Is buying B&O today a sound investment?

51 replies
BE
Beofile7
Bronze
302 posts
Posted December 28, 2018 at 15:54 GMT
#2116417

As a middle aged man today I am looking at how much I have spent over the years with Mr. B&O...

I first got into the marche in the 1970's and today wish I had bought a Beogram 4000 when I had the chance at around £200 new! But I didn't. I went Technics instead!

But over many yearsI have gone back to B&O again and again. Some Products I can be very happy with, others not so much.

But then I look at the situation today.. In the 1980's a decent B&O TV or sound system was 2-3 times the equivalent mass produced Japanese product. Today it is 10-20 times more! This is becoming really hard to justify?

TV's costing £12k? When mainstream TV's are the cheapest they have ever been? Speakers costing 5,10,30,60 grand?? 

I am saying this as an owner of some of their most expensive equipment. But I can't help but question my investment in their products? I will always love the build quality but sometimes I hate the sound quality! I just know I can get 10x better elsewhere. But where? There are no HiFi shops anymore? We all want cheap Spotify and other streaming convenience music right? All those amazing HiFi shops in Tottenham Court Road have now been replaced with corner shop electronics. 

So I guess the question is.... would you blow another huge amount on Beolab 50's when there is a love/hate relationship with this company?

Leosgonewild
Leosgonewild
Bronze
2612 posts
Posted December 28, 2018 at 17:20 GMT
#2116418
For audio, B&O is nice.

For video, go elsewhere.
P(
Puncher (archived2)
Bronze
2171 posts
Posted December 28, 2018 at 18:36 GMT
#2116419

Do not pay large sums of money only to do beta testing for the company - unless all features are in place and can be demonstrated to operate over a reasonable period of time without issue then sit back and read about other folk' s problems here!

SA
Sandyb
Bronze
2575 posts
Posted December 28, 2018 at 18:48 GMT
#2116420
Not sure if it's quite as simple as that, though I understand the nature of the question.

They still make nicer looking speakers than most of the competition, be that smaller portable units, BeoSound products, or higher end Beolab speakers.

And most sound pretty damn good - the 50's are incredible, it made no sense to me how good they sounded.

And in the more modern streaming speaker one point systems, while they're all limited (even an A9), the competition is underwhelming. The Naim Muso is OK for 800 pounds, but it's nothing special, so the A9 at double the amount is not stretching the value proposition too much.

The main change is that the architecture linking all this stuff will likely migrate away from B&O to other protocols.

I agree that the BV side was once a good center point for everything to tie together, but other protocols mean that a BV may not be necessary going forward. Is that a bad thing?

Perhaps not necessarily - as long as a future B&O hub can serve to integrate a 3rd party TV with a bunch of B&O speakers, then you still get the aesthetics and sound of B&O, plus the flexibility to chose whichever screen you want. That's not a terrible outcome, especially if it means saving money on the TV side.

Whether that hub is a hub alone or a sound bar / hub combined is important, and what type of control interface comes with it also matters.

Until we have more clarity on this, it's tough to invest deeper into B&O architecture - with that I agree.

I certainly hope they get it right - agree that spending 7-10k on a TV seems silly now. A 3-4k sound center / hub supplemented by an OLED of your choice, be that 1500 pounds or 3k gives people more flexibility.

Here's hoping.
S(
StUrrock (archived2)
Bronze
991 posts
Posted December 28, 2018 at 18:56 GMT
#2116421

Whether the BeoLab 50s sound good or not,  the software problems for these items seem to be causing members of this forum and others on going headaches. Life is too short to put up with this.

Spotify diasspearing on a main product within 2 years of purchase and the replacement item only being in the range for a seemingly short period, seems to me that products have such a short shelf life now.

Also spares for complex items may a concern in the medium to long term, BeoLab 1s have suffered from this for a while now.

Hence, for me, the chance they become expensive doorstops is too big a financial risk to take.

EM
Emilos88
Bronze
870 posts
Posted December 28, 2018 at 19:39 GMT
#2116422

Very happy with my Eclipse, IMO very much value for the price compared to other tv's combined with AV receivers.

I hope I will never have to have such a solution again. It just don't function well.

I have had 7 flatscreens and 5 different receivers before my Eclipse,

Never been more pleased with my setup as I am now.

M(
mawheele (archived2)
Bronze
260 posts
Posted December 28, 2018 at 22:34 GMT
#2116423

Not sure this is relevant anymore with the current portfolio. The multi-room speaker software has been 100% for more than 3-years now and the Airplay 2 roll-out has been really good as well. And the Eclipse software on WebOS is also really solid. 

B&O maybe not the best software development house, but the days are now gone with AndroidOS, some of the BeoSystem 4 and worse the BeoSystem 3 issues of yesteryear. I'm sorry for those on the AvantNG and Horizon - you rightly have plenty to be upset about. 

I recently traded my Avant Mk 1 in and gained what I would have expected as a solid trade-in against the Eclipse. Surprisingly, my only disappointment was the value I got from a Beosound 2 which I thought would do better.

 

 

9_LEE
9_LEE
Bronze
5593 posts
Posted December 29, 2018 at 01:38 GMT
#2116424

In the days of old (I'm thinking BeoVision Avant CRT etc..) a tube screen TV could be "relevant" technology for 10+ years.  Now... I'd say that within 2-3 years the technology is outdated.  So, a TV isn't a sound investment unless you buy it with open eyes and accept that if you keep it and get long term value, it'll be a dinosaur by the time you have...

Music Systems - the same.

Speakers, a slightly different story. A good speaker will always be just that - a good speaker. The only thing which would worry me is the availability of spares.  If B&O can sort that mess out, then I'd say the speakers are a good long-term investment IF you keep them.

Pre-owned B&O prices continue to slide further downwards, so that 'rock solid value retention' the brand has enjoyed is now a thing of the past. Just because it's got 'Bang & Olufsen' written on it, it doesn't mean it'll be worth 70% of what you paid for it 2 years down the line. Try 30-40% these days..

Lee

B(
beolion (archived2)
Bronze
499 posts
Posted December 29, 2018 at 08:15 GMT
#2116425
Over the last 10 years I have bought BL9, BL3, BL4000 and BL2 as second hand and the price was about 50% from new after 2-3 years.

The depreciation after 2-3 years is limited, it seems like the speakers are still keeping a good value after 5 years, even after 10 years.

I would not be reluctant buying 2-3 years old speakers again - I don’t need any right now though ;-)

I agree on the other comments in relation to TV and sound systems. But I am still very satisfied with my 9 year old BV7-55 - though it is like a Dino compared to new tv’s if today. Watching full HD content is still pretty good.
OldJack
OldJack
Bronze
386 posts
Posted December 29, 2018 at 12:16 GMT
#2116426

I'm afraid not.During past 20 years I spent some 25-30k € on beogear.All from new,except BL7.2.Two tv's (BV1,BV3) retired.Since then,gone for 3rd party tv.Unlike most of beoworlders,I see tv as a panel only.Video technology is changing rapidly,and I am ready to buy new panel every 2-3 years,for 2k €.And to run good old speakers as long as they last.And there will be always some workaround to integrate old audio with latest video.

Just wish new beoplays/speakers will last as long as this 20 years good old B&O.

 

Location: Split,Croatia

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