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BeoLab 9's tend to eat tweeters, but in fairness that's a lot cheaper than replacing a chassis on a BeoLab 5.
As for as BeoLab 9's sounding 97% as good as BeoLab 5's. I'm afraid I will have to respectfully disagree. I'd say BeoLab 9 are about 40% as good as BeoLab 5's.
I still think Lab 5's are amazing speakers. Yes, they can go wrong - but I've not found them to be too bad over the years.
Lee
Probably just me, but I look at this like I would a pre-owned auto purchase.
Why are they selling? History and Records, please.
What could go wrong, how likely is it (anecdotal evidence is sketchy), and how much will that cost? It is happens to one, should I repair them both? Will your expectations outlive the parts supply chain? Can I accept all that should it happen?
What can I do to protect them? Hook them up to surge protector so spikes are minimised (known to break down circuits over time). Don't run them at "11". Buy where you have some purchase protection. Buy from a friend.
There is a reason resale pricing on luxury motors falls off the cliff and fancy jewelry does not, and electronics are more like cars than cars are.
But you can't beat the ride.
I’m sure they are more reliable than cars. And cars you service all the time.
Exactly! Why, last time my check engine light came on, they said no problem. They just removed and replaced the engine, transmission, and all suspension bits with a new chassis, and voila! I was on the road again!
Yes I had Beolab 9 and I dont like the sound. To sharp.BL5 is in another league!BeoLab 9's tend to eat tweeters, but in fairness that's a lot cheaper than replacing a chassis on a BeoLab 5. As for as BeoLab 9's sounding 97% as good as BeoLab 5's. I'm afraid I will have to respectfully disagree. I'd say BeoLab 9 are about 40% as good as BeoLab 5's. I still think Lab 5's are amazing speakers. Yes, they can go wrong - but I've not found them to be too bad over the years. Lee
I have a pair of Beolab 5 final editions, and have been using them daily for TV and music for the last 4 to 5 years.
They have been faultless connected to my Beosound Moment, and are still wonderful sounding. I highly recommend you consider buying a used pair! I used to have an audiophile setup with a bad case of upgraditis, but with the current beolab 5 setup, I’ve finally kept the same setup for more than 3 years and am just appreciating and enjoying the music.
p.s.: I’ve also bought cables from Steve :)
Some years ago I came across a technical article (that I can no longer find) claiming that the original BL5 microphone calibration had a notional life of about 200 uses, but that owners often liked to demonstrate the calibration to visitors to the extent that the mechanisms often suffered premature failure. Apparently B&O thought that calibration would only ever take place a handful of times.
Worst thing I ever did: calibrate the BL5. They were never the same again! When they first shipped they sounded fantastic, but as my (large) apartment has wooden flooring and sash windows, decided to calibrate after 2 months. It was almost as if someone removed the bass overnight. Incredible difference.
BL5s sound amazing when they aren't calibrated, but not sure I'd recommend them. I kept mine for 6 months, someone came along and offered a decent price and I had no hesitation selling them on. Great decision.
The idea of owning BL5 is more fantastical than actually using them. And unless you have a HUGE space and no neighbours, what's the point? I had enough complaints from my BL2.
Steve, my experience with B&O hardware that they produced for a long period is that they would fix the problem without advertising the fix. In my case, both my original BL6000 and BL8000 suffered from woofer surround failure within 4-5 years. I then ended up with newer versions of the same speakers and they have worked well for 10 years and I use them every single day at all volumes. They are better made. I am assuming that if the chassis failure was common in the first gen BL5, it is likely B&O fixed them to be more reliable.
In addition to the Beolabs above, I even went from a 1st gen H9 headphone to the current gen 3. There is no comparison, the 3rd gen is way better in every way.
If I were you, I’d buy a newer BL5 in a heart beat from a reliable source. My 2 cents worth 🙂
You could always do the cup trick when calibrating them🙂
You can also just reset the calibration to factory default and not use it... But the leds will blink all the time.
Or as I said in another thread, you can (actually, you should !) just add an external DSP for room correction (like there is in BL50 and BL90) and enjoy the best sound you can get from these absolutely amazing Beolab 5:
The beolab 50 has really good preset so you actually do not need the calibration. I’m told the 90’s don’t. I have the mic but doesn’t use it.You can also just reset the calibration to factory default and not use it... But the leds will blink all the time.Or as I said in another thread, you can (actually, you should !) just add an external DSP for room correction (like there is in BL50 and BL90) and enjoy the best sound you can get from these absolutely amazing Beolab 5: https://archivedforum2.beoworld.org/forums/p/41838/305548.aspx#305548
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