Q11. What was the name of the estate where B&O originally was founded/started.

Q12. Which ...sound/vision  product had no software/upgrade  issues at all ?

seethroughyou wrote:

Am I missing something in the equation? Am I over estimating the beautiful form and lines of B&O?

You should remember that we're a unique forum (mostly) for people who care about the brand. To actually come here and spend time talking about it, means we're all a few levels above even your average user.

With that in mind, of course we are very different. Possibly blinkered. Possibly very defensive. I've noticed certain people who have posted in this very thread used to be very anti-B&O (buying Loewe etc) and have come so far and full circle that they now claim others are being too negative, overlooking their previous posts. Sums up this board.

If you look at the average person on the street, most of these people have a different view and less passion. You could argue they can offer a more balanced view of the brand, the cost of the products and so on. And those views are also very important to the future of the brand. We'll most continue buying - hell we're on a forum for the brand - but we need to evaluate other people's opinions.

I've said many times that I'm finding far fewer people who are impressed with B&O outside this forum. Even current/old B&O customers have somehow migrated from the brand. My landlords were big B&O customers and still have two TVs, but will simply not consider another B&O TV. And they offer no real valid reason why they wouldn't buy one. Just tell me they won't. Strange. It's like they were burned by the brand (yet still own the tech). I know guys who live in the famous Royal Crescent, who spent £3 million on a home, who watch a BV9, but stopped going in to the Bath store years ago. When they bought a new TV for their kitchen, it wasn't a B&O. etc etc. Becoming a common theme. Old customers - not those on this forum - who are migrating away readily and easily.

Here in the States, B&O is pretty much an unknown.  Once in a while someone will know and appreciate, but usually it's total ignorance or, worse, "like Bose, but more expensive", or "that's what drug dealers/foreign oligarchs have".  I am kind of embarrassed about my large collection and usually hope no one brings it up.  I bought all of it because I liked it, not to impress friends/neighbors.  It's not my job to be a "brand ambassador" - a completely losing battle now that the nearest dealer is ~300 miles away, and there's no advertising to be found anywhere.  Sometimes my wife will say "show them your system", but she's been on the receiving end of enough dirty looks that she doesn't do this much anymore.  I'd prefer to believe everyone is just enjoying the music or movie, and not looking at the equipment (even as the TV silently glides away from the wall into viewing position).  I get the feeling some walk away thinking - he's either very rich or very foolish (I believe I must tend toward the latter, as I'm definitely not very rich). 

Stan

I have lusted for B&O from an early age.  In many respects I used to see them as Apple - ahead of their time.  People love, and will pay for Apple, because it just works.  When I became old enough to actually afford to buy B&O initially I was convinced that this was the experience I was looking for.  Design and performance effortless combined.  My BV11 and the BeoLab 9’s filled my home with gorgeous sound and a beautiful picture.

Then I noticed that some cells on the TV were dead - on a $17K TV.  This was replaced without too much fuss thankfully.  Then Spotify was removed.  Then my M1 speaker started to play up, and still is highly unstable when streaming despite a highly stable mesh network across our house which everything else that streams has no trouble with.  Then I noticed all the dust behind the glass on the BV11 and after some years of use, what I thought was a great picture really was not that good with dreadful banding from the side mounted illumination of the panel often appearing on dark scenes.  My 12 year old Series 9 backlit micro-dimming Samsung LED panel was better in that regard.

And so, the romance has faded over the years.  Our main TV set is now a LG OLED running through a Denon amp and Monitor Audio surround sound speakers, all of which just work and cost about half the price of the BV11 alone.  The Monitor Audio speakers only lack the acoustic lens to sound just as good as the Lab 9s, the LG OLED is about 20% of the price of a BV Eclipse and the interactive menu works well, which I understand is an issue with the Eclipse integration.  A similar B&O setup would cost 10 times the price and while most certainly look more appealing, if the products don’t work well, and I am afraid my confidence has wained, this is not a risk I am willing to take.

I notice that on the B&O Facebook page today, one of their adverts which has popped up has 24 like and 1 share.  I get more action from posting a video of my Jack Russell doing something stupid.  For a company with as rich a heritage as B&O to have social media interaction as low as that seems very precarious.  Their only innovation at the moment seems to be making the same old product in different metal tones, which is hardly going to reinvigorate sales.

I really do wish them well, but I haven’t been into a store for a couple of years now and I don’t see much need for me to go any time soon.  Now I just need to keep my partner from Marie Kondo the left over speakers...