Welcome to BeoWorld!

For me it is pretty simple -

1. Engineering (sound) - I have yet to see another consumer electronics company exercise such strong research and development in the world of acoustics. Show me someone who knows more about DSP. I mean this in the way that it benefits the listener's ear - not the corporate bean counters by maximizing performance of cheap components.
2. Quality
3. Innovation (integration)
4. Ease of use - so easy and pared down it perplexes most.
5. Longevity - designed to be used for decades
6. Design at its finest - no detail swept under the rug

For me all of these things add up to a feeling that makes me actually want the product. 

Can you define strategic design for us?

Hi,

For me it's first the design and then the sound quality versus size ratio. B&O manages to have a very good sound from a nice looking and small device. I don't believe anymore that they are much more durable than other quality brands (like Bowers&Wilkins for example) as I had several issues in the past with my stuff.

There are two main reasons I love B&O. In the first place, no other audio/video manufacturer has as much devotion to modern, artistic design as B&O. The world is filled with boring, ugly boxes, both for electronics and speakers, and I got tired of trying to hide them in order to have the design I wanted in my home. No other firm has as many items in MoMA as B&O. The quality of the materials and finishes are first rate. The quality of the electronics, well, sometimes hit and miss depending on the product. And recently, unfortunately, I think their styling has gone downhill, I can't think of any of the new speakers that I like the looks of better than the ones they replace except the Beolab 18 which is a wash compared with the BL8000. I don't like the look of the Avant as much as the BV11, the Moment is ugly in my opinion, etc.

The second reason is that there are very few manufacturers of loudspeakers who have as good an understanding of acoustics, and lately DSP, as B&O. Far back in the 70s they were doing things relating to phase response and power response that most manufacturers didn't begin to address for decades. There have also been few manufacturers who have embraced active speakers over the years, and no one to the extent of B&O, with all the advantages that active loudspeakers provide.

Evan has already mentioned a lot.

i could add: Consistency.

If you know how to control a 30 years old B&O device, you practically know how to control a modern B&O device.

Same principles working across all devices - proof: the B&O remotes.

Consistency in the design of the physical devices as well as the interface. And in build quality - generally you can always recognize a B&O product.

And a sophisticated integration of audio and video devices - (I know of no other manufacturer, that can claim this).

MM

ThijsSchippers wrote:

Hey!

I’m a student at the and I’m working on a paper on Bang and Olufsen for my Master’s in Strategic Design. The brand isn’t doing that great at the moment and I’m trying to figure out how they can improve.

I’d love to get some input from you, Bang and Olufsen fans, about what a B&O product means to you!

What makes you guys choose a Bang & Olufsen device?

Jeff wrote:

The second reason is that there are very few manufacturers of loudspeakers who have as good an understanding of acoustics, and lately DSP, as B&O. Far back in the 70s they were doing things relating to phase response and power response that most manufacturers didn't begin to address for decades. There have also been few manufacturers who have embraced active speakers over the years, and no one to the extent of B&O, with all the advantages that active loudspeakers provide.

+1

Above I forgot to mention the integration of old and new products in one working setup.

MM

Chris Townsend wrote:

Why do you say the brand isn't doing well at the moment?

I had that question as well - why?

MM

For me it's a double edged sword and I'll explain why...

The design and thought into design of a select group for me. When I see the BV10 or 11 I fall in love, the Ouverture made the brand younger for me as a child back in 1991, the BeoSystem 5000 in 1984 was to me just amazing, the CX50 so cute, the Beolab 6000 and 8000 iconic.

BUT, to me, their longevity and parts are absolutely appalling. The PLAY which can't be repaired in the long run, my Century that has always had electric door problems, a tape deck that died after 3 years and now a dead CD player, a DVD1 that skips more discs than an excited child skipping in a playground and the rather unexciting sound of my A8 iPhone dock and lifeless A8 earphones. Reading through brochures of their before my first purchase showed how well the electric door had been made and how durable their designs are. I realised they were nothing but dishonest salesmen! Panasonic/Technics for me lasted 10+ years of heavy heavy heavy use and I really expected B&O products to do just as well. For me, I'm terrified to ever buy into the brand because I know that its longevity is probably limited and this is often proven when I read this forum. Just look at the people who waste their precious short life trying to get that Moment to function properly! I guess it's an Emperors New Clothes kind of company. I just feel that their products are not very well sourced but at the end of the day, everyone is free to spend their money as they please. For me, I have to have something that causes no stress in my life.

Of course.

It's combining design thinking with business logic. A firm wants growth/ a profit and a (product) designer wants something nice for people to use. Strategic design is about connecting the two. Here's a good book introducing it http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/change-by-design-tim-brown/1016388563/2689155290665?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Marketplace+Shopping+Paperbackshopus_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP23031&k_clickid=3x23031