BeoLab 5 used or BeoLab 20 new?

24 replies

I would always go for 5's too, unless you're in the US/your dealer of tech is prohibitively far away. In that case I would have more ease of mind with the 20's. but that's the only reason, sound wise the 5's are superior by a fair margin.

With your last statement...are B5's high cost for spareparts because they brake???

No but yes, so possibly. We're talking about older speakers and depending on the year you get and how they've been used it could be so. but mostly that you don't get warranty(depending) and if something happens they are bloody heavy, 61 kg/134 lbs each. 20's are very easy to move compared.

in other words, it depends, new vs new (or refurb) then lab 5's all day long. I don't consider any real repair cost prohibitive for 5's unless you payed top dollar for a set, because you get so much value for money. But IF!! IF you need to do it and your dealer is very far away, it's a pain in the ass to get them there.

Thanks a lot for your reply Mikipidia and a very valid point...the B5's I have found are from 2009 but do not know the background. I buy from a dealer and will get 12 months warranty but it may be a bit of lottery but price is 7400 dollars which I guess is pretty fair...

12 month warranty is great, if anything pops up it’s usually in the first year of ownership. After that it’s just age and the price seems good to me 🙂

Are they mk1 or mk2’s?

🙂 how would I know if it is mk1 or 2's ?

Beolab 5 has more power obviously. But it is also much bigger. Most people who is not into B&O think the 5s look like spaceships and Beolab 20 just like more subtle speakers.

I also toyed with the idea and might change some day but I’m pretty happy with the 20s. They have wisa, toslink and line inputs (the wired ones can be used at the same time as the wired power link). Beolab 5 has a sp/dif input and power link but nothing else. And more or less requires more cabling.

There’s also a lot of issues with the Beolab 5s that means they might require a new chassis for a hefty sum in not too long.

If you can get them for a good price, has a good place to place them and really need the power then I think it’s a good idea but remember the potential risk. Enjoy whichever choice you make!

antwilas wrote:

🙂 how would I know if it is mk1 or 2's ?

 

Yeah how do I know if they are mk1 or mk2 ????

 

I’d go with a BL 20 because it has newer technology.

serial numbers mostly

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