I miss David Lewis...

43 replies
I(
Offline
imac (archived2)
Bronze
Posted May 17, 2013 at 09:35 GMT
#1995178

I am really dissappointed with the newer designs of Bang&Olufsen and B&O Play.

I used to buy B&O for the design and also the quality. It was especially the design that first drew me to B&O, because it was so different to anything else. The last product I bought was a BV11, which was still inspired by BV10 and Davis Lewis. None of the newer products have really caught my attention. The new Beolab 14 is also a dissappointment to me. The materials used look very nice, but the overall design is just missing something. And I don't even want to start talking about the B&O Play range.

I used to be addicted to Bang&Olufsen, but with the current line up of new products, they are going to lose a fan and customer.:(

Just some of my thoughts...

 

 

T(
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Tonker (archived2)
Bronze
Posted May 17, 2013 at 09:55 GMT
#1995179
I think the problem is that we become accustomed or acclimatised to a Lewis inspired look or style, and the brutal truth is that now David is dead that the B&O style we have grown used to will inevitably change.

I see the introduction of and it's all relative I know, more affordable items like the Beoplay A8 and the Beolab 14 as a very positive step and of one back towards its roots. TVs costing 10-15 times the competition in this day and age is ridiculous, and frankly business suicide.

Having a surround sound system that is competitive in its price point to some of the very successful competition, whilst maintaining fantastic sound, materials and integration whilst maybe not your up of tea, will secure the future of a company that still has those TVs mentioned above.

The worlds changed, and B&O is responding accordingly.

Good health everyone.
Millemis
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Millemis
Bronze
Posted May 17, 2013 at 10:12 GMT
#1995180

Well said, Chris!

Greetings Millemissen

Location: Flensborg————Danmark

S(
Offline
soundproof (archived2)
Bronze
Posted May 17, 2013 at 10:20 GMT
#1995181

I miss Jacob Jensen.

M(
Offline
moxxey (archived2)
Bronze
Posted May 17, 2013 at 10:20 GMT
#1995182

Chris Townsend wrote:

The worlds changed, and B&O is responding accordingly.

Sadly, if anything the BL12 and BL14 are much more '90s' in design terms, for me. Lots of chrome. I don't want lots of chrome. I don't mind the slightly grainy chrome surround on my BV11, but that's as much shiny chrome I want in my home.

Even my dealer sounds like he's a bit embarrassed demonstrating the BL12's on floorstands - they just don't look right. I know there are people on here that love them, but they aren't for me.

I do like lots of recent stuff, such as the BV11, BL11, A8, A9, but many of these were sourced from the time David Lewis was designing the products.

J(
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jkhamler (archived2)
Bronze
Posted May 17, 2013 at 10:28 GMT
#1995183

I completely agree. Times change, design evolves. Easy to over-romanticise the past. I personally think the new products are fantastic and I think it's great how they are using a new generation of design talent. Red dot design awards (for the V1 and BeoLit 12) are surely testament to this.

I(
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imac (archived2)
Bronze
Posted May 17, 2013 at 10:34 GMT
#1995184

I also used to live in this past. And back then I was excited about new Bang&Olufsen products...

MI
Offline
mibook84
Bronze
Posted May 17, 2013 at 11:51 GMT
#1995185
For me it's mostly that I miss the clever design. A few years back everything from B&O was very cleverly engineered from a design standpoint. And the technical design was developed hand in hand with the design to solve different issues.

I can't say I see this in today's designs very much. To me they just look like they are designed to look a certain way, not to adapt or to make anything special.

I like a lot of the new designs but they are not smart in the way they where before.

One of the main reasons, of course, is that we don't use as much media in forms of cassettes, CDs etc. But take the BL8000 for example. It is supposed to look like an organ pipe. Most people would say impossible, but they solved it and they solved it very good. That is for me the smart and clever finesse that I miss.
DA
Offline
danezro
GoldFounder
Posted May 17, 2013 at 12:14 GMT
#1995186

I read a clever point in a post a long time ago discussing the need for mechanical movement in AV has massively diminished.  In a world of streaming and digital music there is far less physical media, hence no business sense in trying to accommodate it.

 

The mechanics is arguably one of the most beautiful features of a B&O product, if you think of a BS9000 or a BeoCenter 9500, they are a pleasure to your ears, eyes but also touch.  Currently the only mechanical movements I can think of is the motorised TV stands, the BV7 DVD/BR tray and aerial on the BS3.

Being fortunate to have just purchased a motorised wall bracket for my BV7 40  the TV now has massive wow factor, it is hard not to enjoy watching the smooth, silent and seamless movement as the TV moves into position – a real pleasure and a real B&O differentiator.

It seems that technology has a lot to answer for when it comes to the homogenised look of AV products these days, much harder to differentiate between brands. I don’t know what the answer is, that’s for the designers but I think the poster had an interesting point.

 

Location: London

O(
Offline
olvisab (archived2)
Bronze
Posted May 17, 2013 at 12:30 GMT
#1995187

danezro wrote:
Currently the only mechanical movements I can think of is the motorised TV stands, the BV7 DVD/BR tray and aerial on the BS3.

 

and the bs5 wheel !

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