Loud does not equal good...

17 replies
S(
Offline
Sal (archived2)
Bronze
Posted October 18, 2015 at 18:20 GMT
#2051495

I was in the neighborhood of a relatively local B&O store, and I decided to spend a bit of time there. In a nutshell, I re-auditioned a pair of Beolab 20 speakers, as well as a pair of Lab 5's.

Incidentally, here's a picture of a 20 next to a 9, I know folks (including me) were curious about their relative scales:

Before I get into a very short accounting related to the topic of this posting, I'd like to comment on how surprised I was when comparing the physical size of the 20s with that of the 9s. On paper the dimensions of the 20s aren't all that much bigger than the 9s but in the flesh they're larger in almost every dimension. And they're larger in a very good way (to my eyes at least). Additionally, it appeared to me that the acoustic lens on the 20 is tilted ever so slightly up, toward the listener's ears in a comfortable listening position. Be that as it may...

I spent a little over an hour at the dealer. Most of my time was spent listening to the 20s, but a portion was also spent listening to a pair of Lab5s as well. Let's just state up front that the Lab5's sounded "different" to me than the 20s. Yes, they had a fuller sound, but I was also aware that the room these speakers were in was large, open, walled by glass on one side, etc. The 20s did sound like they were close to 80% the capabilities of the 5s. That made me smile.

But the point of this post is that I had to ask the store clerk multiple times to lower the volume of the music to a manageable volume. Each time a song was played, the volume was cranked up to 70. I don't think I've ever listened to ANYTHING from my B&O equipment at that volume, let alone music. Maybe he was trained to do that due to the size of the room, but as the title of this post states: loud isn't necessarily better. Sometimes more can be heard at lower listening levels than not. In any case, have any of you had that experience? That store personnel maybe by habit or by training, raise the volume of speakers thinking loudness is meant to impress? 

To end, I loved the 20s... my wife isn't going to be happy. lol

B(
Offline
BeoGreg (archived2)
Bronze
Posted October 18, 2015 at 21:09 GMT
#2051496
My dealer does exacly the same : full volume on any speaker I ask.

I always get ears in fire and ask to lower the volume at around 40.

I hate that and can't understand it. Where is the pleasure of the listening when it hurts because it's far too loud ?
Brian Moore
Offline
Brian Moore
Bronze
Posted October 18, 2015 at 21:24 GMT
#2051497

BeoGreg wrote:
My dealer does exacly the same : full volume on any speaker I ask.

Mark Twain, "The banging and slamming and booming and crashing were something beyond belief. The racking and pitiliess pain of it remains stored up in my memory alongside the memory of the time that I had my teeth fixed..."
- A Tramp Abroad

 

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Millemis
Offline
Millemis
Bronze
Posted October 18, 2015 at 22:23 GMT
#2051498

I have never experienced that, when I visited one of the stores in Denmark.

MM

Location: Flensborg————Danmark

B(
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BeoBoy68 (archived2)
Bronze
Posted October 18, 2015 at 23:16 GMT
#2051499
@ Sal

It is approximatively one year

I wrote you to buy the BeoLab 20.

Now that you have listen it and you love it,

you have no excuse to buy it.

EL
Offline
elephant
BronzeFounder
Posted October 19, 2015 at 08:14 GMT
#2051500
BeoGreg wrote:

Where is the pleasure of the listening when it hurts because it's far too loud ?

I would say that without exception over 15 years in many stores in quite a few countries all demonstrators crank it up.

Maybe not 70.

But certainly painful.

So I have yet to be in the one store in DK where this is an exception.

Mind you, the local Linn distributors are just as bad.
vikinguk
Offline
vikinguk
Bronze
Posted October 19, 2015 at 08:41 GMT
#2051501

It's what the public want.

My wife made the mistake of getting tickets for the theatre musical 'Hairspray' based on several 5 star reviews.

Disaster. Too much bass. So much treble that the voice parts were shrill and inaudible. We left the theatre with our ears ringing.... And we were sat a long way from the PA systems lined up in front of the stage. 

Graham

GE
Offline
geoffmartin
Bronze
Posted October 19, 2015 at 08:45 GMT
#2051502

Brian wrote:
Mark Twain, "The banging and slamming and booming and crashing were something beyond belief. The racking and pitiliess pain of it remains stored up in my memory alongside the memory of the time that I had my teeth fixed..."
- A Tramp Abroad

"Deafness as the price of ecstasy"

- Richard Powers, Orfeo

PLEASE READ before sending me a Personal Message.

If you have questions about or problems with B&O equipment, these should be directed through your dealer and/or B&O's Customer Service department.

I cannot be a "short circuit", bypassing these communication channels.

Thanks
-geoff
NO
Offline
Nonalphanumeric
Bronze
Posted October 19, 2015 at 13:10 GMT
#2051503

Loud is better if they're good speakers. I loved turning my speakers up when I had Beolab 1's , Beolab 2 and also the Beolab 9's. That visceral experience is impressive because they're beautiful speakers and it's not what you expect if you're new to the brand. I know sure as hell i'll want to hear the Beolab 90 turned up, why drive a Ferrari at 40mp/h?

B(
Offline
BeoBoy68 (archived2)
Bronze
Posted October 19, 2015 at 13:20 GMT
#2051504
Dave wrote:

....why drive a Ferrari at 40mp/h?

😁🤒

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