B&O speakers in the 70s were not universally liked. I actually think that many of the speakers were actually designed for the relevant systems and their frequency responses designed with regard to this. The Beovox 1200 for instance are pretty ropey speakers when used with most systems, but really come into their own with a Beomaster 1200.

B&O did have various 'accidents' though, and the S45-2 and S120 speakers are ones which stand out as quite superb in their own right. 🙂

About the BL5 and other ALT speaker placement, bare with me, as I probably don't use the correct words to describe this... 😂

So the speakers should be placed on a 90 degree axis to the walls behind them? And not be "toed in" towards the listener, which is very common to be used with traditional speakers?

A long time ago, Dave Moulton answered that specifically (I don't remember if to the board or to a pm), recommending straight placement. If acoustic lens technology is real, then that answer makes sense. But then, I am currently listening to a BS1 pointed the wrong direction, so what do I know?

symmes wrote:

A long time ago, Dave Moulton answered that specifically (I don't remember if to the board or to a pm), recommending straight placement. If acoustic lens technology is real, then that answer makes sense. But then, I am currently listening to a BS1 pointed the wrong direction, so what do I know?

I'm quite sure I've read the same. Can't find the thread anymore, though.

Let's face it,most B&O buyers did't have the right placements.

i hope that AST would be standard in all beovisions.

koning wrote:

Let's face it,most B&O buyers did't have the right placements.

i hope that AST would be standard in all beovisions.

AST won't make any difference with this particular issue (tonal balance) unfortunately....

In response to jc's question:

I've never auditioned the BL11, and have no opinion of it.  However, it will not solve the problem I discussed.  2 drivers (as a general rule) do not have enough bandwidth to cover the 10 octaves of the audio spectrum (say, 20 Hz. to 20,000 Hz.).  A good, well-implemented driver might cover 2.5 octaves in a reasonable way.  So, 2-way speakers (including the BL3, which actually is a bit more than a 2-way) have serious limitations.  

One of these almost always has to do with a dip in output at the crossover point between the woofer and the tweeter.   The other has to do with the bottom two octaves of the spectrum, which are always deficient with a 2-way design (a driver big enough to move the volume of air needed to create an 18-meter long  wavelength – 20 Hz.) is too big (and has too much mass, generally) to produce the 10 cm. wavelength - 3 kHz. - at the crossover with the tweeter).  

Subwoofers are an attempt to fill in those bottom octaves, and may work more or less well, depending on a lot of things.  However, the midrange problem is entirely different, and can only be resolved by changing the woofer into a midrange (which means re-engineering the cossover design, among other things).  None of this is easy.  

The acoustic lens can actually help the tweeter extend a bit farthr down into the spectrum, but it is a really a dispersion altering dvice, not a spctrum altering device.  It can be scaled to fit any spectrum band you want (as in the BeoLab 5, which uss 2 lenses).  In the BeoLab 3, the crossover is at a typical frequency (ca. 3 kHz., as I recall), and there is a consequent dip below that which I hear and have to account for when I'm working.  

The brilliance of the BeoLab 3 lies in exending the low frequency response of the woofer through using passive side radiators with a different resonance than the driven front-firing woofer, thereby teasing almost an extra octave out of a tiny design.  I wish I'd thought of that!  

As for the other question on the thread about how to aim Acousic Lens speakers, the answer is, it doesn't matter much.  For years, I simply pointed them directly into the room, not at the listener.  I've also tried pointing them at each other, away from each other and other sillinesses.  

Right now, as part of retirement, I've re-invented stereo (for me) and have arranged my BL5s in a pentagonal array, aiming all five speakers at the listening position.  You can read about this at:

http://www.moultonlabs.com/more/happy_accident_a_better_way_to_play_back_stereo/

It works great!  I'm quite sure it would also work great with BL9s or 3s.  How good is it? One of my colleages auditioned his latest stereo release on it and said, "Ahhh.  This is why we do this work!"  

Thanks for listening.  

Alex wrote:

koning wrote:

Let's face it,most B&O buyers did't have the right placements.

i hope that AST would be standard in all beovisions.

AST won't make any difference with this particular issue (tonal balance) unfortunately....

I know...But you don't have a sweet spot in the 5.1 set-up