Beolab Penta Mk1 Mk2 Mk3. Why do you love them so much? Please share! Tell your story.

87 replies
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Hello Fellow Penta lovers and owners,

 

I am one of the apparently lucky people who own a pair of Beolab-Pentas Mk3. I would love to put up photos but I have no idea how to do it.

This is my second pair of Pentas.

 

There are so much talk about the Beolab Pentas, good talk that is!

I actually never think I heard anyone say anything bad about them in general. 

 

All you members here with a BL-Penta setup;

Why do you like(love) them?

Why do you keep them?

Why did you buy them? (New when they came or second hand in recent years)

What would you get instead if you got rid of them for something else?

What is your story behind your BL-Penta passion/interest/appreciation?

Have you sold them, regretted it and bought them again? (like I did)

 

It seems to me like the Beolab Pentas are some kind of holy grail of B&O.

I read now and then, how some people in different forums, goes completely bonkers and bananaz when they see a pair of nice BL-Pentas for sale on the Bay or another similar place.

Why is this?

 

 

I will share my story.

 

I remembered when I was around middle teens, we made some partys at a friends house.

Her father had B&O throughout the entire house, and in the livingroom was the complete surround setup with BL-Pentas. Front and back.

We blasted the music on ear bending levels and I just thought that, wow these are some cool speakers!

 

I never gave the Pentas so much more thought after these couple of party events, they were just a part of a brand I already new about and loved.

 

Some years passed and I bought my first setup which was the Beocenter 2300 together with the Beovox CX100 and the Cona. Loved it!

Sold the CX100 and the Cona after a year or two (which I of course regret now), but I have kept the BC-2300 since then. Still going strong with that one!

The Beolab-8000 has always been there as well, lurking as the most beautiful speaker ever made in my opinion.

Then I fell in love with the Beolab-1. The powerhouse of minimalistic design! Another mind-blowing bullseye in design history.

 

I had a couple of weak years with Bose in my life. The stereo system with the jewel cubes, all in white.

Don't get me wrong, Bose has some good things to them. Incredibly discreet, a sub that is incredible for movies. But thats about it, a powerful sub and speakers you can't see. And honestly, not really hear either. Because they seem to cut out the entire midrange....

But I lived happy with my jewel cubes which I actually used together with my BC-2300. I had a special cable for controlling the on/off to the sub.

Stopped use that Bose system a long time ago, still have it though. Collecting dust in a box.

 

Then one day I saw an add for the BL-Pentas in an Ebay similar website. They were a "bit" beaten up, rather much actually. The metal details... Well it did not look so good. Two of the small black feets missing, replaced by screws. A little damaged in the fabric as well.

But sound wise, they were perfect! The woofers, mids and treble, everything in that part was top box The rubber was perfect. Amplifiers as well. 

So I went and bought them. Came home. Almost broke my back getting them up to the second floor...

Connected them to the BC2300, which in turn was connected to my Samsung Smart Tv, started Spotify and put on some of my favourite old school techno.......

And the memories just flooded me!!! Nostalgia galore....

I had totally forgotten the power in them, the smoothness, and just the life they put in the sound!

I enjoyed them for some time. but one of the amplifiers started to act up a bit, and they did look like they had fallen down the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.

So I sold them. Thought that, well I got my nostalgic trip, now its time for something else.

 

I went back to the Bose 3.2.1 system for a while. Same thing there as before. amazing power in the sub, but no control and no capability of delivering voices, so for use with movies, eh nope, not so good...

 

So I got the Beovision7-32 with the Beolab7.1

And dear good that speaker is nice! I absolutely love it! It plays loud and with power! It does not rumble like the Bose or a B&O subwoofer, but it is really tight and in my opinion perfect for my kind of music. (minimal, techno and jazz. yes I know It is a weird combo). And even though it is not a subwoofer ambience to the

BL-7.1, it god damn it, delivers some kicking bass!

I used the tv and just the BL7.1 for quite some time, and I threw out the Bose as soon as the BL7.1 got in.

 

So the Beolab7.1 is now my current "center" speaker.

Because.... I recently bought the Beolab-Pentas again...!

I missed them so much and I got a deal I could not refuse.

They are like out of the box in the condition!!! The only bad thing is that at least one mid needs re-foaming. But they still play just as amazing as ever. It is just when I max them that I hear that it starts to dist a little from the left speaker.

But the visual condition is mint. It is like they have been standing inside the boxes.... I don't understand it.

As mentioned earlier, I would love to post pics if someone could be kind enough to tell me how to.

 

Some time after that i got myself a pair of BL8000s as well. Currently positioned as rears, but since I never cared about surround sound, I am thinking about moving them to the bedroom together with the BC2300, though I do think they need a subwoofer, because they are really thin in the sound. The BL2 wold probably be overkill to have for a bedroom tv and nightly movie watching in the bed. So I am thinking about combining the BL8000 with the BL11.

 

And as you can read in one of my other threads, I have been thinking about selling the Pentas again, to upgrade to something more modern.

But honestly, after taking the time to write this, and "go through memory lane", I am not so sure that I should sell them again.

 

Well thats my Story about my Pentas!

They have been in my life on and of since my teens.

 

Whats your story?

Pictures of your Penta setup?

 

I have had Pentas since being badly burgled and losing my S75s. I made a bargain with my dealer that if he found a Beosystem 7000, I would buy Pentas. He did, so I did!

System has gradually changed over the years - at present a Beocenter 2 and an old Avant DVD with Penta 3s , Beolab 2 and Beolab 4000s at the rear. Pentas offer great sound, especially when you sit down but to be fair, lack some of the top end detail of say 8000s. The bass is also a bit one note but is improved by the Beolab 2. (Not for music though). Not as good at bass as my M100s. But a very easy to listen to and powerful speaker. Better balanced in my view than any B&O powered speaker other than the Beolab 5. Not planning to change them!

My B&O Icons:

BeoCenter-9500.png BeoCenter-9500.png
Beoremote-Beo4.png Beoremote-Beo4.png
Beovox.png Beovox.png
Beovision-11.png Beovision-11.png
Beotime.png Beotime.png
Beosound-Stage.png Beosound-Stage.png
Beosound-Moment.png Beosound-Moment.png
Beosound-5.png Beosound-5.png
Beosound-2.png Beosound-2.png
Beoremote-One.png Beoremote-One.png
Beoplay-Portal.png Beoplay-Portal.png
Beoplay-Earset.png Beoplay-Earset.png
Beomaster.png Beomaster.png
Beolit.png Beolit.png
Beogram-400x.png Beogram-400x.png
Beocenter-2.png Beocenter-2.png

Hey Peter,

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer :)

 

Love the Beocenter-2!

Actually looking for one, but have not found any for a good price yet.

Cool as well that you still are going strong with the Avant. What colour?

 

I really hate that they only have a digital signal in the antenna cable here in the area where I live.

I do not see the point of not  keeping the old analouge signal and just adding the digital to it. But for some reason, they decided to just cut it.

I first noticed this when I bought my BV6-22 some time ago, came home and connected the cable... Searched for channels.... Nothing.

Then I found out that of course, its an old tv that dont support digital signal, and that they totally had cut the analouge one.

The other tvs I used the last years are Smart TVs (Samsung and such) so never thought any of it. But hey, cést la vie!

 

So you actually have a BL2 together with the Pentas? But this is for movies only then? I would imagine it to be to much using a BL2 for music?

Well, I listen a lot to electronic music, so I can imagine some styles of music that would get a good kick of that intense combination though.

I think I am probably lucky with the acoustics in my livingroom becuase I get huge ammounts of bass from the Pentas. It so much that I now this morning decided to set the subfilter to the minimal level. And to me, they sound much more leveled now.

As well, as always when you are walking around, its different ammounts depending on were you are, And I have the perfect superdeep sublevel sweetspot right at two places.  Namely, exactly were I have my two sofas. So yeah, kinda lucky there for movie watching :D

 

I use the BV7 as the mediacentre so I complement the pentas with the BL7.1, and I agree with you, without that, they do tend to "fall off" a bit in the higher notes.

I would absolutely need a sub though for my 8000s if I am moving them to the bedroom as tv speakers there.

Hallo Thefutureofmusic

My third set BeoVox Penta since 1987. Still good sound. Just using 2 x 500 watt ICEpower.


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Peter Pan forgot to mention, that he also has a subwoofer running with the Penta's.

MM

Location: Flensborg————Danmark

Millemissen

I know you love them, but yes they are supleret with a subwoofer.

I own Beolab 3s with 11, Beolab 8000, 6000, 4000, 5000 and Pentas. To my ears Pentas deliver best sound hands down and look great. 5000s are quite a surprise though and also sound astonishingly good. 6000s and 4000s are rear speakers and 8000s and 3s lack bass.

I think a good pair of Beolab Pentas - in particular for the price they go for - is hard to beat. Great speaker. Would be interested in how a recapped and like new pair of Pentas compares to the Beolab 9.

Greetings,

Kai

Blue Avant - It sometimes changes places with a Beovision 5. I mainly use the BC2 as a DVD player - the DVD in the Avant is on the blink! Therefore the BL2 is in constant use. I have the BM4401 and BG4001 at the other end of the room with M100s.

My B&O Icons:

BeoCenter-9500.png BeoCenter-9500.png
Beoremote-Beo4.png Beoremote-Beo4.png
Beovox.png Beovox.png
Beovision-11.png Beovision-11.png
Beotime.png Beotime.png
Beosound-Stage.png Beosound-Stage.png
Beosound-Moment.png Beosound-Moment.png
Beosound-5.png Beosound-5.png
Beosound-2.png Beosound-2.png
Beoremote-One.png Beoremote-One.png
Beoplay-Portal.png Beoplay-Portal.png
Beoplay-Earset.png Beoplay-Earset.png
Beomaster.png Beomaster.png
Beolit.png Beolit.png
Beogram-400x.png Beogram-400x.png
Beocenter-2.png Beocenter-2.png

Hey Peter,

Wow you use the separate ICE amplifiers for the BV-Pentas! With so much more power... How much difference would you say it is?

I could easy go without the display and go for a set like that!

 

Why three sets? You sold them three times because you wanted to change, and then just missed them every time? Or because you have upgraded and changed parts etc?

Hey again Millemissen,

 

I love subs in general, and I listen to some of that music that really goes well with that kind of power, But I just feel that I sub would risk being to much in my livingroom setup. Of course, if I get one, I would probably be the opposite and be like; how could I do ok without this!

 

Many years ago I bought the subwoofer Sunfire True Subwoofer 12 inch. It was when it was new and just recently out on the market and Bob Carver was considered to be like the Gandalf of bass :D

I assume that most of the people here knows about it.

It is a monster. Like a true f*&€(ng Godzilla. I had to turn it down to the absolute minimum and it was still so extremely much that the doors, windows and everything rattled. I had a small apartment at that time so it was not so good. Luckily I bought it secondhand from a friend, and he took it back since it was no point for me to use it.

Talking about subs, thats just a fun little extra story. But yeah, thats the most fearsome I ever dealt with when it comes to the subdivision....

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