Interesting thread Lee. For me, while I appreciate B&O Play the A1 is the only product that I intend to buy from the range as nothing else appeals to me either design or functionality wise. The V1 television I did think was interesting and I might have bought one as a second hand television but not as a main one. However, the BV6 was my second tv of choice in the past.

When I buy something, whatever product it is - B&O or otherwise - I always buy from a person who is happy to talk passionately about the products and spend time with me over several visits to their dealership. There are a small handful of main dealers in the UK who can meet my personal expectations and deliver and of course it would be inappropriate of me to name these here, but I am grateful to them for understanding what I believe to offer the right customer experience and approach. My specific point is that hard core sales (i.e. car dealership business models of selling) only deter me from ever buying a product and have the complete opposite effect. It is the build up to a purchase that is exciting and if the seller shares and encourages you on this journey with their own passion from the outset, that's the key. If I have this experience then I buy. If not, I will the type of person you mention that leaves the shop and searches elsewhere to buy, which may or may not be online. It's not about cost, it's about experience.

Online sites and wholesalers are littered with Play products yes and I guess this is helpful for brand awareness. How many of these people then go onto to buy other B&O products is difficult to measure but my feeling is probably not many. Inline with my comments above, I think B&O is a different type of brand with a different message and a different experience. They do not just sell products, they sell experiences. Many of us started with these experiences a long time ago and so the seed was sewn; passion and loyalty took root. I am not sure that a Play product can offer this type of experience - it is what it is and in my mind, just another product. Many of the Play speakers look the same to me.

Finally, I am not convinced that the Play range is as big as a cash cow as you suggest but if it is, then that is positive for the brand and my hope is that it will lead to further research and development to produce better products across the entire range that are as built solidly and behave reliably as those we have been used to from the 60s-90s. Cheers, Simon.

Looking at my B&O stuff I see: Everything is bought in a B&O shop just around two corners, except the BeoTalk 1200 which I ordered from another dealer by telephone (It was nearly sold out in Germany) and a Struer Design cabinet ordered from LifeStyle AV (Maybe you know this marvellous little company😕).

I am not too bothered about B&O stuff sold elsewhere as long as the dedicated B&O dealer gets a fair price from B&O.

Still yesterday I spotted a BeoLit 12 or 15 in a household which had a stereo and a TV not from B&O. Maybe a few years later this living room gets more B&O stuff, if the price gap between a BeoLab 18 and a S3 is bridged.

B&O ads and catalogues should show more installations by people with lower or middle income, but good taste.

At the attractive price point, I'm finding myself buying more than one of each BeoPlay item in different colors. I have 2x H8, 2x A1, 3x A3, and 1x BeoLit 15. It's nice to have the options of colors and strength of speakers at home to fit which car I'm driving, which outfit I'm wearing, etc. Also, I feel that the limited editions make these items coveted collectors items.

Correction: I have 3x A2 (not A3).

(I really do with that the site would fix the forum so that posts can be edited in Safari!)

Yes I am also a Safari user and wondered why I can't edit my posts. Thanks Jeff for pointing this out.  

The issue has been raised with 'Technical' - (aka Keith)

Lee

B&O is in a state of flux regarding dealerships and BeoPlay. The Play products are now appearing everywhere, and John Lewis now carry the whole range. 

People using a retailer for demonstrating a product and then buying elsewhere is nothing new. It goes back long before the internet when, for example, mail order camera dealers were putting local specialists out of business. The natural progression would now be for the likes of John Lewis to carry the whole range where there isn't a B&O dealership in a town.....very much like the situation of 30 or more years ago.

Graham

I purchased the Beolit 12 which didn't work very well because of the dropouts.  I ultimately used an ethernet connection for my Beolit 12.  I am either going to sell it or donate it to charity.  I absolutely don't like it.  I did buy a pair of H3s and H7s.  They work well and I like the design.  However after the Beolit 12 experience, I purchased the headphones on Amazon because of the easy money back guarantee.

My last B&O purchase was Beolab 9s.  I am very pleased.  However for the future,I am waiting to see what happens at B&O.  Because the are few B&O stores in North America, the future from my perspective does not look good.

My brother has driven Lexus for at least the last 10 years.  Its a terrific car for comfort and reliability. Some say the styling is too conservative but Lexus sales are better than the German brands in the US.  I have ordered a Tesla. 

Just a quick nit...Infiniti is Nissan, not Mazda. And over here I suspect a lot of the Play gear showing up at heavy discounts on eBay relates to a lot of former B&O shop owners who are now closed trying to recoup some of their losses.