There are some things in this world that stand head and shoulders above the rest. For many, including professional audiophiles, the Danish audio-video manufacturer Bang & Olufsen epitomizes this belief.
My first B&O system was purchased in the 1970s, when I was fresh out of college and barely had two sticks to rub together. Extravagant? Perhaps. But this system lasted for
Beogram 4000 turntable
more than twenty years and served me well. Evolving technology did more to render it obsolete than did age. I had the BeoGram 4000 record turntable with the tangential tracking arm, a BeoMaster 1900 tuner/amplifier, a BeoCord 8000 cassette deck, and a rosewood B&O cabinet in which to house the whole system. Sound was delivered via a pair of Beovox S35 bookshelf speakers. Nice! I so admire B&O that I even had a pair of U70 headphones!
Of course, CDs have replaced cassettes, and vinyl records are nearly extinct (there are some purists who still produce them, claiming a “warmer” audio quality than is possible with digital playback, but I digress). By 2000, I was using my B&O system less and less.
In 2004 I purchased a new home, and as part of my interior decorating, decided to replace my system. As progress never stands still, Bang & Olufsen was now operating its own stores rather than market through high-end audio dealers, and so off I went.
BeoSound Ouverture w/ BeoLab 6000 speakers
The BeoSound 3000/Ouverture became my system of choice (and is still the system I have today). Combining an FM radio tuner, CD player and cassette player in one small unit that sits on a pedestal (optional, but purchased) and coupled with a pair of BeoLab 6000 active tower loudspeakers. It comes with a remote that lets me change stations, start and stop playback, and pretty much do everything but change the media.
So, what does one do when one receives an offer in the email from Bang & Olufsen, promising to take $1,500 off the purchase of any new BeoVision 11 television with the trade-in of any old tv, working or not? Why, one starts salivating, of course!
I have a small television that I purchased when my daughter was young. It’s not cable-ready or high-def. It sits atop a filing cabinet, unused, these days. Is it worth $1,500 ($1,000 for a smaller BeoVision 11)? It is now!
So what makes the BeoVision 11 worth considering? Judging from its looks, it’s pretty Spartan; there’s the screen and a panel beneath.
BeoVision 11 (40″)
It’s the specs, of course. As with all things B&O, the quality is in the detail. The screen is LCD, it boasts six HDMI slots, and the panel houses the sound system. Since it’s B&O, do I have to say more?
I don’t really watch that much TV. But I love technology, and I love B&O. Plus, I received a pay bonus this year, so maybe a treat for me is in order…
(An additional shout out goes to the web site BeoWorld.org, which has an exhaustive catalog of pre-owned B&O products and pictures galore!)