@AnalogPlanet: Thanks. Good to hear. What happens with the TV screen when you slect an TuneIn shortcut? Do you hear the radio station from the Stage without the screen turning on (burn in risk on oleds)

tuttivini wrote:

At this point I'm thinking of selling the Beolab 7.1 and buying a Beolab Stage or Sonos ARC.

My reply is quite simple: I would go for B&O because we should not encourage a company that doesn't respect privacy:

Opinion1: If you get a Sonos Arc, you must also get a Sonos Sub.   At 75% movies (unless they are 100% chick-flicks [humor alert]) you will regret not having the bass. That granted, I believe Arc+Sub combination plus (cheap!) surrounds will give a way more immersive performance than a Stage, especially if you TruePlay the Sonos to correct for the placement of the Sub in your room. At only 25% music, it doesn't matter that the Arc may sound slightly less frequency-balanced (even with TruePlay) than the Stage, for 2-channel stereo music.

Opinion2: Your photos are slick! They show that you clearly care a great deal about the way your system looks, and have spent time rather than money (i.e. sourced older speakers, bought LG screen, custom wall) to get there. So putting a plastic tube on your wall is a big step down, no matter how carefully its 76,000 holes are drilled. But a Stage is also mismatched with the set / wall / niche widths, though not quite as declasse as the tube. But the Arc has nicer geometry, in the abstract, than the Shape, with its chunky, offset, back-box.  So what to do... Why not get an AVR pre-amp (mentioned in other threads here, maybe Canton? Marantz is available but big and expensive.) and keep your existing speakers, then maybe add BeoLab 3's for surrounds when you get the chance? Yes, hiding an AVR in your beautiful tableau might be troublesome, and running wires to surrounds makes the Sonos look... more appealing again.

Opinion3: If you get the Sonos Arc, also buy their wall mounting bracket if you are going to wall-mount it -- even though you built your own bracket for the BeoLab 7-1.  Turns out it has magnets in it to flip a switch for frequency response changes.  Or maybe you *don't* want the auto EQ?  See Peter Pee's videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqKcL_qmAck , et. seq.) for details.

P.S. Please take the time to shoot another photo after you upgrade! Really look forward to seeing your result...

tuttivini wrote:

What happens with the TV screen when you slect an TuneIn shortcut? Do you hear the radio station from the Stage without the screen turning on (burn in risk on oleds)

Exactly! When I select TuneIn as a preset, the screen does not turn on. And vice versa, if I was watching TV and then press the TuneIn preset the screen shuts down and only music plays.

Sibbi wrote:

In my opinion the Stage has a better overall sound than the Sonos arc and a lot better base. That does not change the fact that the Arc is also a very good soundbar and if I had space for rear speakers and a Sub I would seriously consider it. I use Sonos one speakers in other rooms and I really like them.

Thanks for all (@Millemissen @Sibbi @AnalogPlanet @jevezina @trackbeo @PaulGiles @your answers and opinions! Very usefull 👍

@trackbeo Thanks for the compliments about my photos/self made wall. You are correct about the 'geometry'. Everything I'm going to add or remove is a change of looking like a 'mismatch'.
The Beolab 8000's play a leading role in the design....

I removed the 8000's last weekend to judge the new look. I can't get used to it. 
The 800's need to stay. If only for looks...

Maybe a soundbar for tv/movies. So I get better dialogs, more rumble (a model with a wireless subwoofer or a model that can produce quite some bass on its own, like the stage), more surround feeling, etc.

And use the 8000's (coupled with a nice dac/streamer, something better than my current B&O Playmaker) for music listening?
Guess the Stage isn't going to sound better with stereo-music on it's own?

About your suggestion to use a AVR-Preamp?
Curious how this would sound with the 7.1 as dedicted centre channel and 8000's are left and right (compared to a good soundbar).
Most models, which have 3.0 rca pre-outs (or 5.1 if I want to add rear speakers and sub in future) are to big to place underneath the shelf.
Maybe the new Canton Smart Connect 5.1 all in one wireless AV-preamplifer is an option.
Or the already mentioned Almando Multi surround...

I tried a Marantz NR AV-receiver in the past with my former Philips TV (see photo below, click to enlarge), floating underneath the shelf with self made brackets.
Worked great and looked nice, but the NR models only have 2.0 preamp RCA outputs.
If I want 3.0/5.1, the Marantz/Denon/Yamaha/etc. AV receivers (with built-in power amplifiers that are unnecessary for me) the form factor gets too large).

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