I'm very surprised they're using Class D amplification with these new speakers. I do recall the CEO of the company telling me ( quite loudly and on numerous occasions) that Class D was markedly inferior to Class AB as regards distortion and sonic characteristics of the sound.
I guess they must have just perfected Class D where everyone else 'failed'.
Good to hear :wall:
JB 8)
I guess they must have just perfected Class D where everyone else 'failed'.
Good to hear :wall:
JB 8)
Jmac, I've enjoyed your posts here and elsewhere to the point of considering buying some Beolabs...
I have Cyrus monox and Spendor A9's at the mo and enjoy them greatly , however, I hear there is scale to be had along with looking beautiful.
Can you describe (if possible) what I could expect?
I have Cyrus monox and Spendor A9's at the mo and enjoy them greatly , however, I hear there is scale to be had along with looking beautiful.
Can you describe (if possible) what I could expect?
Frank Harvey
Well-known member
Hi David, I will be based in Londoninium for the next couple of weeks so plan to do a little research.
It's not that anything is lacking .....just fancy a change.
It's not that anything is lacking .....just fancy a change.
Hi all.
Been and had a look at these ADM5s.
First impressions??. I'm impressed from the design point of view. It really looks the part and if AJ can keep the price as he says at around £699, he should have a winner irrespective of what people might think of AJ and his comments and his minions.
Looking further down, we see the amp panel. Well laid out indeed. Martin really has done a good job. If the market dictates for a speaker like this then I wish them well.
2 things worry me as a speaker designer even though some people may disagree.
1). Not sure about the use of switched mode power supplies. If it were mine I think I would've used a linear supply with the transformer in a separate case.
2). Looking at the back panel I can't see a mains earth!. I was under the impression that you needed an earth if the product wasn't double insulated. With a SMPS you are effectively 'rectifying the mains' and if that back panel is metal then I don't see how you can get CE approval or, if you self certify, how you could put yourself on the line!!.
That said, I think it's a good product so far.
Just my opinion. Hope I'm wrong.
Been and had a look at these ADM5s.
First impressions??. I'm impressed from the design point of view. It really looks the part and if AJ can keep the price as he says at around £699, he should have a winner irrespective of what people might think of AJ and his comments and his minions.
Looking further down, we see the amp panel. Well laid out indeed. Martin really has done a good job. If the market dictates for a speaker like this then I wish them well.
2 things worry me as a speaker designer even though some people may disagree.
1). Not sure about the use of switched mode power supplies. If it were mine I think I would've used a linear supply with the transformer in a separate case.
2). Looking at the back panel I can't see a mains earth!. I was under the impression that you needed an earth if the product wasn't double insulated. With a SMPS you are effectively 'rectifying the mains' and if that back panel is metal then I don't see how you can get CE approval or, if you self certify, how you could put yourself on the line!!.
That said, I think it's a good product so far.
Just my opinion. Hope I'm wrong.
char_lotte said:
I could try, but it's a bit difficult in that I am not familiar with the sound, or perhaps 'sonic signature' of the Cyrus monox and Spendor A9's - albeit I have heard Cyrus amplification and some Spendor speakers, but probably far too long ago to be of help.
So just generally, I find the Lab 9's to be very capable in terms of delivering a very high resolution, very detailed sound, but with a real sense of smoothness and warmth on good, reasonably recent DDD recordings, and a freedom from long or short term listening fatigue. Older, ADD recordings of say string quartets, or orchestra can be overbright - one can hear the added reverb to add 'space' to the sound of the original recording, (comparing the original vinyl to the later remastered CD release) and that the treble has been boosted as well, to add detail, but nonetheless the sound doesn't grate on the ears or annoy - unlike my Naim SBL's which could sound almost unlistenable on such material, with overbright, shouty hardness, and also whilst not delivering anything like as much detail at the same time.
I also find their transient response superb - things really do start and stop when they should, so musical dynamics, re the sense of involvement one gets in a musical performance, is again, at an exceptionally high level - my comparison/reference being live acoustic music as well as the abilities of my previous kit.
They do both 2 channel music, as well as movies with great aplomb, so are emminently suited to an 2 channel music or AV role.
Subs are not really necessary, as subjectively, I find their bass abilities on movie LFE on a par with something like a friend of mines Velodyne DD 15" sub with motional feedback. My listening space is double brick, plastered and painted, with concrete floors (carpeted) and again ceiling - painted and plastered - and a 5 x 4 metre space. They will play far louder than I would ever deem necessary in such a space, and the LFE will literally rattle windows at a sensible, but not extreme volume level on movies.
If you play solo piano, or full orchestra, the bass is always extremely well controlled, making it's prescence felt but never dominating - the speakers just seem extremely well balanced tonally, and very neutral. On the other hand, play some pipe organ with extensive use of pedal ranks, and the low organ bass will pressurise the room and do a pretty good job of attempting to make your trousers flap. Not quite a transmission line bass then, but some of the best, as in pitch accurate, timbrally detailed, smooth, powerful and beautifully controlled bass that I've heard, bearing comparision with speakers like B&W 802's that I've personally had serious auditions of.
LFE has on ocassion been so sudden, and powerful in the early days of getting used to them, that it had me jumping out of the listening seat in surprise, amazement, and a little fear that something might break! I've measured a constant 87db of pure LFE on one movie, with an SPL level meter, C weighted, slow response, and felt that any more would have either the neighbours or the police knocking on the door.
So, if you like weight and scale in the sound, i.e. the sound that really only a full range speaker, or sub/sat system can mange, they most certainly deliver.
Treble I find to be very detailed and clean - I wouldn't call it sweet, but it's not 'hard' or 'cold' either. Things like triangles and ride cymbals are very clearly, and yet naturally rendered as regards timbral detail - but again, not fatiguing at all.
Midrange, is exceptionally open, clear, neutral and superbly detailed.
If you want to get down and party with say Daft Punk, or maybe some Jacques Lousier Play Bach, they'll deliver a thrilling and highly impressive performance; put on some Diana Krall, and listen to 'audiophile' close miked breathy vocals brushing up against you as Diana sits in your lounge room, singing to just YOU.
The bottom line though, IMHO, is to perhaps go and have a listen and see if you like them, as all speakers have a certain sonic signature, and won't appeal to all, and you may well not like them, or may prefer something else that is available. And of course, whilst the ALT lenses and the bass EQ postion switch make them less room and position dependant than many, they will still be affected by room issues. Some owners have resorted to playing around with the individual driver unit potentiometers to tailor the sound more to their environment for example - especially in many minimalist, Bauhaus inspired interiors with lots of bare floors and glass etc which can suffer from ringing and excess reverberation.
I'd also suggest you might like to do some research on the company re it's engineering and R&D credentials - they're not just a pretty face covering mediocre, and overpriced speakers as many ill informed audiophiles like to perceive B&O to be.
Hope this helps, and thanks for your kind words...
JB
busb
Well-known member
JMacMan said:
Several years ago, a company launched an upright kettle made of plastic - fairly cheap with the ability to only boil one cup of water at a time. The likes of Swan retaliated with a negative ad campaign that rubbished plastic for boiling water in. A couple of years later, Swan has launched their own version. It's called the Not invented here syndrome.
I know very little about AVI apart from from reading (some of) the threads here but I tend to steer away from alpha males in general & larger than life one in particular. Whether or not the owners fall into that catagory, I don't know.
As for class D, many companies buy in the modules without having to do much design work thanks to the likes of B&O having developed them. Very few design from basics.
John Duncan
Well-known member
JMacMan said:
I don't think there are many people left who doubt B&O's credentials any more. That's all a bit 1980s (when a lot of misinformation about B&O emanated from places like Glasgow, Cambridge and Salisbury and was perpetuated by hi-fi shop assistants who believed everything they were told by mischievous reps.)
I was once told by some idiot shop assistant that B&O was basically re-styled/re-badged/re-packaged Goodmans kit and that it was all made in Hong-Kong!
But that was a long time ago.
Alec
Well-known member
char_lotte said:
Happy to help, and I apologise for going off topic re the thread, and for the length of my post re your request. I trust I didn't bore to many people..
I don't know what the situation is like in the UK, but in Australia the B&O stores vary quite a bit as regards setup; typically the flagship Lab 5's are set up in a dedicated room for AV use, whereas the others, including the next one down the rung, the Lab 9 which I own, are scattered around the room as if it were a display of furniture.
I can only suggest trying one or two emporiums if this is possible, to hear whatever speakers in the B&O range interest you, and hopefully with reasonably decent setup; if the Lab 5's are well setup, I'd suggest listening, as the lab 9 is basically a smaller scale version re the sound, and even the lovely little Lab 3 can sound like the Lab 5, minus the bass of course. Certainly, B&O have run Blind AB tests with the speakers hidden behind a curtain, with the Lab 3 v's the Lab 5, and in the absense of low bass, reputedly fooled a few people into thinking the massively bigger speaker was playing.
So it would give you a bit of a handle on the B&O 'sound'.
HTH
JB
John Duncan
Well-known member
chebby said:
Good to hear... I'm not in the UK, so am not aware of the perceptions of B&O there, so good to hear that some of the myths have died a death...
JB
Covenanter
Well-known member
Can someone start a thread about B&O speakers so we don't lose the valuable information here?
Tongue firmly in cheek, of course.
Tongue firmly in cheek, of course.
altruistic.lemon said:Can someone start a thread about B&O speakers so we don't lose the valuable information here?
Tongue firmly in cheek, of course.
Whose cheek ( s )?
John Duncan
Well-known member
fr0g said:Whose cheek ( s )?altruistic.lemon said:Can someone start a thread about B&O speakers so we don't lose the valuable information here?
Tongue firmly in cheek, of course.
I'm afraid that won't get you anywhere here...
BenLaw
Well-known member
John Duncan
Well-known member
BenLaw
Well-known member
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