They plan on launching the new speakers in October, and dealers will get a first glance in Spain next week - after they have signed all the papers preventing them from talking about a product to be launched a few weeks later😁
I am still wondering why there are no details or rumors regarding the new audio system to be launched as well. More of a tablet-style than the current BS5... I can not be the only one with access to information from the dark side?
At the conference next week they will also show the new Playmaker with this button/wheel design, a much classier design than the current Tupperware version - and hopefully they will keep the current price tag.
The "new" BL8k is mentioned elsewhere, but: we all know how the current BL8k is placed on the stand, the new one looks like a lady's high heeled shoe - especially from the side. A very nice twist. The wood panels come in (at least) 3 shades, and are a very nice contrast to the shiny metal - they are spread out like a fan. This is possible as they have moved the treble part on top of the speaker in the form of an ALT-lens. This part will increase the temperature on this forum, and it will increase the performance of the speaker. This speaker will not outperform the BL9, but I guess it will outsell it by quite a large margin. A lot of us will just have to have a pair at home - this is a product to lust for. Finally.
The BL4k replacement is...different. They have an art-look that some will find avantgarde, others will simply dislike them. They will come with different "decor". The new sub (and, yes, the BL 8002, BL 2, 4k, 6002, BS 5e are all gone now) may not be available in October, but the version I saw looked like an ornament for the garden - sure, it was a prototype, but it still looked rather controversial. The next-gen BL5 is still under development, and a few have heard the prototype (Peter, too, if I understood his post correctly). This speaker can shift so much air that you will need a remote estate or bomb shelter to take advantage of the upgrade from the current BL5's.
The new "BV7" will also be shown next week at the conference. This is a far more interesting concept than the BV12-65 not-so-NG-really. The speaker that swings out under the tv and extends to both sides is a bit magical. The speaker is not as wide as the tv. Still waiting for updates on the launch calendar, but April, May and June are still the best tips (they will launch the smallest first, then followed by the mid-size and the 85" in June). Next spring we will also see the launch of the new link-tilt stand that can move the tv away from the wall as it turns. With the price of the current BV4-85/-103 lift-and-turn stand in mind, I do expect this to be a very expensive stand...
A 46" version of the V1 is not planned, but still wanted by all the Scandinavian dealers - so perhaps they will use the conference to tell the mngmt just what they want. And need. We need to keep the B1's alive!
The new (32p if I remember correctly) catalog will be out next month, too - with a plan to publish a new version twice a year. The new catalog will feature all the products to be launched this side of Xmas.
I have no need for the new "BL8k", but I just got to have a pair. I like that feeling - it's been a while since I last felt it :-)
Roger
