How is this company still going?

F

FunkyMonkey

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In the 80s and 90s Bang and Olufsen used to be the pinnacle of design technology.

Now it just rehashes Asian products in a not so spectacular design.

The fact that this company is still going proves two things:
A fool and his money are easily parted.
And money does not buy taste.

https://www.whathifi.com/news/bo-teams-lg-beovision-eclipse-4k-oled-tv
 

newlash09

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Aug 28, 2015
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3 years back. Was just getting into hifi. And had a pair of Harman kardon sound sticks that I still love. Due to lack of space, my system resides in the living room , on full public display. So I wanted a simple to setup, awesome looking and sounding sysyem, that didn't take up too much place. Almost bought that big dish antenna speaker they have on a tripod. Then after reading a lot here, went the seperates route.

So those who consider music a hobby, get into hifi seperates. And those who just value looks and good music will go with B&O
 
B&O is renowned for its excellent customer support. Only 2 of its speakers are made in China, rest all in Denmark and Czech Republic.

B&O is a relatively small European company and the labour costs in Denmark are relatively high.

The materials used in the products can also be more expensive than those found in other electrical goods. The use of aluminium has been a long-standing tradition and the machining and anodising of this material is a B&O speciality.

Products are also designed to be serviced and are expected to have a long life span. B&O will actively support products for 10 years following its discontinuation and often longer.

Of course the design itself carries a price tag as does the exclusive image. But also remember the technologies developed by B&O over the years - HX-Pro, ICE power, Tangential Tracking record players.

From another forum:

The problem with this "China" issue is more snobbery rather than knowledge of manufacturing. People just assume that only Western manufacturers are somehow pioneers of quality manufacturing. Ironic, considering there was a recent German poll and their view of British manufacturing quality was fairly low - viewed as manufacturers of poor quality goods.

Chinese manufacturers do what you tell them to do. When Apple, as an example, design their high-quality products, they don't design them around what their Chinese manufacturer is capable of producing! The other way around. Apple design the product in their labs and, when complete, they show the specs to their manufacturers and they get the factories tooled up to cope.

Indeed, I'd go as far as saying that the Chinese go beyond what they need to meet a clients requirements. They are only too happy to get it right. They are very very embarassed if they get production wrong - unlike in Britain where we can't get Brit workers interested in manufacturing.

As for Chinese "quality issues", those issues come from our consumer demand, rather than the supply. We DEMAND cheaper goods and, because of this, the suppliers are always finding ways to cut corners, so they can cut costs. To get your 50" TV for £799, the manufacturer uses even cheaper plastics, cheaper speakers and so on.

That's where the perception of poor quality comes from, not the manufacturing process.

Armani and many luxury clothing brands have been producing in China for years and barely anyone has noticed. People still buy from those brands as frequentely has they have done previously. Only difference is, Armani is making more of a markup as they can get them produced more cheaply.

Getting the BeoPlay and other "cheaper" products produced in China doesn't affect my view of Bang & Olufsen. As I said above, the Chinese haven't designed the products for B&O. They are 100% B&O. They specify the design, the materials and the components.

We all worry about B&O losing money, share price going down and so on, then when they look at a way of saving some money and getting goods on the shelves more quickly - like other manufacturers - we see complaints coming in.

This is modern life. We all want cheaper prices and more quickly developed products, but we want them made in Denmark, too? We can't have both. Blame consumerism for a start.
 

newlash09

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I travel a lot in China. And they have always come across as folks very enthusiastic to please through what they do. Manufacturing included. And they will stretch to deliver what is expected of them. Always ...
 
F

FunkyMonkey

Guest
Reading with interest. Seems that b and o have recovered by using tech from Koreans and adding their own unique design flair.

However to my tastes they don't look that great next to the Asian high end designs...of high end TV's of the likes of LG l, Samsung or Panasonic, for example.

They lower costs by not developing the tech themselves, but still charge Megabucks for their trademark designs and their names.
 
You're missing the point. LG is the only manufacturer of OLED TV panels in the world. Philips, Panasonic, Sony etc. all use LG panels. But TV panel isn't the only thing that determines picture quality. Otherwise why would people buy anything else other than LG?

There's a huge difference in the quality of every component that goes into making the TV and also the speakers which are easily the best inbuilt TV speakers in the market with the ability to sync with other B&O speakers for surround sound without needing an AV receiver. The speaker design and technology is their own, not borrowed from somewhere else.

If Hugo Boss and Lacoste can charge a fortune for their clothes just for the brand name, why can't B&O? It's a luxury electronics manufacturer making some very beautiful products. Their TV stands alone are a thing of beauty. You really should demo a B&O TV.
 

avole

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Several weeks ago, actually, and not even missed the old system.

B&O continue to exist because they make brilliant products.Plus, they have a large R&D department and sell their digital developments to many other manufacturers. A lot of digital amps use B&O components.
 

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