Help required...B & O clone?

The Mad Rapper said:
My partner would like to buy something similar to this, does anyone know of any company producing something in a similar design that won't break the bank?

TIA ;)
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Go around some of the specialist real HiFi shops, many companies now offer single box life style products that actually work as well !!!
Your partner might see something else they like the look of.... do suggest they listening to it as well ;)
 
Matblack said:
:p

I'm in a bad mood and I know a right muppet with some B&O kit, that and its bloody pugly, a proper triumph of design over function, give me a nice industrial looking black box with proper knobs on it any day :)

MB
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I'll form a Q behind you then !!! ;)

I hear some of it is re badged gear from China now, they just dress it up in some Aluminium....then claim it's made in there factory :(
 
Look at this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CD-RADIO-ALAR...5878520171QQcategoryZ3272QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

0924kt.jpg


Just needs the B&O badge and its a perfect replica

MB
 
Well, I dont know what they did to get such hate here...

I dont know about what they are doing brand new now but certainly a year ago or longer. they keep a stock of some of the finest acousticians in the world.

They dont target hifi enthusiasts/"audiophiles" because its not what they are about and a large number of them, quite frankly, couldnt tell their arse from their elbow in a controlled listening environment and tow the "Its all form over function, it MUST be rubbish" line.

They have never targetted anyone but people who want something that does its job well while fitting in to the minimalist styles demanded by the affluent. To do this, they overcome some of the toughest design challenges faced during loudspeaker construction.

Its not a BOSE job, its not all marketing and no substance. They pour ridiculous amounts into R&D to make their stuff what it is.

Let me put it this way:

I am doing a degree in Acoustics and I would be PROUD to be employed by a company like Bang and Olufsen (in their research department).
 
DRZ said:
Well, I dont know what they did to get such hate here...

I dont know about what they are doing brand new now but certainly a year ago or longer. they keep a stock of some of the finest acousticians in the world.

They dont target hifi enthusiasts/"audiophiles" because its not what they are about and a large number of them, quite frankly, couldnt tell their arse from their elbow in a controlled listening environment and tow the "Its all form over function, it MUST be rubbish" line.

They have never targetted anyone but people who want something that does its job well while fitting in to the minimalist styles demanded by the affluent. To do this, they overcome some of the toughest design challenges faced during loudspeaker construction.

Its not a BOSE job, its not all marketing and no substance. They pour ridiculous amounts into R&D to make their stuff what it is.

Let me put it this way:

I am doing a degree in Acoustics and I would be PROUD to be employed by a company like Bang and Olufsen (in their research department).
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Fair play mate, but its not going to help, my image of the brand has been polluted by the kind of kind of pretentious ****** you find buying it.

I know one of these protentious tossers quite well and he always wants to tell me how his system is better than mine because it looks cool and has powered sliding doors. This makes me want to strip off his flash and pour salt on him.

I'm sure their stuff is OK its just I'd rather keep my money and spend it on something which looks OK, sounds great and doesn't cost a fortune, rather than costs a fortune, sounds OK and looks good :)

MB
 
Matblack said:
Fair play mate, its not going to help, my image of the brand has been polluted by the kind of kind of pretentious ****** you find buying it. I know one of these protentious tossers quite well and he always want to tell me how his system is better than mine because it look cool and has powered sliding doors. This makes me want to strip off his flash and pour salt on him, I'm sure their stuff is OK its just I'd rather keep my money and spend it on something which looks OK, sounds great and doesn't cost a fortune, rather than costs a fortune, sounds OK and looks good :)

MB

MB
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Dont get me wrong here, I wouldnt touch one of their products with a 40ft bargepole but the reasons WHY I would buy one are totally different from the mob of foaming-at-the-mouth rabid idiots who lump them in with BOSE/Kef.
 
DRZ, well that's what they want people to believe ! why spend millions trying to defy physics.... accept the world is round (or should that have been flat from me ;) ) and make the best product, sure develope new ideas, but compromise performance along the way ??....Others hold new ideas back untill they have them working better than they had done before.

Only the other day I was speaking to an ex B&O dealer of many years, sounds like the company is so far up it's own.... it "lies" about it's manufacturing and sourcing actions.... Ie Imported Chinese speakers, re badged......

They also sent a secret buyer to his store, and asked the salesman "does B&O make the best HiFi in the world".... The salesman answered fairly and honest, "by what are you judging the best" ... "Sound ? Function ? Looks" ?.... When pushed for the "best" he replied "no"
Next day they sent the heavy mob in, and "instructed" them to tell customers that B&O DO make the best in the world..... They refused and set them a challenge, put two 25k systems together, one B&O, one of there selection, and get 50 people off the street to listen and judge..... Funny the guys from B&O declined !!! ...... They dropped B&O in the end !
So not sold by demonstration or sound then !!!!

Obviously styling is subjective, but there seems a pretty wide choice these days, and some of sounds good as well !


Kef have been a long standing and quality designer of speakers !!! :p
 
9designs2 said:
DRZ, well that's what they want people to believe ! why spend millions trying to defy physics.... accept the world is round (or should that have been flat from me ;) ) and make the best product, sure develope new ideas, but compromise performance along the way ??....Others hold new ideas back untill they have them working better than they had done before.

Only the other day I was speaking to an ex B&O dealer of many years, sounds like the company is so far up it's own.... it "lies" about it's manufacturing and sourcing actions.... Ie Imported Chinese speakers, re badged......

They also sent a secret buyer to his store, and asked the salesman "does B&O make the best HiFi in the world".... The salesman answered fairly and honest, "by what are you judging the best" ... "Sound ? Function ? Looks" ?.... When pushed for the "best" he replied "no"
Next day they sent the heavy mob in, and "instructed" them to tell customers that B&O DO make the best in the world..... They refused and set them a challenge, put two 25k systems together, one B&O, one of there selection, and get 50 people off the street to listen and judge..... Funny the guys from B&O declined !!! ...... They dropped B&O in the end !
So not sold by demonstration or sound then !!!!

Obviously styling is subjective, but there seems a pretty wide choice these days, and some of sounds good as well !


Kef have been a long standing and quality designer of speakers !!! :p
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The Kef thing was a joke :p

If B&O dont design their own stuff, then why have some of our best graduates gone there over the years to their R&D department?

B&O shops are franchised for the most part, so its not like a Mission authorised dealer where a shop manager can pick and choose what lines get sold! The franchisee probably made a massive investment and clearly most people would want a return.

The standards that you seek to apply to B&O seem to be a bit strange. Every reasonably low volume manufacturer ought to believe their products present the best product on the market at their price- if they didnt strive to do that, there would be little point in them even trading. B&O styling is, in my opinion, top notch - but that is subjective. Brands like Est Est Est are another, similar operation. Swanky and expensive but doesnt stand up to the very best in outright terms, yet still popular and regarded well amongst those who go there. Surely you can see where I am coming from?

If I was a millionnaire who wanted my "entertaining" room to reflect my affluence amongst those who (like 99.9% of the general public) dont give a crap about true SQ, B&O would be my first port of call.

I totally understand when it comes to companies like BOSE, they are total con artists. However, when you are talking about B&O and if you judge them by what they stand for and not by what you would like them to be you can see that actually, they are pretty much the best on the market at what they do.

EDIT: oh and they dont "defy physics" they innovate around the problems that get in their way. Amazingly well, I might add.
 
My team manager owns a B&O system, I think it cost her around £2500. Interesting how she comments on how wonderful if looks, not how great it sounds.

I wouldn't worry about it guys. Some people like the styling and are willing to pay for it.
Look at it from say a motoring perspective. You walk into a BM garage with a shed load of dosh.
On the one hand you have an M5, on the other, and M6. Same engine, but the M6 has fewer doors, less space, worse useability and yet still costs £20k more, because people like to be "different" and some people want the coupe because it does look pretty damn cool.
So in relative terms, £2k for a fairly average stereo is not really the end of the world.

One side note. Apparently the dealer who sold it went to install it. Instead of recommending appropriate speaker positions, they simply put them where my (female) manager prefered. No clues about whether they were setup on dedicated stands, or put out of the way to make it look nice.
The fact that the dealer didn't even try to put them in the correct place probably says it all.
 
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