Beolab 18 vs Beoplay A9 vs Beosound 2

25 replies

Thanks for the advice! While I do agree that the BL18s are the most suitable for a hifi system, what I meant in my comparison - is to ignore the streaming capabilities as they would not be an influence on my decision. If I were to go with the A9 for example, I would definitely use the inbuilt streaming (ie Spotify Connect) and use the line-in for Vinyl and CDs.

The BL17s are looking more tempting now though :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv6hCSGv7T0

Even these B&O folks love the 17s over 18s. 🤩

I agree with Millemissen, why not look at older passive B&O speakers. Lots to be found at good prices.

You won't go better than the a9 for the money
Aussie Michael wrote:

You won't go better than the a9 for the money

That is very true. Plus an excellent choice of colours/fabrics/legs is available to customise it.
Duels wrote:

That is very true. Plus an excellent choice of colours/fabrics/legs is available to customise it.

Yep :-) don't I know it haha

Aussie Michael wrote:
You won't go better than the a9 for the money

Definitely.

It also depends on what you listen to. The BL18s will be ideal for classical music, jazz etc. For me, it's mostly electronic music and the A9 is ideal for this genre.

I just had a listen to the BL17s and am really impressed! My dealer also had the gloss white version and looked absolutely fantastic with black frets and end caps.

Yes they do look amazing in white with the black covers

moxxey wrote:

Definitely.

It also depends on what you listen to. The BL18s will be ideal for classical music, jazz etc. For me, it's mostly electronic music and the A9 is ideal for this genre.

What I've found with the BL18s is that they can be a little bass-light in their natural state. So I've played with the position switch such that the one in the corner is set to "wall" and the one against the wall is set to "free". For me this is no different from turning up the bass tone control. I'm sure this might horrify some folk but I'm also pretty sure Geoff Martin suggested trying it in one of his posts. It doesn't distort at all and simply provides really good strong punchy bass.

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