Bang Olufsen TVs?

[caesar]

They cost 3-4x as much. Are they really better for viewing, or just a better design/ styling? Thanks

 

[amirm]

They are not active in US so I don't run into them. Give me a link to any model you are interested in and I will do some research.

Until then, they most likely source the panel from someone else and what you are paying for is the brand and styling.

 

[Steve williams]

they sure are pretty though and IIRC some of the B&O products are in the MOMA

 

[JackD201]

Little Bang for your Olufsen but yes they really are pretty.

 

[mimesis]

Yes, the design is outstanding. I think that people who have huge budgets for interior design will specify the TVs for the aesthetics. Their big Icepower speakers seem like a reasonable value - solid aluminum, solid engineering, commensurate high end price when compared with other full range active speakers.

 

[fas42]

Yes, the design is outstanding. I think that people who have huge budgets for interior design will specify the TVs for the aesthetics. Their big Icepower speakers seem like a reasonable value - solid aluminum, solid engineering, commensurate high end price when compared with other full range active speakers.

Their Beolab 5 digital speaker I think is still their most extravagant effort here, similar concept to Tim's with theoretically a lot more grunt. I had a listen at B&O's showroom, sort of OK, had some oomph but not really high end. What was hilarious was watching the sales chappie wrestling with their multi-disc player mechanism! Looks very flash, and gee whiz in operation, but crikey, it was the flakiest piece of kit I've come across in a long, long time!! It took about 5 minutes to get any particular disc to start playing, and probably costs a fortune too ...

Hope their TV's don't have the same level of reliability ...

Frank

 

[LL21]

picture-quality-wise they are breathtaking. they have one that literally looks like a picture frame...in side by side comparisons with the same video feeding thru the old Piondeer 7th generation Kuros, etc...the B&O had something about it. more natural? more easy on the eye? something very, very definte but also difficult to describe which was effortless delivery of color, movement and almost a 3-d like fullness to the images on the (obviously) 2-d image. back to one of the key points of this entire website, is it worth 3x-4x the price? for those who can, yes. i will say, the older generation Loewe were the equal to my eyes of the Bang Olufsen for a lot less money (though still 2x+ more than Pioneer's best). But now i find Loewe seems to have fallen behind with their latest generation...while B&O is still showing a pretty amazing quality screen.

 

[caesar]

They are not active in US so I don't run into them. Give me a link to any model you are interested in and I will do some research.

Until then, they most likely source the panel from someone else and what you are paying for is the brand and styling.

Amir,

You are correct. Apparently the BeoVision 4 plasma was discontinued. But the price was around $20K, from what I recall.

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/beovision4/revolutionary-plasma-technology

Now, they seem to have switched from Plasma to LCD. The latest model is BeoVision 7, and the asking price is around $13.5K for a 55 inch LCD TV.

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/page.asp?id=785

Obviously we are up against the law of diminishing returns here in terms of possible picture or sound improvements per $ spent. But are these guys adding any value in terms of an improved picture or sound, or is it all design and status?

Thanks

 

[mimesis]

Why not visit a B&O boutique and see for yourself? They have quite a few around the country and the world.

 

[caesar]

Why not visit a B&O boutique and see for yourself? They have quite a few around the country and the world.

1. Laziness
2. Time Constraints
3. Hearing from experts who understand this stuff better than me and better than the salespeople pitching the stuff.

 

[Steve williams]

IMO they are eye candy but not worth the 3-4 X cost of other similar TVs.

 

[fas42]

picture-quality-wise they are breathtaking. they have one that literally looks like a picture frame...in side by side comparisons with the same video feeding thru the old Piondeer 7th generation Kuros, etc...the B&O had something about it. more natural? more easy on the eye? something very, very definte but also difficult to describe which was effortless delivery of color, movement and almost a 3-d like fullness to the images on the (obviously) 2-d image. back to one of the key points of this entire website, is it worth 3x-4x the price? for those who can, yes. i will say, the older generation Loewe were the equal to my eyes of the Bang Olufsen for a lot less money (though still 2x+ more than Pioneer's best). But now i find Loewe seems to have fallen behind with their latest generation...while B&O is still showing a pretty amazing quality screen.

You have to be careful to distinguish a well calibrated or setup screen from one that is intrinsically of higher quality. The B&O may have had extra effort spent on getting all the settings just right, rather than just to impress ordinary purchasers in the showroom. As I have already mentioned, I spent some time getting this aspect just right on quite a cheap LCD, and then you get the qualities you just mentioned. The eye is very sensitive, not as much as the ear, but it can easily pick when the colour is not quite right and is disturbed about it.

Even extremely expensive TV's won't do it if their settings are not on the money, this is a key area to get right. I recently saw a monster sized Panasonic panel, surrounded by conventional sized units. The big fella was easily the worst looking because the settings were terrible ...

Frank

 

[FrantzM]

You have to be careful to distinguish a well calibrated or setup screen from one that is intrinsically of higher quality. The B&O may have had extra effort spent on getting all the settings just right, rather than just to impress ordinary purchasers in the showroom. As I have already mentioned, I spent some time getting this aspect just right on quite a cheap LCD, and then you get the qualities you just mentioned. The eye is very sensitive, not as much as the ear, but it can easily pick when the colour is not quite right and is disturbed about it.

Even extremely expensive TV's won't do it if their settings are not on the money, this is a key area to get right. I recently saw a monster sized Panasonic panel, surrounded by conventional sized units. The big fella was easily the worst looking because the settings were terrible ...

Frank

I have to go here with fas42 (Oh the Horror !!! ) ... They are good but not that good ... and aside from the (IMO) superb aesthetics ... Not worth the brutal premium they sell for ... Better get your Pioneer or other good TV and have it calibrated

 

[fas42]

I have to go here with fas42 (Oh the Horror !!! )

What the!! I'm an ugly brute but not quite that ugly ...

Frank

 

[Vincent Kars]

Had a B&O MX1500 television for years
Basically a Philips Matchline TV in a fur coat
Yes, fur coats are expensive
No, putting on a fur coat won’t change what is inside

 

[mep]

Had a B&O MX1500 television for years
Basically a Philips Matchline TV in a fur coat
Yes, fur coats are expensive
No, putting on a fur coat won’t change what is inside

I like that analogy. Same could be said for many pieces of high-end electronics where lots of your purchase dollars were spent on the window dressing of the case work.