Talk:Bang & Olufsen

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Contents 1 POV 2 History section needed 3 Removed marketing copy 4 Pictures 5 Bang & Olufsen Medicom 6 Noise Reduction

[edit] POV

This article is incredibly POV, and reads like either corporate fellatio or advertising copy.

Agreed. —Vespristiano 20:15, 25 May 2005 (UTC)

Copy edited, hopefully it is OK now, so I removed the {{bias}} tag. If you disagree put it back on, please.--Nabla 00:08, 2005 Jun 14 (UTC)

Most of Bang & Olufsen's gear has nothing to do with high-end, especially the turntables with their sub-par moving iron cartridges. There is even a thread in the "Beogram" section of the Beoworld forums in which Beogram owners advise against the purchase of a used Beogram turntable, considering the competition from other companies. Only B&O's most expensive loudspeakers, TV sets and the ICEpower digital amplification modules are close to their high-end competition. The thread is this one: [1], in which I requested advice on whether I should buy a used Beogram or opt for something else from the competitive companies' ranges; and the competition's turntables in my shopping list are just entry-level machines. As for the Beocenters, they are NOT considered audiophile at all. Furthermore, wikipedia entries are supposed to be neutral and sticking to facts rather than based on personal admiration for something. --Elp_gr

This issue is like discussing whether strawberrys or raspberries are best. However I think everyone can agree that B&O makes high quality (albeit maybe not enthusiast level) equipment, that may be more expensive than similiar quality other products. However they generally look great, and this is part of what you pay for.

B&O certainly does make high-end products - but it is famous for design - not electronics. Celcius 23:57, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

I cleaned it up and did some wikifying. If it is still not in compliance with NPOV please re-insert dispute tag. Celcius 00:07, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

I recommend phoning a hi-fi mag and asking the reviewers... Elp gr 23:46, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

About what? I agree with Celcius; famous for design in most of its products, although lately they have achieved respect for ICEPower digital amp modules and their newest speakers. Lgreen 18:11, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

I think the comment about the Beogram turntables is un-called for. The thread on Beoworld was an honest response to a query as to whether a Beogram would be a good match to an audiophile system. The models that were asked about were of a lightweight design and an honest opinion was given that a newer deck would be preferable and easier to get parts and cartridges for than a model that was made over ten years previously. Beograms have been well reviewed in the press over the years. Hi-Fi Choice no. 18 of 1980 lists the Beogram 2200 as recommended and the Beogram 4002/4 as worth considering despite the latter being more expensive than the Linn Sondek motor unit. Equally the B&O cartridge range was reviewed in Hi-Fi Choice no. 28 of 1982, and three of the range of four were worthy of recommendation, with extremely positive reviews. B&O are often slated for being a triumph of style over substance, but their turntables are held in high regard for the most part, with a proper three point suspension sub chassis and superb build quality. Even now B&O take great pride in their testing and have one of the largest anechoic chambers in Europe, the Cube, and all products are subject to test by a listening panel before release. (source - Vision and Legend - Jens Bang ISBN 87-987865-1-2) Yes, B&O is expensive, but it is aimed at a particular place in the market - very successfully! Peter@beoworld 21:07, 12 December 2005 (UTC)

Removed the furniture part, the companies B&O and BO Concept are not related. /mikkel

Perhaps someone should mention the BeoSound 9000 (http://www.bang-olufsen.com/web2/systems/product.asp?section=systems&sub=ms&prodid=12), which is probably one of their most recognizable products, appearing in tons of movies and TV shows. Also, there should probably be mention of their CD players with the sliding glass doors (motion activated).

[edit] History section needed

Perhaps the most obvious question not answered in this entry is: Who are Bang and Olufsen? --Navstar 00:23, 24 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Removed marketing copy

I removed the section reproduced below, because it reads like blatant ad copy. The term "B&O Sphere" is clearly a marketing term, and unless someone can show that it holds large currency outside promotional material, it has no place in an encyclopedia article. All that stuff about their elite psychoacoustic panel is similarly just fluff, and the talk about the efforts made by the "heads of audio and video" reads like a prospectus.

Bang & Olufsen's audio department today describes this as placing the original performance inside a "B&O Sphere" where it remains intact as it is conveyed through various items of hardware, until it reaches the listener or viewer. True sound and image, as the artists intended it, is therefore the goal of B&O's product development.

This is best exemplified through their use of ears and eyes in determining the exact technical specifications of their equipment. The heads of audio and video both delve deep into the physiology and psychology of hearing and vision, and B&O have always placed psychoacoustics before hard technology in its work with sound, for instance. To this purpose, the company maintains a panel of B&O Golden Ears, who are part of the development process. These Golden Ears go to a minimum of twenty-five live concerts each year, and judge audio products with the goal of experiencing the sound, emotions and psychology of the live performance.

For this reason, B&O engineers may actually change the technical specifications of their audio systems and speakers, even if the measurements are technically correct, if the Golden Ears indicate that "it doesn't sound right."

If there are any notable facts that I have removed here, feel free to replace them. --Slashme 05:59, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

You're right—it did sound like ad copy. Having a designated "Golden Ears" listening team is, however, a practice that is unique to B&O, as far as I'm aware, so it's valid to mention. I'm going to try to rework this section a bit. Rivertorch 18:11, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

It does seem much improved, good job! I still feel a bit itchy about the whole "B&O Sphere" schtick, but I'm not dogmatic on that issue.--Slashme 06:40, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

It's back. Are B&O marketers violating use rules? Juanolator 17:46, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Pictures

As one of the main selling points of B&O is their industrial design, the article could do with a non-copyrighted picture or two of some of the more influential designs. And please, you B&O ad executives, if you're reading this, note: non-copyrighted, and no, that doesn't mean a gallery of 20 pictures! --Slashme 06:03, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Bang & Olufsen Medicom

The reason I came here in the first place was the following article: New inhaler launched

Who are B&O Medicom, and are they connected with the audio company? --Slashme 06:37, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

OK, here is the link: B&O Medicom. I've got to get back to my day job, so I'll leave it up to someone else to add the info ;-). --Slashme 06:58, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Noise Reduction

I once heard that B&O developed a noise reduction system for tape systems, which was later known as Dolby C. Though I did not find any reference to this in either article. Can anyone enlighten me (and, if apropiate, edit the article) concerning this rumor? --Klaws 11:51, 31 March 2007 (UTC)