Bang & Olufsen Beosound Balance Review

[Old_School_Brad]

He looks like a 6'3" Swedish model

Which is just a full grown man.

So, like, do they sell this thing at IKEA?

Ikea work with Sonos to make their own line of these "lifestyle" speakers.

 

[billou5767]

Really don't understand how a company which makes some great groundbreaking loudspeakers https://www.tonmeister.ca/wordpress/bo-tech/ and has a high knowledge of acoustics https://www.tonmeister.ca/wordpress/series-of-articles-on-audio/ can tune a DSP loudpeaker so poorly...

old compagny stay in old time , a magical chinese young ingeneer can / will do better with dsp and program

 

[Spocko]

We should just call it HAF, human approval factor, because gender has no real bearing on the fact that them things are ugly

funny you said that, i immediately wondered how to make it less gender specific because ironically, i count myself in the group of those who will not buy any product that's not aesthetically appealing regardless of their performance (covering it in a blanket doesn't make it better!)

 

[Sokel]

funny you said that, i immediately wondered how to make it less gender specific because ironically, i count myself in the group of those who will not buy any product that's not aesthetically appealing regardless of their performance (covering it in a blanket doesn't make it better!)

As the officially most superficial user in here I have to agree.
130dB THD+N and 23-bits of Multitone measurement won't cut it for me if it looks or feels cheap,or multicolor,or,or...

I prefer a naked PCB instead!

 

[Spocko]

I know. This is a predicament. I've been following B&O for decades. Apart from trying to make portable BT speakers and headphones, they've stubbornly stuck with the old formula still. Of which they seem to struggle to profit from. Probably because the design is hard(er) to manufacture with the materials they want.

Unfortunately, design (fashion in general) is not protected by any sort of IP law and as a result, their ROI only lasts until a 99% knockoff hits Amazon whereas true IP protection leads to billion dollar IP pools that run for decades. This is why brand name purses and clothing integrate their logos into the design. Bose is another company that has been losing revenue and profitability for the last 5 years despite some groundbreaking technologies (ANC headphones are class leading); $3 billion in revenues sound like a lot until you realize that number has been declining year over year since 2017.

 

[Spocko]

As the officially most superficial user in here I have to agree.
130dB THD+N and 23-bits of Multitone measurement won't cut it for me if it looks or feels cheap,or multicolor,or,or...

I prefer a naked PCB instead!

Count me in as the #2 most superficial user! I'm willing to give up inaudible performance gains in return for tastefully appointed textures and contrast.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Count me in as the #2 most superficial user! I'm willing to give up inaudible performance gains in return for tastefully appointed textures and contrast.

Yes, but how much audible performance would you give up? That's when it actually matters.

 

[GXAlan]

$3 billion in revenues sound like a lot until you realize that number has been declining year over year since 2017.

Bose spun out their professional division so it will have dropped more.

That said, they still have #3 in market share for headphones behind Apple and Apple (Beats) and it may reflect the changing product mix. Their most expensive product today is their soundbar but in the Bose 901 era, they had full lifestyle systems and multi zone home systems with integrated DVD players, etc. The transition from speakers to headphones probably drives the absolute revenue numbers down.

Bose stopped reporting revenue after 2021, but they seem to have the same headcount and MIT remains the majority shareholder.

 

[JDS]

Looks nice, but so it should for that (GULP!) price. VFM is off the bottom of the scale compared with, say, the Apple Homepod, which has faults but is 10% of the price, and no one expects monitor quality from a "smart" speaker anyway. I really can't see how you can recommend the B&O, even with EQ*, given the price.

Edit: *Anyone who's able to do that would never buy this in the first place!

Came to make the same point.

B&O has made a helluva business out of "audio" products that should be seen and not heard.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Came to make the same point.

B&O has made a helluva business out of "audio" products that should be seen and not heard.

There was a time when they weren’t so bad, a bit overpriced but you got the looks *and* near-enough performance.

 

[Ktacos]

Opinions on price are already in reviews here, whether the reviewer is aware of it or not. All down the language used.

Thankfully users here are more than willing to let others know what a poor value this speaker and others are. Consumer awareness is a big part of this site and I think it's a good idea to advise consumers to avoid such wastes of money. Perhaps the problem is a person might be so far removed from the average persons income level that they think a $3000+ little bluetooth speaker might be a reasonable buy at all.

 

[pseudoid]

Indeed pretty, but you'll still need a wallop of EQ!

 

[Miguelón]

I have a (still perfectly working) Bang&Olufsen Beosound Ouverture, with its Beolab 2500 original bookshelf speakers: it is astonishing how well this brand used to build. Now my mother enjoys the machine, I passed to the Genelec Dark Side

But I cannot say they sounded particularly good or bad, just they sound ok. And they were well made.

Hope B&O stay selling tank-built gear, because in my honest opinion is the only quality that worths about 33% of the price. Other 33% is (or was) the decorative aspect and just consider the rest dedicated to sound quality.

 

[Postlan]

Too expensive (for me)! If it's in SONOS price range, I'll get one. Nice to have a decent omni speaker.

 

[milosz]

TOO EXPENSIVE! Why would anyone want this for $3,200 instead of spending half as much on a decent pair of small speakers and a Fosi v3 or BT20 amplifier?

That's quite a premium to pay for silly industrial design.

 

[Axo1989]

We should just call it HAF, human approval factor, because gender has no real bearing on the fact that them things are ugly

Liking for your HAF suggestion, certainly !! I often like B&O aesthetics though.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

I can't think of a single product from B&O that I find ugly. I like their design. I just image searched to look for something that I didn't like.

 

[Brian Hall]

I think I will stick with a pair of Echo Studios for ~$200 each. Great sound quality for a bedroom setup.

Currently have a Wiim Pro Plus (set to fixed output) into a Schiit Saga S preamp. The Saga S has two RCA stereo outputs. I have one going to each Echo Studio.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Too expensive (for me)! If it's in SONOS price range, I'll get one. Nice to have a decent omni speaker.

Despite the amount of EQ required?

 

[AudioSceptic]

I think I will stick with a pair of Echo Studios for ~$200 each. Great sound quality for a bedroom setup.

Currently have a Wiim Pro Plus (set to fixed output) into a Schiit Saga S preamp. The Saga S has two RCA stereo outputs. I have one going to each Echo Studio.

The Studios are wired, not wireless? I wonder how many others get used that way.