They don't even seem to know their own products or history anymore either!

It's a shame as when I was in London for the Avant 55" launch, I spoke with several of the B&O employees/representatives there and they were all knowledgable about the vintage stuff and had a good recollection of classic systems and products.

Someone will get a kick up the backside but they'll justify it with a statement that the Ouverture was a stand alone product and not part of a 'system' that could be wall mounted vertically.

Dave.

Sometimes it is even difficult to know the current product line.

A few weeks ago I walked into a B&O shop after requesting a Beosystem 4 demo on the shop's website. The owner of the webshop greeted me as I entered the shop. I told him that I was here for a Beosystem 4 demo. He replied Beosystem 4...? What is Beosystem 4 - We do not sell anything called Beosystem 4. I tried again, yes you do. Beosystem 4 the stand alone box containing Beosystem 4. Then I asked for the person I had been communicating with and got the demo...

 

kimchr wrote:

Sometimes it is even difficult to know the current product line.

A few weeks ago I walked into a B&O shop after requesting a Beosystem 4 demo on the shop's website. The owner of the webshop greeted me as I entered the shop. I told him that I was here for a Beosystem 4 demo. He replied Beosystem 4...? What is Beosystem 4 - We do not sell anything called Beosystem 4. I tried again, yes you do. Beosystem 4 the stand alone box containing Beosystem 4. Then I asked for the person I had been communicating with and got the demo...

 

Considering the ever reducing range of products that's hard to believe - but then again, some dealers just don't seem interested.  Very sad.

Dave.

@Dave

One should really try to compare.

I remember times, when there were one tv (MX) in three sizes - the 6000, the 4000 and the 4002.

And then the range of audiosystems: the 23/2500, the 4500, the 9500, the 7000.

And certainly not as many loudspeakers as of today - well maybe, if you count in the old passives.

I don't see a 'reduced range of products'.

I see times and needs changing - who would buy audiosystems like those today?

Streaming over internet and in our homes has changed much.

And we have more tv's to choose amongst - those tv's include audiostreaming directly (and radio), and they can easily be accompanied by sources like the AppleTV for AirPlaying etc.

 

Maybe what you are trying to say is, that they don't make the products you like (anymore)?

 

That said - I (too) think that a dealer should know the heritage of the company, he is working for!

 

MM

MM, I take your point but no more phones, only inbuilt DVD players and only digital media audio devices.  CD's aren't dead yet, neither is vinyl.  I think if B&O offered audiosystems as in the past there would still be a market for them but it wouldn't be worth their investment in a lower volume 'niche' market.

They do make products I like - I have my H6 and other new headphones, Playmaker, BV7_55, BC2 etc, etc.

Agree wholeheartedly about knowing the heritage.  The dealers should also know about the current products as highlighted again today by a dealer not knowing what a Beosystem 4 was!

Dave.

I (still) have and occationary use my CD player (the BG CD4500) and I would not sell it.

I have a lot of CD's, have/had started ripping them - but (by far) didn't get all of them done.

BUT, since I  began using services like Spotify and WiMP/Tidal Hifi, that is what I do, when listening to music. I even more and more tend to listen to an album, which I know I have as a CD, online instead.

I am rather certain, that if I had to start all over again (with B&O gear), I would not go for a CD player!

I do have a (puc-controlled) Blu Ray player, which could be used for playing CD's, if necessary.

I don't expect products like the audiosystems in the past to ever come again.

By the way - the only excuse for not knowing, what a BeoSystem4 is, is that this question is one of those, which are very seldom asked. The dealer might have gotten confused with this question. Good that his colleague knew better! Never the less - which dealer has a 'standalone' BSys4 in the shop ready to do a demo of it. I don't know of any?

MM

To go back to the original post, I'm not even sure Nick (Jarman) is absolutely right about this.

It depends what you mean by 'player' but I'm sure that fairly early on in the development of CD players, Hitachi produced a CD deck (player) with a vertical, front loading mechanism. This would have been mid/late 1983.

Cleve

Cleviebaby wrote:

It depends what you mean by 'player' but I'm sure that fairly early on in the development of CD players, Hitachi produced a CD deck (player) with a vertical, front loading mechanism. This would have been mid/late 1983.

Yes they did (and some other manufacturer as well, I think) - but the player wasn't vertical. It was a (huge) normal box that loaded the disc vertically, akin to a typical cassette deck of the time. Semantics, I know 😁

I agree Mika, it is semantics. As I said, it depends what you mean by 'player'.

As for originality, no-one could argue about that. When the Beosystem 2500 appeared I was so impressed with the thinking behind the design, I bought one - and I still have it! 23 years old and still working well.

Cleve