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B&O - good hifi or over priced tat?



Goldstone1976

We Got Calde in!!
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
Apr 30, 2013
13,765
Herts
That's it really. Worth the price, or better to buy less expensive British separates?
 


beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,265
i gather its not tat, but overpriced and no better than good stuff found in Richer Sounds. your paying for a lot of badge as they say.
 




Knocky's Nose

Mon nez est en Valenciennes..
May 7, 2017
4,133
Eastbourne
Fine, but its rebadged and not worth the cost.

A common misconception which people throw about. Not true, apart from the late 80's when the company almost went bust and Philips steamed in and tried to rip the arse out of the company by rebadging a few rubbish hi-fi systems. Hitachi had a hand in it too..

Tube screens for the old TV's were made by Philips. Only the tubes, nothing else. Plasmas? Panasonic. Only the actual panels, nothing else. LCD's? Samsung (mainly, although Sharp made a few, and some Chinese company with a funny name). Only the panels, nothing else. All were top-spec, and then B&O set to work on the tuning and the sound. A bit like 'chipping' your M5. - BMW can give you a car, and a tuning company can make it go twice as fast. Same car, but tweaked.

Samsung make panels for Sony, LG make panels for Philips. It's all a big mish-mash, even with home appliances. They all make for each other - it's called economy of scale.

B&O have just hopped into bed with LG, so all the actual panels in their TV's will be LG on the new model out later this year, with software by Android, and the sound by B&O. True B&O? Not really. They've gone the way of all other manufacturers, outsourced everything - and next to nothing is made in Denmark any more. Sad, really.

Some of the 1990's 'classic' kit is first class clobber and a good investment. The mid/late 2000's stuff is cheap as chips now but not technologically up to date. The brand new stuff is, well.. overpriced compared to the alternatives.

Have a look at Linn, have a look at Meridian, and if you want a look at a stand-alone system try the Devialet Phantom.

You may have guessed this is my specialist subject...
 
Last edited:


edna krabappel

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 7, 2003
47,228
 




Triggaaar

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2005
49,989
Goldstone
That's it really. Worth the price, or better to buy less expensive British separates?
If it's just something to look fancy, B&O could work, but given that you're asking the question, I guess that's not what you're after.

So what are you after (amp, speakers, audio around the house etc)?
 


edna krabappel

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 7, 2003
47,228
If it's just something to look fancy, B&O could work, but given that you're asking the question, I guess that's not what you're after.

So what are you after (amp, speakers, audio around the house etc)?



Voice controlled digital surround sound for the ensuite guest bathroom in the west wing, I think he said.
 










Goldstone1976

We Got Calde in!!
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
Apr 30, 2013
13,765
Herts
If it's just something to look fancy, B&O could work, but given that you're asking the question, I guess that's not what you're after.

So what are you after (amp, speakers, audio around the house etc)?

I'm after excellent sound quality in 2 rooms. Figured I'd get 2 different systems, as I thought I'd lose quality if I piped music from one source. Typically have used Rogers monitors. Amps have been a mix of Arcam and Cyrus.
 




Goldstone1976

We Got Calde in!!
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
Apr 30, 2013
13,765
Herts
A common misconception which people throw about. Not true, apart from the late 80's when the company almost went bust and Philips steamed in and tried to rip the arse out of the company by rebadging a few rubbish hi-fi systems. Hitachi had a hand in it too..

Tube screens for the old TV's were made by Philips. Only the tubes, nothing else. Plasmas? Panasonic. Only the actual panels, nothing else. LCD's? Samsung (mainly, although Sharp made a few, and some Chinese company with a funny name). Only the panels, nothing else. All were top-spec, and then B&O set to work on the tuning and the sound. A bit like 'chipping' your M5. - BMW can give you a car, and a tuning company can make it go twice as fast. Same car, but tweaked.

Samsung make panels for Sony, LG make panels for Philips. It's all a big mish-mash, even with home appliances. They all make for each other - it's called economy of scale.

B&O have just hopped into bed with LG, so all the actual panels in their TV's will be LG on the new model out later this year, with software by Android, and the sound by B&O. True B&O? Not really. They've gone the way of all other manufacturers, outsourced everything - and next to nothing is made in Denmark any more. Sad, really.

Some of the 1990's 'classic' kit is first class clobber and a good investment. The mid/late 2000's stuff is cheap as chips now but not technologically up to date. The brand new stuff is, well.. overpriced compared to the alternatives.

Have a look at Linn, have a look at Meridian, and if you want a look at a stand-alone system try the Devialet Phantom.

You may have guessed this is my specialist subject...

I have an LP12 in my study. Excellent bit of kit.

Deviant? Heard good things, but not listened.

You'd recommend steering clear of B&O then?
 


Knocky's Nose

Mon nez est en Valenciennes..
May 7, 2017
4,133
Eastbourne
I'm after excellent sound quality in 2 rooms. Figured I'd get 2 different systems, as I thought I'd lose quality if I piped music from one source. Typically have used Rogers monitors. Amps have been a mix of Arcam and Cyrus.

Rogers are great monitors. The BBC can't be that wrong!

Are you looking to stream or play local sources? (vinyl, CD etc)
 










edna krabappel

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 7, 2003
47,228
Look, I said I'd upgrade you next time you visited. No need to get snarky.


It was when Jeeves said the cellar was clean out of Krug that really ruined the last visit for me.
 


Cian

Well-known member
Jul 16, 2003
14,262
Dublin, Ireland
A common misconception which people throw about. Not true, apart from the late 80's when the company almost went bust and Philips steamed in and tried to rip the arse out of the company by rebadging a few rubbish hi-fi systems. Hitachi had a hand in it too..

Tube screens for the old TV's were made by Philips. Only the tubes, nothing else. Plasmas? Panasonic. Only the actual panels, nothing else. LCD's? Samsung (mainly, although Sharp made a few, and some Chinese company with a funny name). Only the panels, nothing else. All were top-spec, and then B&O set to work on the tuning and the sound. A bit like 'chipping' your M5. - BMW can give you a car, and a tuning company can make it go twice as fast. Same car, but tweaked.

Samsung make panels for Sony, LG make panels for Philips. It's all a big mish-mash, even with home appliances. They all make for each other - it's called economy of scale.

B&O have just hopped into bed with LG, so all the actual panels in their TV's will be LG on the new model out later this year, with software by Android, and the sound by B&O. True B&O? Not really. They've gone the way of all other manufacturers, outsourced everything - and next to nothing is made in Denmark any more. Sad, really.

Some of the 1990's 'classic' kit is first class clobber and a good investment. The mid/late 2000's stuff is cheap as chips now but not technologically up to date. The brand new stuff is, well.. overpriced compared to the alternatives.

Have a look at Linn, have a look at Meridian, and if you want a look at a stand-alone system try the Devialet Phantom.

You may have guessed this is my specialist subject...

They do a tiny bit more than the Vestel/Arcelik rebranders but rebadgers but it is just rebadged. They make nothing, they develop nothing. They pay for a designer for the chassis, really.

You pay for the badge and the long history - the tales of the 1950s of the B&O TVs being the only ones that didn't need swapping out after a full week on at a trade show etc etc. The modern kit is still decent but it is not "true" B&O and it is absolutely not worth the cost.
 









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