I've been on a strange ride lately, and now I'm enjoying the first day of Beolab 17 ownership.
Huge thank you to forum member Curly for connecting me with a dealer that somehow had a pair still available for sale, and more incredibly - for an absolutely fantastic price.
After recently switching from a pair of Beosound Balance to an A9, and now grabbing the 17, I'm in a unique position to compare all 3 side by side (OK, not literally in the case of the Balance, but my memory is good enough to make broad, sweeping generalizations).
Considering these are my first Beolabs, I moved up into the big leagues with high expectations. Wow, did these little speakers ever deliver. My mind is blown by what Geoff and his team can accomplish. I know the 17 has always gotten plenty of love here on the forum, but they received almost no press coverage during their time on sale, and what a shame that is.
These speakers can absolutely compete with any bookshelf anywhere near their price. When "proper" audiophiles dismiss B&O, and we all know they do, I'm confident those traditionalist types have never auditioned this remarkable speaker.
As for how it compares with the other B&O speakers I have now and have had recently, well it demolishes the A9, which should be expected considering its price but... the A9 is considered a masterpiece by so many (I love it too, that's why I have one), I was genuinely surprised by just how much better the 17 is. I expected the stereo separation and other obvious things that come naturally to 2 speakers competing with 1, but the bass response simply shouldn't be better on these speakers compared to the A9. All the laws of physics have been broken and no longer apply.
B&O seriously - why did you discontinue these things? They're so, so damn good.
Back on topic, compared to the Balance it's a really fair fight. They're about the same price per pair (at least when the 17 was still available) and the specs are quite close, with the Balance's bass response reaching a bit lower, according to B&O's measurements. It should have had much better bass, but that's not my recollection. While perhaps it goes go deeper, I'm not so sure in room it actually has more impact, and it's also not nearly as controlled. The Balance lacks the cohesion of the 17, the sonorous midrange and precise vocals, and the 17's treble is far more lifelike.
I would never tell someone who prefers a Balance that they'd be wrong for that selection, but to my ears the 17 are the winner in all facets. Now, I should add that I have no interest in some of the "cool" features the Balance has - directing sound left/right, omni mode, and GVA features. The latter I actively don't want, the rest I would never use. I wanted amazing stereo and I got it.
Thank you again Curly. My stereo quest is finally over.
Now I just need to pick a color for new grilles. I have the silver/white and I'm definitely going to order either black or blue. Decisions, decisions.
