B&O, overpriced artistic piece of audio?

Redkiwi, only those who have risked everything know the true pleasure of living.

In regards to b&o. At a dealer recently to look at power filters I was walking around the store to what lines they carried. The had a really big selection of B and O taking up a chunk of the main floor. I looked at a couple of price tags and asked "Do you sell much of this?" Yes lots, but none to 2 channel audiophiles was the reply. Enough said cheers steve

Your expressed concern has been a prevaling attitude within the "audiophile" community for many years. And as with many opinions these days, the occasional B&O fan can provoke heated exchanges amongst those who disagree. I agree with those who suggest that what you have should be very satisfactory. Image can be a significant factor in the decision process. For many products, especially within the higher price classes, the cost of the case, displays, heatsinks, controls and nameplates (visual aesthetics) can sometimes equal or exceed the manufacturing costs of the components within. B&O has always recognized the value to some of having a high aesthetic and ergonomic appeal. B&O has, in the past, claimed to have placed real importance upon listening tests in the product development process. They are an old and successful company with thousands and thousands of customers (especially overseas). So we can assume that they know what their potential customers want. I have not heard the most recent B&O models. Earlier models, in my opinion, were sonically acceptable for smaller spaces. But not a choice I would have made given the great number of quality alternative choices. If you have the option, why not audition B&O at home (before eliminating your current system) and decide for yourself. If you prefer it and want it, that's enough to make it a valid choice.

B&0 sends my thoughts back to the mid 80's. Going to the audio salons. B&O was really big back then. The pinnacle of their existence. I remember the brands of audio from those days that these stores would push: Alpine, B&K, B&O, Carver, Kyocera, Monster Cable(we've come a long way baby!), NAD, Nakamichi, Polk, Proton, 3 way speakers with 12" or 15"(if you were REALLY stylin') woofers(the midrange was an afterthought - hey it has one), etc. It was the age of the yuppie. Product was bought by many people who had no idea of what they were buying. Most were just buying because they were making great money, and loved the lifestyle. Think of the other stuff those people bought. BMW, Polo, Rolex, etc. All of these brands rose to prominence then. Back to audio... Sound was good to those who bought, or so it seemed. Hey, most people were comparing this stuff to boomboxes, rack systems, and horrid solid state crap. In retrospect, looks were more critical than sound. Style ruled. The sound just needed to be able to make a person see(or hear???) that it was better than his Panasonic receiver. I don't know why, but even though the sound of that stuff wasn't at all special, I look back on that time with fond remembrance. Maybe I'm just getting old...

Trelja, We're all getting old.