News

Beocenter 3500 in December 2009 Hi-Fi World

Nick Jarman — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:35:17 +0000

The December 2009 edition of Hi-Fi World (available now) contains a comparative review of the Beocenter 3500 and Sony HMK-80B. This is part of the magazine’s regular “Olde Worlde” feature in which classic models are reviewed to see how they have stood the test of time. With this month’s focus on high-end 1970s music centres, the choice of a Beocenter 3500 could not have been better. The article is written by Beocentral’s Tim Jarman.

Hi-Fi World December 2009

You can subscribe to Hi-Fi World, the UK’s fastest growing audio title, via the Hi-Fi World website.

Classic B&O Beginner’s Guide in Hi-Fi World

Nick Jarman — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:20:25 +0000

The July 2009 issue of Hi-Fi World magazine is on sale today and contains an article by Beocentral’s Tim Jarman describing the best B&O models from the 1960s to the 1990s. The article is accompanied by pictures from the site and contains plenty of useful advice for anyone interested in starting or expanding their B&O collection.

BeoVision 8-40 announced

Nick Jarman — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:20:57 +0000

The BeoVision 8 range has been expanded with the addition of a new 40-inch model, the BeoVision 8-40. The BeoVision 8 range is described by B&O as “entry level” but even so, the new TV is quite well specified. It has a Full HD (1920×1080 pixel) screen with a refresh rate of 100Hz, twice the usual 50Hz.

The set lacks the glass contrast screen present on the more expensive BeoVision 6 and BeoVision 7 ranges but it does have an unusual loudspeaker system which uses a central down-facing woofer an addition to the stereo speakers to improve bass performance.

BeoVision 8-40 will be available in a choice of two colours: black or white.

Gold added to B&O palette

Nick Jarman — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:03:24 +0000

Only a few months after making a large part of their range available in white, Bang & Olufsen have announced a similar number of products will be available with a gold-coloured finish.

Gold products are made to special order (meaning a longer lead time) and will be priced at a premium, we estimate 10-15%.

Although not to everyone’s taste, there’s no denying that the deep black of the LCD/plasma screens and loudspeaker cloths contrast well with the gold of the cabinets. To keep the colour palette to a minimum, the gold colouring even extends to the stands for televisions such as the BeoVision 7 and the bases of the BeoLab 6000 speakers. This is a wise choice because the standard silver stands which work well with the current range of colours would not go well with gold.

Televisions available in gold are: BeoVision 4-50 and 4-65, BeoVision 7-32 and 7-40 and BeoVision 9. Speakers with a gold finish are BeoLab 6000, BeoLab 8000 and the entire BeoLab 7 range (7-1, 7-2 and 7-4). Both remote controls (Beo 4 and Beo 5) can be ordered in gold and surprisingly only one music system: BeoSound 1.

A PDF format brochure showing the products in the dramatic setting of the Zaha Hadid building at Ordrupgaard is available for download here. As far as we know a printed version is not available but B&O really should start putting brochures like this into print as they show the products off so much better than the current catalogues.

BeoVision 7-40 now available without DVD

Nick Jarman — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:12:27 +0000

A non-DVD version of the BeoVision 7-40 has been added to the BeoVision 7 range. This means that the BeoVision 7 is now available in two screen sizes (32″ and 40″), both with and without an integrated DVD player.

Even though the new BeoVision hasn’t been officially announced by B&O and there are no details on the company’s website yet, it is already being advertised by dealers. With a price around £1000 less than the DVD-equipped version they will surely be keen to start selling them as soon as they can.

Because there are no photos of the TV on B&O’s site, we’ve Photoshopped our own version to show how it will look, the only difference being the lack of a curved DVD drawer beneath the screen.

Details of the DVD versions of the BeoVision 7-32 and 7-40 can be found on B&O’s own BeoVision 7 page.

BeoSound 5 available 3 months early

Nick Jarman — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 16:14:06 +0000

Bang & Olufsen have announced that the BeoSound 5 is now available, 3 months earlier than expected. When it was announced in November last year, the first deliveries were scheduled for April 2009.

It’s not surprising that B&O have made it available sooner; shifting back-orders will surely help cash-flow in what must be difficult times for the company. The main reason for the delay between announcement and availability seems to have been to give the company time to finish developing the BeoSound 5’s software. Perhaps they reached the point were it had all the right features and was stable sooner than they planned, or perhaps the software is good enough and any remaining minor problems can be fixed by sending out automatic updates.

White BeoSound 9000 no 1/1500 sells for £12,800

Nick Jarman — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:52:56 +0000

Bang & Olufsen’s auction of the first BeoSound 9000 in white and a matching pair of BeoLab 8000 loudspeakers has finished. The winning bid was 105,000 DKK (€14,000). This is quite a premium over the usual price, but the money will go to a worthy cause: UNICEF.

Signed copies of “Bang & Olufsen” at BeoWorld

Nick Jarman — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:54:16 +0000

A very limited number of signed first editions of our book, Bang & Olufsen, are now in stock at the BeoWorld Gift Shop. They are ready for immediate dispatch and priced at £29.50 each with free delivery worldwide. The price includes a small donation to BeoWorld to help pay for the site’s running costs. They are certain to sell out quickly—order yours now by following this link!

Collecting Bang & Olufsen website launched

Nick Jarman — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:31:00 +0000

We have launched a website to promote our new book, “Bang & Olufsen”, which can be found at www.collectingbangandolufsen.com.

The site contains high resolution pictures which show the quality of the photography and layout of the book. This is an ideal book for collectors, Bang & Olufsen enthusiasts, fans of Danish design and anyone who is interested in finding out more about Bang & Olufsen’s history. If you haven’t already ordered your copy, please go to the Collecting Bang & Olufsen site and see what you’re missing!

B&O loudspeakers now available in white

Nick Jarman — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:26:26 +0000

Bang & Olufsen are now offering the majority of their loudspeakers in white. Models with moulded cases, such as the BeoLab 2 and BeoLab 3 have a shiny white finish, whereas the rest of the range have white fabric covers.

The new colour scheme suits all models very well, and brings to mind the white variations of standard models which were available during the 1970s and 1980s. The full list of white loudspeakers is as follows:

In addition the BeoVision 9 is available with a white speaker cloth and the BeoVision 8 is available with a white cabinet.

The whole range of white products is shown in a superbly-photographed catalogue, which sets a standard of presentation not achieved by the company since they started publishing their main catalogue biannually. With large photographs and minimal text, this is how B&O products should be shown. When products are presented this well, they become much more desirable.

You can download the catalogue here (it’s 47MB, so it might take a while to download).