Graemeben quote from another thread:"My conclusion was while I liked just about everything in the store, I didn't actually want anything. The whole price structure was, to me, simply far above what even a keen B&O client would expect. I suspect anyone unfamiliar with the brand would probably feel the same. The extreme example of this was the Avant 85 and Beolab 90 on display, together total cost around £72k. All beautiful pieces of kit but totally beyond most people's reach. Further down the range the pricing, to me anyway, is so out of touch for most people on the high street, given there is so much choice with the competitors."This sums up my feeling about my beloved B&O. As I said before, you could by a top B&O TV 15-20 years ago (some still operational today) for 2-3 times the price of a Sony/Panasonic etc... or a pair top speakers or a audio system that competed with the best out there for 2-3 times more but we now find ourselves in the land of gold plated speakers, TVs costing 10-15 times that of their usual competitors and loudspeakers costing 5-6 times the best studio monitors out there. I always took B&O as being instilled with Scandinavian modesty and moderation. You could be a multi-milllionaire in Scandinavia but you'd still cycle to work, sit in the same office as your juniors, eat in the same canteen, send your kids to the same school and drive a Volvo but instead B&O has gone all 1980s oil Sheikh or Donald Trump on us. In 2004, I bought a Beolab 5 for £10,000 and this took my breath away; i never even envisaged spending that amount of money. I've spoken to some studio chaps and they think I'm barking mad and say you can spend less to get just as good if not better sound from some monitors but I want the industrial design and form not some massive black monitors in my delicate living room so willing to pay abbot more for the aesthetics but what on earth are B&O thinking when they ask £60,000 for some BL90s or £25,000 for BL50s...where is is the Scandinavian ethos of modesty, moderation, quality without diamond encrusted pricing and design?
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Scandinavian moderation versus Bang & Olufsen
28 replies
There is a lot of choice but it's mostly the same. B&O are really the only company offering something different. Who else makes anything even remotely close to the Beovision 11 or 14?
Things are getting out of hand though. I was quoted £650 for delivery and installation of new Beovision 14. I think that's a bit over the top. You could buy a TV for that.
That's the first I've heard a dealer charging for delivery. Delivery and plug and play only installation is free of charge and included. Greed, pure greed.
while i agree with these price evolutions, i think this does represent a broader shift in retail, as the middle market retailers / brands have suffered, while low end and high end have generally done quite well.....you only need to look at two markets i know quiet well, watches and high end fashion.....while catwalk pieces would always have cost 1000GBP+ and not been on the radar of the vast majority, now there are plenty of high end fashion brands who sell to the public through normal channels who charge over 1000 GBP for a jumper or somesuch (look at Thom Browne, Dior, Tom Ford and a host of others)....in watches something similar, where while Rolex prices may not have increased as severely, it very easy to find swiss brands who start their range at 20K and go up to 50+, and its not hard to find production (non-vintage) pieces close to 100K......
there are risks involved in ultra high end marketing, it can work.......the European fashion brands have been well served by Asian buyers, where there isn't much competition....the risk for B&O is that there is competition, so ultimately i agree, that Play products aside, the truer B&O experience shouldn't be priced for the uber wealthy alone......
That is from the "good" old days, B&O tom my knowledge actively encourage dealers to charge for installation.Quite frankly with the reduced product margins these days, if your dealer isn't charging for delivery and installation they will probably go bust.It's certainly not greed in the part of the dealer, i can assure you.That's the first I've heard a dealer charging for delivery. Delivery and plug and play only installation is free of charge and included. Greed, pure greed.
i totally agree with the first post.
just look at the price rise from one year to the other (for one and the same product, without any improovement)....
I know U.K. prices have increased but that is at least in part due to exchange rates. Have prices elsewhere gone up too?i totally agree with the first post. just look at the price rise from one year to the other (for one and the same product, without any improovement)....
I always took B&O as being instilled with Scandinavian modesty and moderation. You could be a multi-milllionaire in Scandinavia but you'd still cycle to work, sit in the same office as your juniors, eat in the same canteen, send your kids to the same school and drive a Volvo but instead B&O has gone all 1980s oil Sheikh or Donald Trump on us.
I am sorry, but you don't seem to know Denmark/Scandinavia very well.
On the other hand that is the impression, that many (official) danes seems to want you to have - so you might be excused ;-(
personally I would like to question how true that is in real life.
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By the way - 5 years ago the BV7-55 did cost way more than the rumoured (?) price of the coming OLED-BV.
I paid quite a bit more for my BV8-40 as I would have to pay for a Horizon 40" today.
A set of the BL18's cost roundabout 15 % more than the BL8002 did 6 years - by increased SQ and functionallity (and inflation).
Maybe your trouble/problem is, that you don't like (or need), what B&O makes today?
MM
Location: Flensborg————Danmark
Yes, aside from everything else which you've said which I disagree on, we are agreed that I don't like a lot of what B&O make now. I also find that you lack any attempt at neutral thought. Even B&O staff will admit to faults or problems with their approach or products by at every turn you seem to defend the indefensible. It's like having TripEnglish version 2 on the forum. Still, this makes the forum more varied, challenging and stimulating.
I miss TripEnglish 🙁
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