Welcome to B&O!

I think that loudspeakers are an excellent introduction to the brand.  Which ones you choose depends on your room and the kind of music you listen to (in addition, of course, to your budget.) 

Sounds like you do a lot of listening from your computer.  The BeoLab 3s, as several folks have suggested already, are strong choices for computer music, due to their compact size.  I disagree, however, about them being good for the electronica music genre in general.  Lab 3s can be rather bottom-heavy, by which I mean the bass easily overpowers the midrange, making it sound boomy on music that has a lot of bass in the mix.  (Using MP3s as your sound source only makes this effect worse; one of the many tragic casualties of file compression is the focus in the bass.)  I think jazz and mainstream pop are good examples of music that fit better with BL3s, because the bass is definitely vital, but it isn't usually "cranked up," like in hip-hop or electronica, etc. 

I find that the BeoLab 6000s have a similar tone texture to the BeoLab 3s when it comes to the boominess I've been talking about, but they are not quite as bad.  Ironically, I like bass-heavy music on the 6000s.  They would be good in a medium-sized rectangular room, like an office or dining room, as their sound is tight, focused, deep, and clear. My opinion would be to avoid these with ambient or classical music where reverb and a sense of space are important.  But again, it really depends also how they interact with your room. (And again, MP3 compression doesn't handle reverb very well...)

The 8000s might be better in large and/or odd-shaped rooms, as they have a more open and spacious sound than the 6000s.  They are also spectacularly balanced throughout the sound spectrum.

Someone suggested the Lab 4000s, and really, those are excellent.  They have surprising range and power for their size, and they magically seem to sound good in almost any environment, placement, or musical flavor.  I think they are the most flexible and adaptable of the current speaker range!

As far as BeoPort, I can't advise much. The only person I know who owns one is running it off a Mac and has problems with a lot of the features.  I understand BeoPort is a bit happier with a PC, but you know, as fast as operating systems and other computer specs change these days, who knows what to expect!   If you're wanting to pipe music to other rooms in the home, the more traditional players seem to be more reliable with link kits/MasterLink, but since most of your music is on your computer, BeoPort might be your only option. 

If the salesperson at your local shop is any good, s/he should be able to help you narrow down your choices and give you great tips based on your needs.  You should also ask for an in-home demo.

My 2 cents!

Aj

 

I disagree! I think you'll probably find that when set up correctly, BeoLab 3s offer very generous amounts of bass, but not too much! I generally tend to prefer a slightly bass-light sound, and BeoLab 3s are to my ears, very good speakers. I tend to find that with 8000s, double basses can turn into bass guitars quite easily, and the bass sounds 'bloated'.

BeoLab 6000s, while great speakers considering their size, I tend to find their low frequencies 'flat' and dull. The bass seems to flap around behind the other frequencies, and sounds quite vague and 'closed in', as do the mid-frequencies. With electronica music, the precise computer-controlled timing of breaks and basslines tends to bring out any timing issues with speakers, and this can be heard with BL6000s. Give Leftfield's 'Dusted' a spin on correctly set up 6000s, and 3s to see what I mean. BeoLab 3s can sound very 'bloated' easily, but I feel if you set them to the 'corner' setting, they produce a generous amount of bass, while not sounding overpowering and remaining detailed and in control up to a relatively high volume. They can struggle keeping in control when playing very loud though, so that's one to watch.

Thanks the advice here has been really useful, I am thinking about picking up a pair of 6000 to start with.  Then I will wait until my Christmas bonus comes in and pick up a pair of 8000 and use those as fronts and the 6000s as rears.

 I've decided not to get a B&O LCD but rather a Samsung screen and a PS3 to play Blu-Ray disks, is it possible to hook these things up to get a surround sound setup without a B&O screen?

Thanks again for your help!!
 

MachTzu,

Before you buy the PS3 do see the following product:

LG  BH100 (High Definition Player)

Since there are two high definition formats, with this player you can read Blu Ray and HD-DVD format.

After reading the specifications at the Samsung site i think you can connect the B&O loudspeakers to the audio in L+R, please do ask your local dealer for the appropriate cables to accomplish this.

Surround Sound (5.1) needs

- AV Reciever/Dolby Decoder (e.g. Beosystem 3 or a module included in the older B&O CRT TVs)

- 5 Speakers (2 Front, 1 Center, 2 Back)     (B&O CRT TVs function as Center)

- 1 Subwoofer (not always necessary, but then it is actually 5.0 sound ;-) )

So you will at least want to have a Center Speaker... If you don't buy B&O AV Receiver you could plug-in any Speaker as Center, but you will need converter plugs to get the Beolab 6000 running - and the receiver has to be able to power on the B&O Speakers (pre-out because of the amplifier of the speakers, I assume).

Best regards

Ralf

PS: See my setup, I was wondering about alternative non B&O Screen, I did some "Excel" on this, so if you mail me, I can give you details.

If you want to use a non B&O subwoofer take a look at:

Bowers & Wilkins PV1
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=1187&sc=ht