petermc wrote:

We don't feel that the sound is 'restricted' or that the speakers are too large for the room. Yes they are too 'big" for the room when the sound is really pumped up but that scenario is rare at our place.

Depends if you believe they dominate the room or not - they aren't small! Some people like their gadgets to take centre stage, other users prefer them to be more subtly arranged. Buy any magazine on cool homes and you rarely see any electronic gadgets dominating the room. That's the only downside with the BL5s. They are big, heavy and stand out. If you like that, of course you won't feel they dominate - that's what you are looking for. For many B&O owners, who prefer that their TV is a work of art or products compliment their room, the BL5s can dominate everything in the room. And then some.

petermc wrote:

Where is Australia are you located?

We're in Melbourne. Spoken to the dealers in Richmond and they're not very helpful re a home demo.

Dealers in Richmond??  I went in there the other day to buy something, there was one staff member with another customer, and they didn't even acknowledge my presence or excuse themselves and say something like "i'll be with you as soon as I can, we're understaffed today".  I waited half an hour before I cracked it and said you get better customer service at the local discount shop.  Absolutely pathetic.  Worse customer service I have experienced in my life.  I went to write an email of complaint and it turns out the Richmond store is head office for Australia.  What a joke for a retailer on the higher end of the market.  It's just basic common courtesy.  The guy should be selling $20 stereos in Kmart or wiping bottoms in a nursing home.  All the other stores have had great service.  For all of you in Melbourne, Kim in Camberwell is the best.

I recently relocated from Sydney to Paris, for work. rather than risk shipping my Beosound 4 and Beolab 3s, I bought a beosound 5 and spent about 4 months gradually transferring over 1,000 CDs to the Beomaster hard drive. I hand carried this - and found it was of above average interest to airport security - and it arrived in paris safely. I then went to the B&O store on the Champs elysees with the intention of buying a pair of Beolab 5s. I was more than impressed that the salesman asked me what sort of place I lived in, and when I replied on the 3rd floor of a classic old apartment building, he told me to get the (cheaper) Belab 9s, on the basis that they had the same sound, but would not drive my neighbours above and below nuts. I followed his advice, and they sound terrific.

The only problem I have encountered is that a couple of times I have woken the Beosound 5 up, but it has not in turn woken up the speakers. Eventually, after rebooting a couple of times the system has started working. i don't think it coincided with a software update, and have yet to speak to the dealer, but wonder if anyone else has had this problem.