Well Lee, I appreciate you taking the time to let us know what's up, appreciate your openness and forthrightness as well. An interesting but sad conundrum you faced with B&O, and I'm very sad to say that B&O's responses and such don't surprise me. I know a former dealer, who B&O has treated very badly, he's run into the same bureaucratic issues and such magnified even more. Sadly, it seems that despite the great acoustical engineers like our friend Geoff Martin, the management seems bound and determined to smother the company with a pillow.

As for Loewe, I believe it'll be a good move. I remember for a brief time in the 90's Loewe and B&O were importing TVs here in the US, and the Loewe offering was very desirable, I didn't wind up with one only because I already had a Proton. I've often looked at the Loewe web site in Europe with lust, wishing they were imported here.

I wish you luck and success in your new endeavor, and thanks again for all your work keeping Beoworld alive and herding the cats around here.

Lee you are like a spider on a B&O web ! You have been dealing with it and its unfortunately failed dealers for long enough to have more than " a feel" for whats going on. Your business acumen and experience has stood you well so the best of luck with your adaptive strategies. Brand loyalties don't pay the tax man.

Im still a B&O enthusiast  but fast becoming a "classic B&O" enthusiast.

Lee, thank your for both of your long posts.
It officially supports the impression we have for quite some time: Bang & Olufsen works hard to destroy itself since a few years and is still to ignorant and arrogant to admit that it was time for a change years ago!

This is very sad and hurts from the loving B&O fan perspective. There are very great people like Geoff Martin working at Bang & Olufsen and B&O needs more of them, especially in top management, marketing, design and customer service.

Beoworld is a precious place: Great people with great knowledge! Where else do you find this? Not very often  and that's why I'm a gold member since years, just to support the community and the work such a website and forum needs.
I like the way we all interact in this community and I'm thankful for this!

Lee, I had the pleasure of having personal contact (at least by email) with you. Your way of doing business is very appreciated. It's very good that you want to keep your standards in business and private life high!
This is the only way to go through life! Being/getting worse is always easy and can be done by everyone, but keeping and raising your standards is the only right thing! And it is  required in the big game called life.


Lee, I wish you all the best for your future. You deserve it!

All the best Lee, a hard but wise decision indeed!

Best of luck to you, Lee, in your new venture, and I hope B&O come to realise the error of their ways before it's too late.

As to Loewe, I always viewed them as purveyors of cut-price B&O copies. Looks like I might have had things the wrong way round! 😕

AdamS wrote:

As to Loewe, I always viewed them as purveyors of cut-price B&O copies. Looks like I might have had things the wrong way round! 😕

I can't see that happening.

What B&O do is pure craftsmanship when it comes to construction of their products.  Ultra-premium everything.  This costs a lot of money - not to buy, but to produce.  The intricate details B&O pursue to make their products so special are incredible. Not as if their marketing departments say anything.. it's some kind of secret, I assume.

I don't think Loewe are even interested in this. They're looking for the middle ground, where it's better made and much nicer looking than mass-market - at a price most people can afford.  Back to my BMW 7-Series vs Rolls Royce Phantom analogy.

I think there's a gaping hole in the market for somewhere between Ultra-Premium and Mass-Market - but that's just my opinion.

Lee

9 LEE wrote:

I think there's a gaping hole in the market for somewhere between Ultra-Premium and Mass-Market - but that's just my opinion.

Lee

That market slot used to be held by B&O, when I was first attracted to the brand it was because the aesthetics and performance were far better than average, but the cost was high but not nose bleed high, it was an aspirational thing, but you could still save a bit longer and afford it.

Now B&O have decided to chase the ultra rich market, with silly high prices, which with the issues they've been having lately is unjustified IMO.

A sound decision that follows the trend. Most of us feel the party is happening at the house next door when it comes to B&O of today. Good luck and many good future deals.

Jeff wrote:

That market slot used to be held by B&O, when I was first attracted to the brand it was because the aesthetics and performance were far better than average, but the cost was high but not nose bleed high, it was an aspirational thing, but you could still save a bit longer and afford it.

Now B&O have decided to chase the ultra rich market, with silly high prices, which with the issues they've been having lately is unjustified IMO.

Funny how that statement has been repeated so often, that people believe it true.

I wonder, if you are right?

Think of the ridiculous high priced BeoVision 7 - how much did the speaker alone cost?

And think of a tv like the 103"ed BV4 or the price of a music system back then/the BS5.

Those could definitely be seen as products for the ultra rich market.

Not that the B&O products come cheap these day (they are not supposed to), but comparing the prices for the tv's/the tv ranges over the years

would rather show that they currently aren't that costy anymore.

A BV Avant 2014 was definitely less expensive than the BV7-55 was (aiming at the same market segment).

A lot of people could afford buying the V1-40, if they wanted to - as they can the BV Horizon now. Centainly not products for 'the ultra rich market'.

Of course the price gap between a regular flat tv and a BeoVision is huge.

But B&O never aimed for the massmarket - never will.

And....we still don't know the price of the coming BV Eclipse!

What is it, that you see as 'silly high prices'?

If you think of the price of the BL90 - yes, that is for the ultra rich (although also less rich people have bought them).

But it is certainly not a 'silly high price' - just look at the prices for other highend speakers - it is the price of a speaker of this kind.

Besides there are lots of other speakers in the BL portfolio.

MM

Millemissen wrote:

Funny how that statement has been repeated so often, that people believe it true.

MM

There is a tv - and there is a BV.