BeoLab 5 - by Bang & Olufsen

[egj1975]

There are better speakers out there....but not at this price. When comparing to lets say B&W you have to remember that these have built is DSP's and amplifiers that match them. With many other you have to buy that on the side and a good amp is not cheap. I work with sound and I was really blown away by the sound and the power. The can play so loud that standing 3 meters away makes you ears pray for merci. Alot of speakers can play loud but not many can play so controlled bass at these levels.

[Andreasus4thdj]

I buy only Genelec !!!! Much higher quality....

[Linkmat97]

one of those speakers costs more than my car :(

[MTRC302]

i went to the store and tested these in person... and WOW way better then a movies......

[bratwurst130]

I have worked at B & O selling BeoLab 5 and i have to say, that i am missing them :( They are the best i have ever heard in my life!!

[WhiskyXXIII]

beolab 9 much cooler for me

[Pokemon7785]

Wow! The subwoofer is pretty big!

[9876543210Hammer]

@Pokemon7785

18" baby!

[Tayuku28]

they don't get much more graceful than that.

[123MARTIN45]

My uncle has two of these and he is a carpenter, so you dont need to work hard in school but work hard at your job

[TechnicCreations]

LOL my headphones couldnt handle the bass!

[AppleKonijntje12]

die heb ik thuis ze zijn geweldig

[TimpBizkit]

If one of those speakers yelled EXTEEEEERMINATE!! I'd shit my pants

[falshami]

@TimpBizkit we can have that arranged, that was a priceless comment man

[MohamedS786]

i got some of those, a large b and o set up :)

[nipponcolumbia]

Well i heard these speakers, i am convinced with the sound, i can afford it...I just can't take the space-age design...BEOLAB 8000 still the best of them all......Atleast for me....

[thechoice33]

Bowers and wilkins 800D are far better.

[SynerZ0]

They are more expensive and you need big silly overpriced amps to drive them.

Then you need cables..then you need a source......then it probably wont sound right because you used the wrong cable or the components dont match!

[falkenlaser]

B&W speakers match perfectly with Classe amps. And even then, even if you used an amp that doesn't quite match the 800Ds, they'd still probably sound better than the Beolab 5s. Along with the Wilson W/Ps, just about any decent amp will make them sound good.

Also, add a couple 13 in. JL Audio Fathom subs to cover the bass. Not only are the Fathoms regarded as having some of the best sound quality out there, the 13 in. models have 2500 watts, which is how many the watts the Beolab 5s have total!

[SynerZ0]

Fact is you are totally blinkered and fooled in to thinking that B&W re the best by marketing,bloated price tags and fancy wood finishes.

A few speaker cones and a cabinet made from wood do not ammount to $15000.

What exactly do you think pays for all that marketing hype?

[falkenlaser]

As a matter of fact, I'm really not much of a B&W fan. They're good, but I'd take Wilson Audio's Sasha over the 800Ds any day. I think a lot of people get on the "B&W Bandwagon" and think all their stuff is amazing just because of their 800-series. I own Paradigm, which is right on par with B&W (both are big steps above Klipsch, JBL, plus others). But I've heard it dissed by people who think B&W is better; even by a dealer who sells both (I could tell he was really concerned with "status").

[kkjgg112391]

Try burmester's loud speakers. they cost a ton of money but, hey.... PURE SILVER AUDIO CABLES are just the thing!

I'll post a video of my home theater set up made by burmester. my dad's a B&O fan.

But I think Burmester and Wilson works wonders.

[kkjgg112391]

Probably, have you tried listening to a beolab 5?

I find it really amusing that people tend to comment negatively on these speakers. we have them, and they sound great. the acoustics lens is not like any other high range drivers on the market.

I'm not being rude, i'm just stating the truth my friend. accept this as an answer to some of your "probably" kinds of questions.

[falkenlaser]

I've heard the Beolab 5 twice. From what I heard, it was okay. Paradigm's Ref. Sig. S6s powered by an Anthem PVA7 amp (together was about $8000) impressed me more. Add two JL Audio f113 Fathom subs, and that'd at least destroy the bass of the Beolab 5s (each f113 has 2500 watts, and has sound quality of subs costing much more).

But, the Wilson WATT/Puppy system I heard (which I have a video of) absolutely blew my mind. I actually did go to the B&O store the next day, but they were closed.

[kkjgg112391]

My dad have a home theater set up custom built by bang and olufsen. they did everything from the re-arrangement of our furniture to installation of the curtains.

all of bang and olufsen's speakers have their own independent amplifier. yes, "each on of them" have an ICE amplifier.

even if you don't purchase any head unit or "beocenter" as they call it. you can hook it up to anything and calibrates itself and re-processes the digital music or signal from the source.

Hope that clears you up :)

[araborn22]

not true check my vid my dad has a pair of them just 1 system of bang and olufsen and al the cables are included you got perfect sound ;)

[gjaddajg]

Danish design and technology at its best :P I like how they are always ahead of everyone else. My uncle have a Beosound 3200 (2000£) with four Beolab 8000s (2200£ each), and it got stolen twice within a month some time ago, hehe, bummer.

[absolutinspire]

Bang & Olufsen is for classy people JL is for everyone else..

[Pheeling]

jl in your livingroom? haha

[araborn22]

My Dad has 2 of these

this is not some kind of joke!

i'm gonne uploade a video verry soon we got them from 26/02/09

i swear this is not a stupid joke ;)

[gnativerson]

those cavities and slots are reminiscent of a Karlson speaker but with ~1/2 of the dome "in" the coupler - - - have there been diy attempts and if so what amounts of eq were used ?

[makky88]

arround 17.000 € , i've got two of them , Simply amaziing

[deedaliadee]

wow, lucky you!! i wish i could afford anything from B&O :( but then again, im only 17. one day :D

[rtworincinerator]

Formula for getting some nice B&O speakers..

1. Do good in school

2. Work your ass off

3. Pull out your wallet and empty it.

[deedaliadee]

haha yep, thats my plan lol !!

[Fagottron]

@rtworincinerator What does school have to do with anything? The industrial revolution was in 1830. That shit's old. Anyone with a passion for something and a little practical thinking can afford some B&O speakers in today's world. =]

[JOXCY]

@Fagottron Thumb this guy up guys.

[mongooseaudio]

@rtworincinerator or....fail in school...learn how to build speakers....make better ones for £500...and start an audio company...

[dsgsadggteqtqwte]

how much it cost??

[rtworincinerator]

$16,000- Set of 2 B&O Beolab 5's

[apkas7]

Ja želim to!!!!

[angusp2]

I went and tried these at B&O Christchurch NZ they are AMAZING!!!!!! the bass is great and the explosions are like earthquakes (we watched a clip from james bond.)

[nick15351535]

This speakers are insane 2.500 watt... and they have fucking crazy bass xD

[thatulsta]

whats that grey thing that slides out

[hervelegallo]

The 'grey' thing is a microphone that calibrates the loudspeaker, and analyzes the sound of the room" and tailor the speakers' performance accordingly. With BeoLab 5, it is as easy as pressing a button on top of one of the speakers. The process takes just two minutes and can be repeated easily in case you move your speakers or install new floors because you want to.

[davedb]

I purchased a pair of these for my newborn daughter (she loves soothing music in her nursery played on accurate speakers) and for my 93-year-old mother, who's very discriminating in her taste for hi-fi. Both of them seem to love the speakers. I might even buy a third pair for the bathroom. Great product!

[cybernaab]

Crap.

Looks like some model powerplant XD.

Just give me a 12inch sub some tweeters and a amp.

1000 times better then this shit.

[haircutalex]

Better than the dual 15 inch subs in these? I think not...

[baconpie2112]

2 JL Audio f113 Fathoms would beat these subs. They're 13 inchers; however, JL did a research and found that 13 in. subs sound better than 15s because 13s can play the higher bass notes but while still being able to play really low.

Anyway, the f113 has 2500 watts, which is from JL's Class D amps (which are better than ICEpower), and the drivers have a 3+ in. XMAX. The f113 is $3500, and it's the best-reviewed sub ever by almost every audio magazine, and now competes with subs costing 10x more.

[haircutalex]

Nonsense. A separate subwoofer will never perform as well as integrated subs - you simply cannot tune the crossovers well enough. No speaker will ever roll off with a linear curve, so combining subs and passive speakers together will result in lumpy bass. The BeoLab 5 is the most linear speaker on the planet, responding from 20 Hz - 20 KHz ±0.25 dB.

The 15" driver doesn't need to respond to high notes (hence why it is referred to by many as a sub), it only comes into action below around 60 Hz.

[baconpie2112]

Where do people get these specs on the Beolab 5? I can't find them on the website, nor can I find them in the B&O catalogue.

If the Beolab 5 is amazing as people say, then why has it got barely any attention from expert critics? Why is it not widely used by audiophiles? Why am I more impressed by systems costing less? Seriously, if I had to pick between a pair of these or a pair of Paradigm Studio 60s, 2 f112 Fathoms, and Anthem electronics; I could sure tell you I wouldn't pick the Lab5s...

[haircutalex]

B&O supply no specs because they've been useless as a company over the last year or two.

Official frequency response is 20 Hz - 20 KHz ±0.25, but in reality they'll reach way below this, down to at least 12 Hz.

Pair long-term SPL @ 1m: 128 dB

Pair peak SPL @ 1m: 135 dB

(note B&O quotes this at 10m for some reason)

~18 dB outside of the 180ºx30º mid+high distribution, which is far more controlled than even the best PA speakers (forget HiFi).

Each speaker can produce 2500w long term.

[baconpie2112]

Those specs do sound amazing. But, I personally am not impressed by the Lab5s. I think those ACLs make them sound a little weird, and I felt like I could tell where the sub was coming from (if you blindfolder someone in a room in which a Fathom was playing, they could not find it by hearing alone).

[haircutalex]

The ACLs just make them sound unique. They leave no tonal colour on the sound (hence the incredible linearity). You're probably just used to hearing speakers with uncontrolled dispersion.

As far as subwoofer directionality goes, that's a good thing. Bass is less directional than highs partly due to the ear, but also because most speakers don't control it properly (cabinet resonance etc...). The BeoLab 5s still produce by _far_ the best lows I have heard on the market.

[baconpie2112]

Out of curiosity, have you ever heard that Fathom and/or Gotham? If you haven't, then you should really go check them out. Yes, they are separate subs; however, they have redefined the high-end of subwoofers. The 12 in. is $3K and the 13 in, is $3500. Doesn't sound like much, but these are competing with subs costing 10x more. And then there's the Gotham.....This thing just received a review from The Absolute Sound (I think), and they have pretty much said it is the best subwoofer on the market.

[r0dnee]

i have 4 sets of these and their just fine

[baconpie2112]

Unlike many people believe, these are NOT the best speakers in the world. First of all, there are speakers that cost MUCH, MUCH more, and they still require amps; I heard a pair of Wilson Maxx speakers, which alone are $50K a pair, and they were powered by Classe components, together costing about $10K.

And, there are speakers that cost less than these that sound better, such as the Paradigm Ref. Sig. S6s powered by Anthem components, and 2 JL Audio 13 in. Fathoms.

[haircutalex]

It must be better because it costs more.

Passive technology is completely flawed in practice.

[baconpie2112]

Oh oh oh, no no no. In the audio world, you do NOT always get what you pay for. Period. Bose is a perfect example, and so is B&O (espeically their lower end; it's even more overpriced than Bose on a performance-to-price ratio). The Lab 5s are okay, but you can still get better for cheaper.

How is passive technology flawed? If it is, then why are passive models more common?

[haircutalex]

Passive speakers rely on passive crossovers which are highly inefficient, and no driver can respond with the linearity required for passive speakers to work well. Have you ever wondered why the whole pro audio industry is active, and has been for years? HiFi manufacturers can make more money by selling you a separate amplifier and speakers...

[baconpie2112]

Well, I know Abbey Road Studios and Skywalker Ranch use B&W speakers, and after looking at their website, I'm not aware of any active B&W speakers.

[haircutalex]

As an owner of B&W speakers I can understand why Abbey Road uses them - they are excellent speakers. However, the 800Ds used by Abbey Road, show a very lumpy midrange response at the crossover points - a trait of passive speakers.

B&W are moving into Active Speakers (which use B&O's ICE Power amps), but they've been reluctant to as they make a healthy profit out of Rotel, who are one of the biggest amplifier manufacturers.

[baconpie2112]

I wonder how JL Audio's new Primacy X3 active speaker will compare to others. It has 1000 watts coming from their Single Cycle Control class D amps. I know they're better than ICEpower; Alpine's PDX car amps use ICEpower, and JL Audio's Slash series, which aren't even Class D, are better. And now, JL has the new HD car amps, which use SCC. These are better than the Slashes.

I could see the Primacies being able to connect directly to the Fathom or Gotham, so they could cross-over perfectly.

[haircutalex]

How can you say X is better or worse than ICE Power? Have you ever compared an ICE Power amp directly to other amps? ICE is a basic design put together by B&O, it doesn't mean the amps in Alpine's designs are the same as those in the BeoLab 5s.

The JL Audios look promising, although there's no sort of dispersion control and the driver arrangement is all wrong. They also have no way near as much power. I would be very surprised if they could perform anywhere near the standard of BeoLab 5s.

[baconpie2112]

I'll admit I haven't compared the ICEpower amps directly to other amps; but, it's very possible some company (like JL) could have likely improved on it. But yes, the Primacy X3 will definitely sound different than the Beolab 5, but that's not essentially a bad thing. I would, however, like to see a pair w/ a pair of Gothams put against the Lab5s; not only would they be going against the Primacies, but they'd also be going against the (nearly) best sub in the world (not to mention 10,000 watts).

[haircutalex]

I doubt it. B&O dwarfs JL Audio in company size.

[baconpie2112]

Size is a poor judgement; I think a company's passion matters more. Look at B&O's lower-end speakers; they're extremely overpriced sound-quality wise. All they are is show (which does justify buying them). Also, B&O makes many non-audio products, so a lot of the company doesn't even focus on audio.

On the other hand, JL Audio's car products are or are near the best in their class sound-quality wise, and now their home products compete with the best. And, JL is an audio-only company.

[haircutalex]

True, size is no way of judging a company's products. Look at Toshiba...

I disagree RE B&O's 'non-audio' products. Everything they make is about sound, it's just some of them have screens too. B&O's focus has always been audio and video, mainly audio. True, some of their latest releases have been sub-par, but they've changed a lot in the last few months from what I can tell.

JL may be an audio-only company, but then Peavey are an audio-only company and 95% of their products are terrible.

[baconpie2112]

But JL Audio isn't Peavy......About 95% of JL Audio's products are world-class (although their regular car speakers and amps are very good and definitely near the top, there's better out there for the money [Hertz speakers and Audison amps]). But, their car and home subs are at the very top of the market. And, they have entered the top of the home market with subs costing much, much less then their competitors. That right there is an amazing feat not many companies can say they've done.

[baconpie2112]

Also, B&O does make things such as surgical instruments, and even the brake calipers for Lamborghini. Just like Porsche, B&O has a big industrial side. I've heard this from many credible sources.

Oh, and I'd like to mention I do own the A8 headphones, which I'd say are quite amazing. They sound very clear and full, and although the bass is relatively weak, it is still tight and quick. I also love the way they fit. And, I'm very surprised about the $165 price tag; I'm surprised they aren't more.

[makky88]

i've got two of them and the beosound 3.000 ... the better sound sistem y the world

[leonardo1229]

dramatic much

[ugp4130]

I will get a pair in about 7 years when they come on to the second hand market at affordable prices.

[haircutalex]

They generally go for around £8k second hand, but I've seen some of the older ones selling for £7k. I doubt they'll go down in price much...

[mads20]

beautiful creation