I have this hardcover book(let) from 1992. Pictures attached.After getting the BeoSystem 2500 – the world-first compact all-in-one active-speaker vertical sound system – this booklet made me want to get EVERYTHING from B&O. I got everything but the AV9000 monitor. Its price was out of my reach, and at that time, audio was more important to me. But boy, did I save to get it, because there was no one else even remotely as different, magical and special as B&O in the 1990s.And already then, in a short time, the picture (video) side of the world moved on, from 4:3 to 16:9. So instead of the AV9000 monitor, I got the widescreen format Avant that succeeded it.Avant, BeoSound Ouverture, BL8000 and BL6000 was the setup I got. BeoSystem 2500, my first B&O, and this book got me on my journey with B&O, and I've been fortunate to enjoy most of their products from 1980s onwards. I think the oldest BeoSystem I had was 4500, and the oldest speakers were RL60.2. BeoSystem 7000, BeoCenter 9500, BeoLab Penta – those were some of the golden oldies I enjoyed before the Ouverture & BL8000/6000 era, but in my timeline with B&O, I had the older systems somewhere between Ouverture and BeoSound 9000.Now...This all came back to me: The book. Fast forward to this day, and B&O have all it takes for another great performance.In 1992, they really knew how to sell the whole setup and the Bang & Olufsen experience. They put it all together: Their excellence in audio. Their excellence in video. Their excellence in design. Their excellence in being like no one else.They packaged it right, in one inspriring, convincing book that did justice to their innovations and what makes B&O a premium brandNow take this book, and update it:Replace the Master Panel (basically an Ouverture) with BeoSound Moment.Replace BeoLab 8000 with BeoLab 18. As rears, replace BeoLab 6000 with BeoLab 18 (in my opinion, it would be interesting to have "BeoLab 16" – BL6000 with wooden lamellas and Geoff's tuning).Replace the BeoCenter AV9000 monitor with BeoVision 14.Replace BeoLink 5000 with BeoRemote One.What do you get?A similar setup for today, with a comparably coherent design language – made coherent in no small part by the use of wood as one key combining element (Moment, BL18, BV14).If I was back where I was in the 90s, building an AV system that stands apart and is "like no one else", and if I was presented with a complete setup made of BV14, BL18 and BS Moment – in the way the AV9000 was presented back in the day – I would probably buy into it and get it, either all at once or piece by piece.So for B&O's marketing, there's now a perfect time for another great performance. Login to view image Login to view image Login to view image Login to view image Login to view image Login to view image Login to view image Login to view image
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Time for another great performance
12 replies
Nice idea. Those pictures show just how timeless some of B&O's designs have been.
My worry is that the current designs no longer, in many cases, relate to function. And I just don't like the idea of sticking wood on everything as if it was an after thought.
Graham
Great KMA !Thanks for the time to put that post together. It's still inspirational.
I started the B&O experience in 1995 so I see exactly what you mean.AV 9000 was on display at the time with Avant 28". Both far out of reach for me and my little Beosound Century.But I was reading every day the 1994/1995 catalogs and dreaming of a tv and video recoder and Ouverture and phone and column speakers...A the good old days...Bring them back B&O.
I started the B&O experience in 1995 so I see exactly what you mean.
AV 9000 was on display at the time with Avant 28". Both far out of reach for me and my little Beosound Century.
But I was reading every day the 1994/1995 catalogs and dreaming of a tv and video recoder and Ouverture and phone and column speakers...
A the good old days...
Bring them back B&O.
I know EXACTLY what you mean/felt! in 1994 my first B&O product was a BeoCom 1600 telephone and Form2.. because I couldn't afford anything else... But in 1998 I killed my bank account and went for a BeoVision MX7000 and Ouverture combo :-) with the Ouverture playing through the speakers of the MX because no funds for speakers.. 2 years later added BL6000; additional 2y later did a trade in of the 6000 for 8000... :-)
My B&O Icons:
My daughter still uses our AV9000 in her room - I have bought her a 32" flat screen TV but she prefers the AV9000!!
My B&O Icons:
Yes - my journey with B&O started at 16 in 1979 - and stayed with the brand ever since - I seem to remember there was a video in 1990's showing a family living with the link system - things like following the news on BL2000 in the kitchen, programming an MX in the bedroom to wake you up and then stopping a film in the sitting room and watching the rest in bed - the magic of being able to do all that is still alive for me.
Location: United Kingdom
My B&O Icons:
My daughter still uses our AV9000 in her room - I have bought her a 32" flat screen TV but she prefers the AV9000!!
Same here. My daughter got my old 2-way AV9000 incl. Masterpanel and stands - TV tuner is still working with cable socket in her apartment.
Now they use a BC6-26 with Masterpanel apple TV connected, but they also keep the AV9000 - my daughter already watched child`s TV on the AV9000 20 years ago...🙂
Stefan
My daughter still uses our AV9000 in her room - I have bought her a 32" flat screen TV but she prefers the AV9000!!
Same here. My daughter got my old 2-way AV9000 incl. Masterpanel and stands - TV tuner is still working with cable socket in her apartment.
Now they use a BC6-26 with Masterpanel apple TV connected, but they also keep the AV9000 - my daughter already watched child`s TV on the AV9000 20 years ago...🙂
Stefan
An almost identical story here! Two fully functional AV 9000 one being a two-way the other one with a complete satellite interface.
The oldest daughter was deeply fascinated with the mechanical curtains- actually, I think everybody else was too 🙂
Today she has a Beocenter 6-26 tapping music and movies from the NAS , and a couple of LC2s in her room.
And the cool thing is,- she is really beginning to understand why dad filled up most of the house with B&O.
Watching her operate the lights with a Beo4 in her room for the first time was priceless!
She is definitely out for my Beosystem 4500! 😎
Hello,
Would you sell the AV9000 book?
I have never seen him in France.
Cordially,
Alain
Location: PARIS
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