1. BL 8000

2. BL 4500 (never owned)

3. Tie BL 6000/BL 4000

4. RL 60.2 (on floor stand with original coiled wire)

5. Pentas (never owned)

I've owned other B&O speakers, but they didn't speak to me. The new range will grow on me. It's such a departure in design terms, that it will take time. No question the sound of the new range is spectacular.

I think as time goes on the BL9's will shove their way to the front of  the line, they are so clean.

Come on, they look like pinquins!

pf85 wrote:

Beolab 1 ahead of the Penta's.

Looks like the great days of the tall column speakers are over...

The problem with column speakers is the small size of the bass speakers. I am afraid a good big one will always beat several good small ones. The speakers which seem to be most popular are the 8000 and 5000, both of which are always going to be limited by the engineering compromises in their design. They are unexpected looking because no sane person with audio quality paramount would start from there!! The Beolab 5 is far more promising.

Looks are obviously subjective - the case could be compared to cars: if the object is to be able to transport 4 people from one place to another, a Ferrari would possibly be the most beautiful way to do it, an original Mini would be the most efficient, and a Mercedes E class probably the most sensible . Some would say that the Mini design was very beautiful as form follows function.

I think I will vote the 8000s as the most beautiful. A very hard decision - all of the speakers are really good looking.

This thread does make me very proud of my BL5000s! 😁 They will most likely be my new favorite once I find a more suitable environment for them.

As far as vintage goes, the 2500 is the absolute zenith. However I am practically in love with the way my 2600s look. The long and thin proportion is pretty rare for that era - making for a very interesting look, I especially like the fret work on it.

TripEnglish wrote:

But the BeoLab 3s are the size of musk melons and don't cost a lot when you factor in their amps. But when you play them in a room with the right setup they absolutely defy any expectation that their size, price, or power could have set. 

True. I replaced my Beolab 3's with Beolab 5's a few months ago. Love the 5's but I'm still not used to their size. Sure, 5's are small compared to other speakers with the same performance, but still they take up quite a lot of space. In short when the music is turned off I miss the 3's.

Peter wrote:

The problem with column speakers is the small size of the bass speakers. I am afraid a good big one will always beat several good small ones. The speakers which seem to be most popular are the 8000 and 5000, both of which are always going to be limited by the engineering compromises in their design. They are unexpected looking because no sane person with audio quality paramount would start from there!! The Beolab 5 is far more promising. (...)

 

 I don't disagree, however, in conjunction with a BL2, this conceptual "issue" can be overcome. To me a loudspeaker has to have both  functional as well as visual appeal, hence my choice with BL1 and Penta.

In the end, the positive ownership experience of a quality loudspeaker with the promise of longterm serviceability may be there for most of us who enjoy B&O, regardless of what actual model we vote for.

And I actually run Pentas with a BL2. However the reproduction of music is not as good as using my M100s as the bass notes appear very one dimensional - plenty of thump but not that much detail. the BL2 is hampered by the ABRs which muddy the sound. Brilliant for LFE - not so good for music.

Pentas - they just have that look of old B&O power.