Best Stereo Pair

[rossr]

Hi everyone, I’m trying to find a B&O solution for a medium size living room. Space-wise a balance, or an A9, or a stage would all fit (and I LOVE the a9 aesthetic and sound). What I’ve realised is that stereo soundstage and full-range are both important to me. I don’t have 12-14k to drop on beolab 28s or 18s + 19 (I tried 18s in my living room on their own and was very disappointed with the lack of bass). What do you think is the best pair?

2 x Balance

2 x a9 (not sure if I have the space),

2 x edge (is this possible?),

2 x BS2?

2 x 17s (perhaps too ugly for the wife but could perhaps be hidden),

How far away from the performance of the 28s would those combos be? How much better than a single A9 would these combos be?

Thanks!

[Millemissen]

I’d say….wait for the BL8’s, before you decide.

MM

[rossr]

Ahhh, Thanks. Somehow I’d missed the BL8 press releases. Looks nice. I’ll be very interested to see if that sounds better as a stereo pair than the other options above. Seems to be very balance-like in terms of specs. The form factor looks very nice.

 

[Stan]

I have a stereo pair of Balances.  I like them very much and would buy them again (at the sale price I paid, not sure about today’s prices).  With some music, they sound better (to me) than my BL1s + BS9000.  Granted, I use them in my office so I don’t drive them too hard.  They are also the first speakers I’ve owned where I can fairly consistently tell the difference between Spotify and Deezer HiFi sound quality.

From what people have said on this site over the years, I think the A9s would probably sound better, but I’ve never really listened to an A9 too closely since they don’t really fit into the places where I want speakers.  They take up a lot of space.

I also agree with MM.  Wait for the BL8s…

[rossr]

Thanks @stan that’s great to hear that you’re enjoying the balance pair and the comparison to the BL1s is encouraging. Would be fascinated to hear from anyone who compared this pair to 17s or BS2s, a9s etc. (and I agree – 2 x a9 would need a lot of space. So it’s probs a single a9 vs a stereo pair that i’d need to choose)

also – Is it just me or are the colour selections uninspiring? – alu with oak looks best but doesn’t match apartment. black is a non starter. Gold tone with light oak is just a bit too bling bling. I liked the brass tones that B&O were doing for a while and stopped.

Looking forward to testing the 8s.

 

 

[Mark]

rossr wrote:

Gold tone with light oak is just a bit too bling bling.

I guess that would depend on the surroundings.  My walls are a gold-toned color so the gold and light oak speakers just sort of blend in and doesn’t stick out or look showy at all.  If I paint my walls a different color who knows if I would like it as much.

[Stan]

I agree that the current Balance colors are uninspired.  I have black.  They work fine in my office.  More disappear vs a “statement”.  I wished for a dark wood + charcoal, but it hasn’t happened.

[Author]

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