Hi,

There are probably as many opinions as there are people.

I had BL8000 (MK1) and I have BL3's.

The BL8000 MK2 have better bass and the BL8002 got class D ice power amps instead of the previous AB.

All speakers have ABL so the bass will roll off at very high volumes to avoid distortion and damaging the speakers.

They all have line in with auto trigger.

As you have a subwoofer and AVR I would choose based on esthetics. You will be pleased with any of the  speakers.

I favor the BL3s. If you favor the 8000 most people will recommend you to get the MK2 or the 8002 with Ice.

The mat black soft paint on the BL3s can get sticky. Consider to go for the later painted version.

Good luck

Yes of course. But always nice to get some input. 

That is some very encouraging feedback, exactly what I was looking for!

The BL3's are my preferred choice mainly because of the aesthetics and the smaller footprint. 

My main worry was that they would sound like tin cans in a cave since most people seems to use them as study room / near field listening speakers and rear speakers in a HT setup.

Noted about the paint differences. Is it only the mat black version? How about anthracite, red, white etc?

Thank you!

Beoworldsponsor Steve from Soundsheavenly has made a video of a comparison of the Beolab 3 and 8000

https://youtu.be/qcYi9wWQCvM

Hi,

Only the mat black rubber-paint has a tendency to become sticky. Mine are still fine though. All those with regular paint have no issues e.g. anthracite, blue, red, white...

Unfortunately that is not true - the grey/anthracite version suffers from the same condition as the black ones.

I owned Beolabs 8000 Mk1 and Mk2 and I currently have 4 Beolabs 3 combined with a Beolab 11 and two Beolabs 3 on floor stand in a stereo set up. I personally prefer the Beolabs 3, even in the stereo set up without the subwoofer. The sound stage, perhaps as a result of the acoustic lenses, is - in my opinion - much better than the Beolabs 8000. Perhaps the sound pressure level of the 8000's is a bit better.

Thanks!

Sorry, I haven't figured out how to quote multiple posts in this forum yet. Or edit an answer for that matter.

Thanks for the input on the colors and the youtube link and the experiences on BL3 vs BL8000. 

Is there a preferred "model year" to get for the BL3's?

I'm not seeing a lot of B&O options for center channel speakers, I guess due to B&O TV's acts as one.

Is there a passive speaker manufacturer that would somewhat timbre match the B&O's? 

[EDIT]

Found the edit button!