repairable and many will be made to be repaired with service positions for the individual boards. Their present tonmeister is a splendid chap called Geoff Martin - worth looking up. He has worked on the newer high end speakers which are fantastic - both in sound and price unfortunately!
Great info thank you so much K
I have the CX50's and CX100's. They sound fantastic from my point of view. The CX50's lack slightly in bass, but the CX100's are quite ballsy.
only with the Cona sub
I bought that 1900 new in the 1970s with a B&O 1900 turntable and a pair of Yamaha NS_690 3 way speakers when I was a student & newlywed working my way through school. It was pricey, I recall about $250, but not outrageous. We paid installments and never regretted it. We thought it look super cool and sounded great. We didn't blast it so it had plenty of power to drive the speakers. I still have the receiver though it's in a closet since I stream everything now. They go for as low as $100 on ebay now so I just keep it because it's a work of art.
I did have an issue once with the turntable after warranty. When it was repaired B&O told me "No charge. It never should have happened." Now THAT is standing by your product.
For years I used B&O phono cartridges... the MMC 1 and MMC 2. Among the finest cartridges I ever owned or heard. Featuring neodymium magnets, very low moving mass and laser drilled hollow sapphire cantilevers. Unfortunately time tales it's toll and all of my B&O cantilever suspensions failed with no replacements. But I'll never forget the sound they produced.
There are substitutes ,but crazy expensive www.sound-smith.com/bo-replacement-cartridge-models . They also can rebuild your cartridges www.sound-smith.com/services/cartridge-rebuilding-retipping .
They can repair your phono cartridges at Soundsmith in usa. They are certified from b&o to do the reparations. But it is not cheap...
I beg to differ. I paid $220 for a (sapphire cantilever) 20CL cartridge in 1980. Soundsmith sells a new equivalent for $799. I believe that price is about right over 40 years after inflation.
Speaking of which, the Beogram turntables and cartridges were certainly audiophile quality. The turntables had 3-point suspended subchassis and heavy platters with super low mass tone arms and perfectly matched cartridges compliance-wise. You always got perfect alignment, azimuth and VTA as well with no real effort. The cartridges used moving iron instead of either moving magnet or coil and were also low mass and high compliance in that respect as well.
I had no regrets in buying my one B&O product - the Beogram 2400, other than the self destructing cover hinges. That was addressed in he second replacement (third time’s the charm!) and it stood the test of time. I let it go about 10 years back and regret that, but the albums were long gone by then anyway. I would take it back now for sure and snatch up a Soundsmith 20CL or EN without hesitation.
I was asked to fix a Beocentre 9000 and a pair of CX100. I had seen that the CD would open, close and "reject" the CD instead of playing it. No aerial so FM was useless. I cleaned it up. The glass touch panel lifted off as the foam/glue had aged. Cleaned all that down. Powered it up and ran through all the parts. CD now worked and repeated worked. Speakers do not compare to my floor standing ones but they are genuinely good. The cassette deck was a surprise. It has Dobly B and C and also HX Pro and sounds amazing. Radio with a proper FM aerial is also first rate. Wire in the TV or computer/laptop to the aux. Match this (2nd hand from £200-400) with a pair of Beolab 6000 speakers (around £350) or the passive CX100 (£150) and it will hold its own against systems of a similar price.
Yes they are mostly basically underrated I would agree
I think maybe I didn’t state that as clearly as I could in that video.
The good thing is hi-fi enthusiasts generally don’t look at Bang and olufsen
And the rich folk don’t one secondhand
Appreciate the comments cheers K
B&O agreed with the CX100 midrange sound. They recommended pairing them with the Cona subwoofer. I like smooth bass and use Cona with RL60.
Hi, I just picked up a B and O 3000-2 Tuner amp and a pair of 3702 speakers only yesterday at a local auction house. No idea if they worked BUT they were in the factory B and O boxes so I took a chance and bid and got them. Took it home and voila it works perfectly. The tuner amp is fully intact even down to the little plastic cover that fits over the tuner bars. I need 2 bits of advice, 1. where dies the aerial go, it recieves well without but I think it may be sharper with. 2.how do the covers come off the 3702 speakers as they seen a really snug fit up to the metal ring around the teak boxes.
Quick story: I was a kid...12 years old. Babysitting my next door neighbor's bratty kid. He went to bed early (thank goodness) and I decided to put on the stereo. I had a Pioneer SX 450 Receiver and a Dual table at the time with some crappy Radio Shack speakers. I went to play his system. It didn't sound good. He had a Kenwood receiver with some Bang and Olufsen tower 2 way 40 watt speakers. (Beovox 2600) from 1971. One speaker was out. The other was so badly distorted I just shut it off. When the parents came back home I asked him about the system. He said, "Those speakers haven't worked in years. I think there blown. Do you want them? " I was like, heck yeah (I mean the cabinets were cherry, so I thought even if I couldn't get them to work I could always swap out the speakers for some Radio Shack internals). Well, the long and the short of it...the speakers didn't work because there was evidence of chewed wires. (they had a dog) I re-spiced the wires together and guess what??? Worked amazingly...and here's the kicker...I still have them. All original and still sound amazing. I pay them through my NAD amp and Dual table. No one around me can believe the sound this makes. And it's over 50 years old.
Yeah thanks for the story I like to hear them and yes 2600 I just great the tweet is great those speakers completely hit the mark
And they look great too
Cheers K
Beolab 3 - IMO the most musical speaker B&O ever made and all from a tiny 6" "solid ball' with HUGE gorgeous room filling sound...& yes they have bass. They are active so don't need external amplifiers, all you do is connect them up to a half decent streamer & they sing. I have them in my kitchen and bedroom, each connected to a streamer and TV. There is nothing I know of that size, with such beautiful timeless design and performance. A modern day classic.
Yes interesting thanks this is kind of incredible isn’t it I mean there has to be an amplifier inside of that too.
I will definitely check out if I get a chance cheers K
I was in Hong Kong around 1970. I remember seeing the B and O vertical turntables along with other European HiFi gear I had never seen before.
I found some B&O Beovox S80 for $30 at thrift store. Re-foamed the woofers and my favorite speaker so far. These speakers give a big full sound with those 8 inch drivers.
That sounds like a bargain in England we don’t have a thrift store it seems like all bargains come from thrift stores don’t they know anything in those shops🤣
Stereo review X
Thrift stores are called charity shops in England.
B&O was ahead of their time. They provided styling and sound quality and charged for both, but so do current companies. Their stuff was not that expensive: In the US they charged about a 20-30% premium for styling and novel features. Today you pay much more.
I'll second that. The styling was often decades ahead. The interface friendly and smart. The sound quality enjoyable and often compared well with other top end equipment that may have lack the style more utilitarian but was then a tad less expensive. When it comes to second hand market a working B&O is most definitely worth considering and good value.
I picked up a beomaster 3000 type 2932 tuner/amplifier today from a lady at a car boot sale for £20. She said her husband had stored it in their garage for years and that it was working so I took a chance on it. There's some minor rusting on the underside and it's in need of a good clean but it's all working. I think I got a bit of a bargain there.
You certainly did get a bargain truly the thing about being oh is it is inclined to break more than other stuff but some of it so fucking gorgeous I just wanna look at it
Ive had these exact speakers and yes, the bass is softer than it looks, long throw but the bass isnt very heavy, but its good, it is smooth all around, i think their pretty good for what they cost.
need the matching cona sub
for the cx100
I think some of Jacob Jensens speakers are great classic hifi.
And the Pioneer SA-510 is an often overlooked budget hifi gem.
It always seemed to me that B&O gear was something people who wanted to be "snobby" purchased... largely because they loved how much it all cost as opposed to good it actually sounded. Of course, I know naught about B&O as I've never owned any... maybe I'm just envious. All said.... great review & I'm better educated for it. Thanks!
YES GRANT I'M A WORKING CLASS MAN WHO HAS SAVED FOR OVER 30 YRS TO ATTAIN MY EQUIPMENT, SO I AM DEFINATLY NOT SNOBBISH, FAR FROM IT! B&O GEAR LOOKS GREAT BUT ALSO SOUND QUALITY IS AMONGST THE BEST! OF THAT I CAN ASSURE YOU! Just go along to a b&o dealer and have a listen!
In total agreement with your statement my company car is a Vauxhall white combo van and I love B n O there’s no other brand like it plus it sounds phenomenal
Ok MBL Wilson audio etc could be said to br the most specialist but as hi fi that is affordable for a person not on a six figure salary I’d go B n O all day long
I remember those well on a marantz pm series set up. Was a good 17 years ago .
That sounded so good !
I have generally thought of B&O hi fi gear with it's classy futuristic design aesthetic from the late1960s to now, as the middle to upper class non audiophile persons Japanese or Bose etc. hi fi gear. The first time I heard a B&O system was in the late 1970's after an older cousin of mine, who was a successful architect, bought a new B&O system with a 1900 receiver/amp, turntable and S45 3 way speakers. It was the best sounding system I had ever heard up to that time but expensive. Since then I have learned that I can get as good or better sound for much less money by doing some diligent research and evaluation of the good quality new and second-hand gear that is usually available.
Yes Bang And Olufsen It’s funny because hi-fi people wants to mock it because it is visually orientated
But they are good at making cohesive equipment almost always enjoyable
@@stereoreviewx B&O always has good quality sound but the problem with much of their gear from the 1970's and 80's, is the complicated and delicate mechanical controls (switches, sliders, buttons, lights etc.) needing difficult repairs after 40+ years of use. Compared to the less aesthetically refined or interesting looking but mechanically more robust and simpler construction of most vintage Japanese, American, European, British gear etc, I baulk at spending the extra money required to buy and repair old B&O gear, no matter how much I would like to own some.
This is a BEOMASTER 1900-2 and it is one of the most beautifull recievers they ever made...and it was made from 1976 to 1982
I totally agree. My father bought back in 1981 a Beomaster 1900-2, a beogram 1700 and a pair of Beovox S45-2. They were (and still are) unique pieces of art. Some years later he bought a Beocord 2000, which, although had the same line, wasn't as delicate and beautiful as the 1900-2.
One of my favourite speakers is the Beovox M100. Amazing speakers with very deep and good bass and very clear and refined sound. They are so enjoyable to listen to.
Compared to what?
Im not impressed with anything from bang and Olufsen
@@henriksrensen3220 Altså har også et sæt JBL 120Ti som self gør det en lille tand bedre. Men ærligt, så er M100 bestemt et lyt værd, hvis du ikke har hørt dem før. Men ja det er jo forskelligt. Jeg hørte forleden et sæt Dali Epicon 8 i hi-fi klubben. Jeg var nu ikke synderligt imponeret taget prisen i betragtning. Det er så forskelligt hvad man synes lyder godt jo :)
@@xXLegendXx70 For mange år siden havde jeg beolab penta og beosystem 5500.
Jeg gik for mange år siden over til audiovector højttalere som jeg langt bedre kan li lyden af. Spiller sammen med gryphon forstærker.
@@henriksrensen3220 jeg har nu heller aldrig været så pjattet med Penta og 5500. Audiovector er gode sager. Så det forstår jeg godt du. Bedre kan lide. Altså B&O har lavet gode sager, bare ikke meget. Det kan tælles på en hånd. Men derfor er de få gode sager de har lavet også værd at nævne
@@xXLegendXx70 selvfølgelig, jeg er enig 👍
Jeg var glad for mit 5500 system I mange år.
For simplicity and blending in with decor in a room they appeal to the wealthy. I unpacked several rooms in an expensive home and set up a B&O system and was impressed with it for sound and ease of operation and looks. A niche stereo for non stereo buffs.
Yes it’s interior design and pretty good sound
I agree largely with your statement I’m a Bang and Olufsen anorak but I’m a tradesman not a stockbroker 😂😂
As a vintage audio tech I would take a Pioneer SX 1050 any day over B&O. B&O amps cook themselves. That yuppie styling means high component density which means heat. I just had to repair a old Beomaster combination tuner, amp cassette deck and turntable. What a nightmare. A classic case of form over function.
Yes I’m sure you’re right a lot of old Bang And Olufsen tuner Amos are broken
I prefer big Sansui to a pioneer though
I always think of Bang and Olufsen as being the Mac of a hi-fi. High end, yes, decent quality but not as outstanding as it looks and at an extortionate price, added with plenty of proprietary stuff. This approach has some advantages in terms of integration, but I'm really not a fan.
Well I kind of agree with you I mean the thing is maybe three years ago you could get all of their speaker is really cheap which isn’t the case now.
The receivers and turntables though just break too much.
You know it all depends how much you paid really.
Appreciate the feedback cheers K
B&O S75 or Sansui SP-X7900 ... Which would you pair with a Sansui G9000? And how do you think they compare to MB Quart 600?
Did you know that there is a subwoofer that goes with the cx100? I have one, it complements the set perfectly.
Greetings Hans
If it's better than early Sansui it must have been great. I remember the brand well, but I never heard it back then. Beautiful looks as I recall, saw them in stores, upscale stores. No one I knew could afford them back then apparently.
Thanks for this review. As your other videos, i really enjoyed this video. Your channel is called Stereo review X, but do you know anything about quadrofonic sound, witch was kind of a big thing in the 70 ies? Just found out that Bang & Olufsen made a 4 channel amp, called Beomaster 6000 4 channel. As did many other manifactors. I was surprised to learn about this pre sourround era, witch ended more or less witout succes.
Could be interesting if you could do a review of some 4 channel amps, or just talk about them, if you have some experience with them.
Well all I remember of that era was that no one was sure what’s going on with quadraphonic
I had a 2400 receiver and the smaller S series speaker. My B&O speakers are so lame. I plugged in my newer (late 80’s early 90’s) KEF C10 to the 2400 and it was light years improvement. As a designer, it looks great, sound wise it’s just ok.
I pocked one and it plays awesome after refoam. I did rubber foam. Costed 20 + 30 = 50 usd all together
I own 2 x Bang and Olufsen complete hi fi systems plus a sound bar and several of their multi room speakers and 3 pair of headphones
It’s excellent equipment it sounds beautiful too
I’m an ex owner of rotel arcam A n E speakers Heybrook speakers Nad etc
I will not go back to those systems
I set up a Beocenter 2 , Beogram 3300 , beolab 8000 speakers a beolab 19 sub woofer with a project DS2 pre amp and a pair of Townshend super tweeters I also use an Olson mains conditioner
It works exceptionally well
The other system is an Beosound overture with beolab 3 speakers and a beolab 11 connected to a Beosound core this system I use for streaming it’s a cracking little system it leaves my last Arcam 7 cd Arcam 8 amp and acoustic energy speakers FOR DUST !!!!
even when I’m just streaming
Plus it’s exceptionally well made
Why oh why so many audiophiles totally disregard B n O I shall never understand
It’s a great brand that sounds great that will last a long time it’s second hand price holds well too
At that time , these seas scanspeak and philips component were from the best, ATC made an even better dome mid later...but costing 10x more.....but the flagship speaker from philips 3way actif sounds still superb ...using this dome mid
Yes, I have seen that dome in some studio speakers, don’t really know what they were
The mission control line cracked me up!instant sub
Listened to the end - so were B&O a bit like Bose 901 speakers? Looks and magic, rather than sound quality?
I guess, Danish, they used ScanSpeak drivers - still great reputation.
If anything I think I underplayed the point in that video basically it’s pretty good stuff but I would never buy new
The problem test an amp, is that not all of them have good headphone outputs... Some great amp have terrible headphone output. Though usually when you get a good headphone output, the amp is good as well...
Remember that David Lewis set the design, the engineering had to fit inside. Today you can easily improve a lot due to modern components that fixes the amplifier stage.
Hi all,
Do you have any experience on the "Fried Signature Model A" ? If so, thoughts about it?
Sorry my friend I’m not familiar
Not yet anyway K
The "Fried Signature Model A", it's a Harvard University Law graduate's speaker. It'll just be paired up with a Carver 400 or some such ... you know 'expensive' system. K thinks B&o is a 'rich man's' Audio. Quite right to let him know about Fried. But B&o is lower-middle-class (factory owners) and Fried is Judges and Lawyers and such. It all depends on what is hooked up and where it is playing. A nice glass of vintage wine ($800 a bottle) helps too if you live in a coastal elite villa. But if you drive a Jaguar, better stick to the Pioneer system.
My Dad's got a complete B&O setup, even reel-to-reel recorder! He wasn't rich, he just spent his money wisely.
👍 ALWAYS ABOUT SOUND QUALITY….when I was younger loved the flash 🤗 THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE 😍😍😍
That Beomaster was made to be sell cheap. Was had to be exclusive and cheap on the same time.
It's not fair all the things that you say, the Beovox S series is the standard series, but the drivers are still at the better end of the line, the crossover filters are very good, many times better than many other speakers still today, the drivers are from seas and Philips and Peerless, many of them was the best they have to offer back then, if you take the M series it's the best they have at the time, it was the Monitor series like the M100 and the M70, M75 and so on, they have the very best from Seas, Peerless, celestron, and so on, the filters was also very good and well designed, remember that B & O holds many patent on speakers, phase correct and so on, I don't remember specific on the S75, but the M75 it's not a 4way speaker, but a 3 way with a fourth speaker as a filler drive, maby the Philips speaker over the bass in the S75 is the filler drive.
90% of the stereos they made back then was all made in Struer Denmark, from the aluminum parts to plastics to transformers and so on, this is something Denmark should be proud of.
Regards from Denmark.
I do appreciate Bang And Olufsen I think I have five or six amps and speakers by them.
A few years ago they went so cheap here in the UK I couldn’t resist them
Cheers from London thanks Kelvin
You are right . Philips speaker over the bass is filler , or Phase link driver . People neglect also the fact that speakers are positioned on a curved surface to compensate for phase difference. Also these speakers should be positioned slightly tilted backwards to achieve the sweet listening spot .
all the internals were made by Phillips , when Phillips were not top quality , ok , but not high end
I got the cx100 for free and I'm modifying them with new drivers for the low and mid range. The bass is already much better but the midrange and bass share the same compartment so the midrange needs to be sealed off.
Those CX 100s sounded best right against the wall I found
Hi there. I’ve reviewed all of your clips, some more than once, and I can only say you’re very unique in what you do. Just keep going! One question, vintage Pioneer CS-A50 with 10 alnico magnets and 100 dB sensitivity, what is your experience with that or similar alnico sets? Thanks.
Yes I’ll Nico magnets I think they’re just more potent magnets basically
I mean regarding pioneer speakers old ones mostly the Japanese did not make good speakers nine times out of 10 that’s probably the best thing I can say
One question, is it worth buying a B&O beovox 3702, do they sound good? It would be to connect them to a Pioneer sa - 510 amplifier. They would be for listening to Rock, Pop, Opera, classical music, etc. a bit of everything. greetings 😊
Well, the Bang, all of us are not bad quite a big sound but I don’t like the twitter myself. It doesn’t have enough life in the top end, but if it was £100
And they’re working, not a bad deal
Thank you very much, Kelvin.
What would be your choice between Beovox 3000 and Beovox s75?
That’s a tough one for 3000 gives a more cohesive picture but the S 75 has a Bigger and brighter sound I can’t pick
Do You ever come across ads Speakers before they became Brauns? I dont think they were ever very Popular on your side of the Pond ,but were very popular in the us an still hold up very well against a lot of the crap ( competion ) out there to this day very nice tweeters i might add!
I do know a little and Agree nice drivers
most of electronis inside B&O were made by philips , also the speakers inside most is philips spealers and seas , later they used even kef components
Ford use Dunlop tyres......
Yeah yeah yeah it’s Phillips in a fancy costume 😂😂😂😂😂🇦🇺 Please cmon Bang and Olufsen invented class D amps and have innovated and tread where Angels fear to tread continuously throughout their history I think your comment is quite unfair and a bit dogmatic in line with other audiophile myths about the product
@@simonduncan8327 true they made great speakers and amps , ice power etc...it was in the 70ies and philips made great loudspeakers aswell, like the RH499, or the actif MFB speakers , even today these sound amazing, a audiophile friend swapped B300 kef bass speakers for philips AD1256 alnico 12 inch old bass speakers and he kept it, it sounded muxh better....philips payed top engineers and wow they knew how to make top sounding speakers, thats why B&o put them in their products, like today they use scanspeak etc
B&O always had a reputation of "style over substance", nice looking but hard to use.
Probably as they used DIN plugs, not RCA. 4ohm speakers, not proper British 8ohm. And a premium price. They did have lots of technology - like the parallel tracking turntable.. And the Beolit 707 was great portable radio - but £50 pounds in 1975!!
Have you seen any Lecson gear? Late 70's, designed and styled by Boothroyd and Stewart, founders of Meridian. The AC-1 preamp was a killer design - I still want one! The power amps were cool too!
Oh yeah does look really great I believe the sound is not bad or even good
l remember the Lecson gear. The power amp was a black vertical cylinder. The flat bed thin control/pre amp had colourful sliders. I never heard them though.
Hi have you done a review on bang olufsen red line speaker would like to know what you think 👍
I haven't seen all of your videos and you generally review vintage stuff. But maybe have a look at the elac unifi b5 (slim)?
I have mine close to the wall and the bassport plugged. They are fed by chord mojo, a super t-amp and a hefty power supply (actually bigger than the super t-amp)
Huge soundstage. Voices are clear as day. The bass is fast (due to the plugging) but still goes deep. They are not fatiguing but still detailed. They scale up to the point where the neighbours complain.
Concentric drivers ftw.
I need to point out that I have absorbers in the room. So plugging might only apply to me.
Also if you think that the ls50 are too analytical you will maybe find the unifi b5 more "soulful". Especially combined with the unusually warm super t-amp and the chord mojo.
Thanks for the detailed info cheers K
Could you please compare Beovox S-75 and KEF 104.2 when both are driven by Sansui AU-317 or Sansui Seven receiver? Thank you so much!
The beovox will be a much lighter airier sound the KEF’s would sound more bass orientated.
Both good stuff but quite different K
@@stereoreviewx "lighter airier" is kind of hard for me to image :-) I'll check out your review of S-75 again and hopefully I could get the idea. Thank you!
I had the s75:s but yes, I agree, they either messed up the crossover or the 4way is just not worth it (or bad combo of drivers).
The drivers should be good so I almost regret selling them. I could have taken a look at the crossover but I didn't.
Yes you get a lot of drivers for the money if the time and effort was spent you think it could sound brilliantLK
I can't say much for B&O performance overall, but there are several negatives and he points out a good one with the amplifiers and receivers. I was an audio tech for many years and B&O receivers and amps are pretty unreliable. They don't like to be pushed and they blow up often. Worse, they are hard to fix with many parts being ONLY available through B&O. So that put a damper on the products right there. Then there is that large speaker. I would be leery about anything that has more than 2 crossover points and that speaker has 3. Worse, the drivers are not all in line. Every time you have a crossover point, you will have phasing, imaging and frequency response issues. That is why most people favor two way speakers or even better yet, full range. However, it is very difficult to get a nice even full range response from a single speaker. While I rarely listen to 3 way cabinets today, the trouble with a lot of two way cabinets is that they put the crossover point right in the middle of the range where hearing is most sensitive. But three ways introduce a second crossover point and as I said above, more crossover points = bad. However, if you can get a good midrange that crosses over at a lower frequency, that will help. Going active crossovers and tri-amp helps too, but it does end up getting involved for a home setup as it does require careful adjustments. However there are some audio enthusiasts that do this and I see it often with those that have multi-way horn systems. But I just know that when I see a speaker like that large B&O that has more than 2 crossover points, I run as far from it as I can. Today I laugh when I see those Pioneer, Technics and some Sansui floor speakers that have 8 drivers in it and it has 4 crossover points or more. However, I would be more interested on how that little B&O MTM aluminum speaker sounds.
Interesting stuff and I pretty much agree with you there is a review by the way of those aluminium b and o speakers on my channel
The one thing I would say with three-way speakers is if the right drivers are used with the right materials they can sound cohesive and then it’s great but I agree most times it’s not done properly I have a admiration for the KEF concerto somehow that works
I think it’s something inherent in the drivers themselves not so much the crossover that allows it to work nicely
Cheers K
@@stereoreviewx Yes, I am curious about those MTM B&O speakers myself as I know they can be had for a good price too. As for the multiway speaker, any off axis line puts me off, but as anyone in audio will agree with me on, the more crossover points you have, the more issues with phasing and imaging you will have. This is why two way are more popular. Also, speaking of phasing and imaging, that smaller one with the MTM configuration supposed to help with imaging. It is funny as this design was very popular for a time, but then it fell out of favor. I know that in more commercial systems that are bi and tri-amped, they use mostly horns and the drivers should ideally be set up in a line with the originating points in the same plane. But that is advantage of a big system like that. But I have to laugh when you see those old speakers from the 70's and they have drivers all over the place and of all different sizes and depths. There is NO WAY that could sound good. As for those KEF speakers, I probably would pass on them just by seeing that driver configuration. Anything with off center drivers like that puts me off. Of interest of late are concentric speakers like the KEF Uni-Q or Tannoy. Also, I think it is Elac that has concentric three way systems with the tweeter and midrange in one driver like on the UB52. I have yet to hear these though, but many seem to like them. Also, I been looking into some single driver, no crossover systems that are based around a transmission line as I am very much into something that has high efficiency.
Ever heard of Uniphase concept or Phase Link driver in these BO speakers ? Ever listened to these speakers in their sweet but narrow spot for listening position ? S75 is famous for this narrow listening spot , but while you are there, they sound heavenly . And don't forget the capacitors in the crossover . You might get a totally different sound with new capacitors vs original ones which are now too old even when they are good on a multimeter . And you only need good electrolitics .Expensive audio film capacitors won't make a difference .
I would say BO put a lot of thought and work on this Uniphase concept . With some speakers they did it better, with others , not so much . I have CX100 speakers too . They only sound very good for their size . S75, S80.2, S120 (MC120.2) even S45.2 are other story though . I own them all .
@@seaman5705 I heard one of these Uniphase speakers before and didn't like it. I don't remember the model as it was many years ago. But frankly, in all fairness, I never liked any cabinet that was more than a three way crossover. As you pointed out with old capacitors in crossovers, they would have to be redone and the more branches you have, the more problems to deal with.
I can see you know what you’re talking about but I’m going to push back on one thing having your drivers offset or not in a vertical line I literally have experimented moving tweeters around and I found the traditional offset arrangement creates more space science for this I can’t tell you but I have literally experimented in detail and I actually would say I think it’s the better configuration I think the straight line may be anaesthetic consideration
CheersK
In 1997 i bought a Yamaha amplifier, cant remember witch model. In 2001 i bought my dads Beocenter 9500, and i remember comparing the sound, before i sold the Yamaha amplifier.
The Yamaha sounded a bit better regarding stereo. Just a bit more clear sound than the Beocenter.
But the Beocenter 9500 delivert much more sound. The base was better. I got power full sound all the way up to maximum, where the Yamaha just faded out base and sounded just awfull when i turned more than half volume.
Over all, i liked the sound better from the 9500.
Later i bought a Yamaha surround receiver, for my first home theater. I thought i would put the Beocenter in the bedroom for good looks. But the sourround receiver soundet absolutly horrible, playing stereo. I dont know what went wrong for Yamaha with this receiver.
It’s probably just the old ones were better I mean it just amazes me How something good sound good in 19 80 x 2000 I can’t make it any more I wish someone could tell me what’s going on
Own some Beovox 5702's they are excellent and produce clear airy highs and deep and responsive bass. They are better than my Ditton 44's
I live in Denmark and you can get used B&O products sometimes cheap here. I got a pair of Beovox S60 speakers for $119 that sounds very good. its better than the danish brand Denver, all Denver products are made in China.
may be Dentax,not denver
@@souldoc123 Denver is a brand. denver-electronics.com/
I have both! The S75 and cx100s
Nice
B&O Expensive? Mate I just ran across a guy that paid $65,000 US for a turntable and another $25,000 for a shock absorbent table to put it on. $12,000 for the stylus (needle). THAT is expensive. I get what you mean for mainstream stereos but there are MUCH more expensive units out there.
Yup , there is always a dumbass that has more money than knowledge.
Back in the 70s you could by a Japanese amplifier (and they all looked the same!) or with the right amount of money buy a B&O. The BeoLab 5000 was a monster. 60W per channel and a clean look that at the time was unique . I had the luck to enjoy B&O systems in the 70s and they were fantastic. Take a look to the BeoGram 4002 for instance.... ua-cam.com/video/Y07OnrcxfZk/v-deo.html
Any opinion on their turntables from the same period?
Well I think there was quality there but so many of them are broken most of them from what I can tell
The word "envy" comes to mind.
I have B&O gear and it hasn't given a moments problems & bought NOS at a reasonable price. You would probably say the Beolab 90 sounds "good" Lol. Check out Sounds Heavenly channel for real reviews of Bang & Olufsen gear.
B&O is design, internally its philips which is fine but not special so soundwise its ok
B&O is Philips in a sexy dress. You should buy it on a saterday afternoon in the City.
Your SAAB double parked in front of the B&O toko. A glass of Burgundy and bla bla...
B&O is a kind of HiFi Leica. It is just the name, but a keeps a small size FF- frame.
A Leica is the rich man's holiday and X-mas snapshot camera for 4 x 6 colour prints.
I love my B&0 9000 cassette deck
I purchased a B & O cassette deck many years ago just...to see(& hear). I had not owned any B & O gear up to that point. Yes, I liked how it "looked", but the "sound" was very...average, & that was after I purchased a new belt and had it..."tuned up". I won't speak on other B & O gear, ad the cassette deck was the only B & O component I've owned...to date. Again, it looked(still looks)...cool, with the cassette that gets inserted into a "drawer", but otherwise...spund is very...*average*.
Hello! I have a modern (PRO-JECT) turntable for vinyl, which has an RCA cable. I wanted to buy an older band and olufsen speaker to go with it. Does anyone know if its possible to connect the two?
Yes I have a project debut carbon and beolab penta mk3 speakers and connection is easy as long as you have the right cabling! Get in touch with sounds heavenly on you tube and he will see you right! I have 3500 b&o amp between my turntable and speakers ! If you have a b& o amp at one one end you need a din plug connection from the to 2 rca plugs
Sorry cut off! Whichever amp you have there isnt a problem as long as you have the right plugs at the amp end! If you have a phono amp connect turntable in and then out into your amp and connect speakers into your amp! Sounds complcated but it isnt! Hope this helps jenna!
right, firstly you are extremely wrong saying 'only the richest people buy bang and olufsen' . my old man was a pro musician but poorly remunerated. but his ear was so good, he went without other things to have the best sound he could afford.
I used to own bang and Olufsen beolab penta back in 1994. I moved on to Audiovector speakers which are much much better speakers.
@@high-endvintagelover5779 well, if you want a sound as close to the real thing as possible, audiovector is sure much better speakers than bang and Olufsen. Bang and Olufsen has a very easy going sound, but lacks detail, transparency, focus, deep and wide spundstage. Bang and Olufsen is not audiophile speakers
S75 for £350 on ebay,but i prefer to buy Spendor SP1 for nearly the same price...
So would I
Don't forget it's old equipment and will need modernising, yes you can make the speakers sound really good I've had a few sets over the years and and they can compete with any £800 speaker today not seen the Towers you've mentioned be interesting to get a pair. but the turntables are the best you can get for the price a well worth it with a soundsmith cartridge on it and some modernisation and servicing are really unbeatable. I'm after SME 3009 arm if you come across one let me know or any other arm's, where abouts are you based, sounds like the Midlands.
I’m in London actually the 309 is a great arm my senses the 309 mark two is better as I recall
@@stereoreviewx no it's 3009 I see you on your other video you have got one
Thanks.
Yeah
Who said that?
jeg var sonymand i halvfjerserne, og havde flere casetter fra dette firma, men så prøvede jeg en 5000 fra b og o, det var en elegant, og virkelig god lyd, og prisen var dengang ikke dyere end sonyen
I am sorry to point this out , but the B&O gear just does not look right in your room. Most emphatically , because I visited a friend's flat in Regents Park (and do not make assumptions about this, we were working on a building site at the time) and he had the complete system including the DD linear tracking turntable that just the stylus would have cost a months wages. But the catch is , all this equipment was fixed vertically to the wall. The most impressive set up I have ever seen.
Lol to me this is a wth speaker. Peerless tweeter from Polks, Philips midrange, Seas bass driver (similar also used in Dynaco etc) and whatever that midbass is.
I had a pair of beovox m70 once. Sounded OK but cabinet resonance was big from plastic back.
A Chanel about sound with this voice sound?
What if Kermit the frog had the same voice as Jesus
One of my mates in the 1970’s/80’s dad was a doctor and they were complete snobs. He had a B&O hi fi that he used to show off but it sounded sh*t. My Rega/Pioneer/Mission set up cost a fraction but sound wise it blinded his. I later worked in a hifi store for 6 months and his type loved B&O, they bought with their eyes and not ears.
High dollar because of it's looks.
Nice until you have to find someone who will work on their vintage stuff
explain to me why you and many others do not use furniture protection under speakers to protect them so they do not get a million with scratches
I think it's stupid not to use it. If you buy used, you will get speakers that are damaged under the box
B&O price structure
40% quality
60% design
it is an average company in quality and top in design, nothing else
I basically agree, but don’t forget, they were so goddamn expensive they can still spend a fair bit of money on the components K
right@@stereoreviewx
bang and olufsen were for rich people without knowledge who wanted something nice to look at but did not care about how they were built inside.
much bang and olufen was not so well built
Interesting subject... Yeah? Boring presentation...... Yeah?
You know....yes, I know :p
I said that🤪
@@stereoreviewx But are you sure that you know ?
senseless waffling
Overrated
Not so at all !
@@johnhughes8466 Lol.Just like bose you can get so much better for less money.b&o are pathetic
@@winfield347 Talkin shite again!
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WILL DISAGREE WITH THE SHITE YOU ARE SPOUTING! As I have mentioned on here before I have been to many audio conventions and B&O gear gets my vote everytime! Anyway hifi snob what is your set up?
@@johnhughes8466 none of your business sunshine.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ SAMSYU ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ THE EAGLES ZZZZZZZZZZ ITS NOT ALL THAT GETS SOFTER
a lot of words to say not a lot