Bang & Olufsen Announces Partnership With BMW

[MikePT]

They said the Individual system on the 6 cyl S3 and S5 was supposed to outclass B&O systems present in Audis and Mercs...

Me, I do like some danish companys a lot, but B&O is not one of them.

When Steinway, the main piano maker wanted a partnership with an audio company to aim at the top they chose a danish company, but not B&O... it was Lyngdorf.

Check steinwaylyngdorf...

[jmsent]

Originally Posted by MikePT

They said the Individual system on the 6 cyl S3 and S5 was supposed to outclass B&O systems present in Audis and Mercs...

Me, I do like some danish companys a lot, but B&O is not one of them.

When Steinway, the main piano maker wanted a partnership with an audio company to aim at the top they chose a danish company, but not B&O... it was Lyngdorf.

Check steinwaylyngdorf...

I don't think it's a matter of " Steinway choosing B&O" Why would B&O involve themselves in such a partnership? Their own brand name is far more visible and credible in the audio/video arena. Lyngdorf makes some interesting stuff too, and since most people have never heard of them, the cooperation with Steinway is a good fit.

[NFS13]

Originally Posted by jmsent

I visited the Harman facility in Martinsville Indiana a few years back. I asked them what their priorities were when specifying components for the Mark Levinson and L7 systems. The answer was: 1, Cost. 2, Weight. 3, Performance. This is the reality of everything in car audio manufacturing. High end car systems are huge profit machines for the manufacturers, and names like B&O, Levinson, Dynaudio, etc., carry weight because they are recognizable and can command a premium. The actual parts that go in the car are not high end by any comparison to the home audio products. Much of the driver manufacture is done in countries like China, Mexico, and Eastern Europe. Same for the electronics. The engineering is good enough to yield a very decent result, but don't for a minute believe that you are going to find a high end ScanSpeak or Eton home audio quality driver in these installations.

Exactly! And why would anyone want such a high end system anyway? An automobile is, and never will be, anywhere close to an ideal environment for great audio.

[wgerman]

Originally Posted by jmsent

I visited the Harman facility in Martinsville Indiana a few years back. I asked them what their priorities were when specifying components for the Mark Levinson and L7 systems. The answer was: 1, Cost. 2, Weight. 3, Performance. This is the reality of everything in car audio manufacturing. High end car systems are huge profit machines for the manufacturers, and names like B&O, Levinson, Dynaudio, etc., carry weight because they are recognizable and can command a premium. The actual parts that go in the car are not high end by any comparison to the home audio products. Much of the driver manufacture is done in countries like China, Mexico, and Eastern Europe. Same for the electronics. The engineering is good enough to yield a very decent result, but don't for a minute believe that you are going to find a high end ScanSpeak or Eton home audio quality driver in these installations.

You are correct to a point,the Dynaudio drivers are not the same one would find in the aftermarket. Dynaudio has specifically stated they would not be in the OEM business if it degrades the company's reputation. The materials used in their OEM speakers are the same in their Confidence,and Contour home speakers. The difference is in tolerances. The same can be said for HK, the metal drivers used in their OEMs sytems are the same metal driver in the JBL and Infinity aftermarket speakers found in Crutchfield. However the tolerances are looser or weaker in OEM spec speakers. The same can be said of Eton that supplies BMW with the premium speakers, the BMW speakers clearly use the same Hexacone speaker as the premium aftermarket,but the basket, magnet etc are of lesser quality to meet costs and weight specs.

Even with all of the cost and weight restrictions placed upon these OEM suppliers it it s amazing what they are able accomplish in the arena of sonics. Stable and wide soundstages and amazing timbres. I would love to see a face off in which one took a couple of BMW 6s to the top aftermarket stores in the country and have them design a system with the same restrictions placed upon OEM audio companies. The results wouldn't even be close, the best aftermarket could do would be four low rent coaxs and basic receiver.

[wgerman]

BMW choosing B&O is sign that BMW could see they were loosing the audio sound quality race in comparison to its competitors.

These systesm are not designed in an audio vacuum. Notice the interview Car Audio Mag had with one of the Panasonic engineers that helped tune the ELS soundsystems in Acuras. Notice he has a background in the aftermarket soundoffs.

http://caraudiomag.com/articles/suzu...onics-magazine

These OEMS have design systems that give you 90% of an aftermarket (without the true lows in an aftermarket system and truer highs) on a shoe string budget and ridiculous weight limitations.

[slyboogy]

http://www.germancarblog.com/2010/09...-audio-system/

checkmate .....

[TheRox]

Isn't Bang and O the company that makes good looking spakers and systems...but sounds like a $50 system?

You can do much better for the money. B and O is known to be about looks and not sound quality for the value.

[TheRox]

Originally Posted by NFS13

Exactly! And why would anyone want such a high end system anyway? An automobile is, and never will be, anywhere close to an ideal environment for great audio.

True...why would you need ceramic tweeters and woofers in a car?

You need a 1/2 decent audio system.

Porsche Panamera's Burmester is really funny...the car is so loud from the inside, there is so much tire noise and road feel on the inside, and exhaust sound I don't see how you could enjoy a nice system -- Burmester or not!

[rKi]

Originally Posted by zaheer

im saving up for the 6 now

+1 and about time!

[footie]

Originally Posted by wgerman

BMW choosing B&O is sign that BMW could see they were loosing the audio sound quality race in comparison to its competitors.

Quite right, Audi and VW seem to have noticed the importance of offering a quality sound system a bit quicker than BMW did, with either brands offering speakers from Bose, B&O or Dynaudio. Though even these fine offerings are sub standard in my opinion to what Jaguar offer, it's premium system that's designed and developed by Bower & Wilkins is as good as it gets.

The Germans are getting better but they still have some way to go.