Beobird,

I am not sure that the views of the audiophiles will be compatible with those in a "normal" electronics store and any answer that I give needs to separate those views. Let me take the audiophile view first;

Even the most avid B&O fanatic must acknowledge that design is part of the B&O brand. We users will acknowledge that but also say that its not all of the product. However we must know that a portion of what we pay goes to the brilliance of the design. Thus to an audiophile (who in the main has no interest in design except in respect of research for a better product) the B&O looks like poor value for money. Given the same amount of money they would argue that you could get better equipment (ignoring design) for the same money and thus B&O look like an inferior product. Logic really and its hard to argue with because we do place a value on design.

 
From the view of a salesman in a "normal store" there is nothing for him to gain by acknowledging the superiority of B&O. Price is their weapon providing a good product for a cheap price. The old 80:20 rule -- you can get 80% of the performance for 20% of the price. Again from that view B&O look likes an "inferior" product.

 
In the main I am delighted with the product even at the stupid prices we pay sometimes. My BC2300 looks as modern today as it did when I purchased it in the summer of 1999. The design is timeless! However there is a weakness when it comes to TV's (and I say this as someone who will shortly have 2 bv6-26). The present speed of the market is not one suited to B&O. They cannot keep up with some of the advances (either that or don't want too --digital TV's is classic example).

 
The lesson is that if you are happy don't worry about the rest. If the products were reviewed they would only (inevitably) come up with a poor value for money classification no matter what the technical rating was. Just enjoy!

It confuses me as well.  Price and  exclusivity are probably major factors.  B&O equipment, as we know all too well, is very, very expensive.  Most of the time in those Hi Fi forums, these people pride themselves on being able to build their systems from multiple components and have a high "tweakability" factor.  The whole concept of B&O, with its streamlined design, high cost, and limited ability to modify is alien to them.  I have seen glowing reviews of B&O products, though, from several sources.  What Sound and Vision magazine gave 5 stars to the Beolab 9's, and 4 stars (I have no idea why they deducted a star) to the Beolab 5's.  People who scoff at the sound quality of B&O, though, really don't know what they're talking about.  When first shopping for HiFi, I compared the Lab5s (which I own) to a system made up of B&W 800 speakers and McIntosh amps and CD player.  No difference in overall sound quality, better bass from the Lab5s, and better soundstage from the B&O system.  To top it off, the B&O system was actually cheaper.  Imagine that.

 The Pioneer salesman has a good point, though.  The B&O TVs are far too expensive and, for half the price, the Pioneers are every bit as good, if not better.  Don't get me wrong.  I think the B&O plasmas are gorgeous and among the best, but they cost far too much. 
 

I don't think we need to discuss the value B&O products have for us here on this forum. The only thing I want to add is this question: how many of the salesmen in an audiophile- or electronics-store have ever owned/ regularly used a B&O product and what is their judgment based on?

😕 

I have the same experience. Some people are very negative about B&O. I have excellent hearing and I like the sound I get from my B&O equipment. Same story with my eyes. They are very sensitive and they start to hurt after an hour or so looking at the lower quality screens. I literally get a headache from that kind of stuff. It is true that other manufacturers supply us with good sound and picture quality, but that's no reason to reject B&O.

Personally I have no problem at all with paying for the design and good materials. Design doesn't just happen, it's hard work. And I want to have pleasure from the objects in my house. That's exactly what I get with B&O even when the stuff is switched off. I can't think of any other manufacturer of AV equipment that can give me the same experience.

Even one of my friends, who is not that B&O minded can't keep his fingers of my BC 9300 in the livingroom and the Beo4 remote whenever he visits me. Even he gets pleasure from it...

It's human nature to be critical and to envy personal or commercial success. B&O is vulnerable to this simply because it is so good in so many areas. This has happened not by chance but by hard work over a long period of time with a talented and committed workforce throughout. B&O has a rich history and as such provides not just a product but an experience, and this is something competing manufacturers are unable to match. Not all of B&Os products hit the mark but those that do, really do. B&O has staying power.

There are many times I have heard people criticise B&O, both consumers and retail staff alike, but their comments just go over my head because as an owner and an enthusiast my own experiences completly contradict these comments. In terms of 'audiophiles' (I love this strange new edition to the English vocabulary) I fully agree with earlier comments that this crowd are not interested in the design but in the purest sound stage. Fine, and that being the case they should not even compare their kit to B&O as it is a completly different arena. The very fact that they do say's so much about the B&O product in the first place.

Simon.

Surely the bottom line is that whether it be in the audio,or video,arena,a B & O product should not be inferior in performance to comparably priced products.

To say that there are no aesthetically pleasing,well built audio/visual products from other manufacturers is somewhat shortsighted.

One can be an "audiophile",and be interested in aethestic design.

The "hairshirt,cottage industry styled" audio brigade died in the 1970/80s