Getting the best from smaller Bang and Olufsen speakers - are Beolab 3 right for you?

[@soundsheavenly]

Thanks for watching! Every cable you ever need for your B&O system can be seen on Steve's website here: soundsheavenly.com If these videos have helped you to enjoy your Bang and Olufsen products, please consider buying Steve a coffee at www.buymeacoffee.com/soundsheavenly - many thanks!

[@masamasi9521]

Thank you for all those videos! I do have a pair of Beolab 3 and really love it. I never play loud and don’t have a big living room. The sound is so crisp and clear but yet so smooth and comfortable. With good recordings they draw a good sound stage. I love playing music with my eyes closed and see/feel the room around the instruments. Thank you Steve!

[@soundsheavenly]

Glad the videos were helpful and that you like the speakers! I love Beolab 3, they give an amazing sound for their size!

[@Mikipedia]

Nice video series (to come)! They look stellar in that colour too. Will you go in to how you rate them against the likes of 17’s? And would you like a spot on the podcast next Sunday? We can go into this more. Anyway, great info and hope to hear them again soon :D

[@soundsheavenly]

Thanks! I think the Beolab 3 treble is clearer than the Beolab 17, but they don't quite have as much bass power as the 17s due to the smaller cabinet size. Thanks for your kind offer to join the podcast on Sunday - unfortunately I am away with the family this weekend, but I would be very keen to join you on another podcast in the near future if that is OK? Other readers of this video can check out the latest Beotalk podcast here, I highly recommend it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5DdnGOhndNshLc

[@Mikipedia]

Name the date and I’ll save you a spot! :D

[@soundsheavenly]

mikipedi4 Thanks, I will get in touch!

[@simonduncan6045]

I got a pair of black BeoLab 3s from Sound Affair, really are quite a surprise, I played meddle by pink Floyd the opener "one of these days" rocked the slate on the roof its a fair sized room. Brilliant speakers absolutely perfect condition too. Credit to James.

[@soundsheavenly]

Yes they are great little speakers, enjoy!

[@gorter23]

how would you place them? perpendicular with the wall? or slightly pointing inwards so the ALT is directed at the listening position? B&O floor stands for BeoLab 3 doesnt allow you to hide the cable inside the stand. the floorstands for the BeoLab 4 do allow you to hide them, thats why people try to modify those. how would you approach the BeoLab 12 ALT? if you want a visual pleasing look, you either line them up with the top of the tv or to bottom of the tv. this means your ALT are either too high or too low. any advice?

[@soundsheavenly]

Thanks, that is a very good point. The other option is to use my thin mk.3 cables (soundsheavenly.com/powerlink-8-pin-din-connection/20-272-powerlink-mk-3-compatible-8-pin-din-cable-with-4-cores-wired-low-profile-cable.html#/9-length-18m), as they are less than 3mm in diameter so they can be easily fitted to the rear of the stands with clear adhesive to keep them out of view. The acoustic lens means that you don't need to angle the speakers as you would with normal tweeters - they perform well either perpendicular to the wall or "toed in" towards the listening position.

[@RoyBorgman]

It’s the other way around: the Beolab 3 stands do hide the cables, the Beolab 4 stands don’t. So the Beolab 4 speakers are sometimes used with (modified) beolab 3 stands to hide the cables.

[@soundsheavenly]

@@RoyBorgman Thanks for the correction!

[@stevenfong9419]

Is it good enough to use lb3s as rear speakers by Wisa(receiver1),i ve already have a beosound theatre,or just go for a pair of bl17s?

[@soundsheavenly]

Good question! I will aim to cover this in a new video soon. Beolab 3 are very good, but Beolab 17 is in a different league, a superb and under-rated speaker!

[@stevenfong9419]

@@soundsheavenly thx for your reply，cant waite to see that！

[@charlesschwartz307]

Repeat message as I forgot something...Hi Steve, I have Beolab 2 speakers and the respective subwoofer. I used to run them through my beoplay 9000 which I used for cd’s. These days, it’s Spotify I listen to. Is there a way I can work my Beolab 2 equipment with an iPod or iPad etc? OR EVEN, A TELEVISION. Kindest regards, charlie

[@soundsheavenly]

Hi Charlie, no problem! Please feel free to get in touch via the contact page at soundsheavenly.com with some photos of your system and speakers (as I think the model numbers you gave might not be quite correct?) and I will be happy to help!

[@charlesschwartz307]

Hi Steve, I have Beolab 2 speakers and the respective subwoofer. I used to run them through my beoplay 9000 which I used for cd’s. These days, it’s Spotify I listen to. Is there a way I can work my Beolab 2 equipment with an iPod or iPad etc? Kindest regards, charlie

[@soundsheavenly]

Hi Charlie, no problem! Please feel free to get in touch via the contact page at soundsheavenly.com with some photos of your system and speakers (as I think the model numbers you gave might not be quite correct?) and I will be happy to help!

[@charlesschwartz307]

@@soundsheavenly Hi Steve, I sent you an email with picture. Thanks for any thoughts you might have on this. Very best, charlie

[@soundsheavenly]

Thanks, I have emailed you all the details!

[@terjes64]

Would you say that the addition of beolab 2 would make the beolab 3 suitable for larger rooms?

[@soundsheavenly]

Absolutely! Beolab 2 gives these smaller speakers much needed bass power so they can play loud in larger rooms. Please ask at soundsheavenly.com if you need any help getting everything connected and working

[@lightips]

Steve what is the best way to connect beolab 3 to a television? Should I use jack 3.5 cable to Powerlink or it's better to connect a optic cable to a converter, and after RCA cable to Powerlink? There is any advantage in sound quality to use almando for example (in stereo)... Thank you in advance!

[@soundsheavenly]

Unless your TV has a headphone socket fitted, a direct cable connection to the speakers is not possible. However, you can still connect the TV optical output to the speakers by one of the options below:- 1) Buy a B&O Core from your local B&O store (approx. £600 GBP) for remote control of the speakers via the B&O app, or 2) Buy a B&O Connection Hub from your local B&O store (approx. £149 GBP) for remote control of the speakers via the TV remote, or 3) Add an AV receiver for full surround sound, with volume control from the receiver remote. Please note that I don't sell any of the devices mentioned above, only the cables! Please let me know your preferred option and I will be pleased to advise how to get everything working (sorry I haven't tried the Almando product).

[@lightips]

@@soundsheavenly The televison that I have is a LG55cx, I have optic cable and headphone socket output. My question is if I connect directly through Jack (with your cable "Minijack to Beolab Line In) OR conect with B&O Connection Hub / Almando (with a cable "RJ45 to Powerlink"). Will I have the same sound quality with the jack 3.5?

[@lightips]

@@soundsheavenly Thank you in advance!

[@soundsheavenly]

@@lightips The quality of TV headphone outputs can vary, so I suggest testing this with a good pair of headphones to see how it sounds. Using an external processor will help to give the best sound quality. Please feel free to get in touch at soundsheavenly.com and I can help further.

[@TheVideohans]

Hi Steve. Great video. If you use the wall bracket you can also place them a little tilted so you can play with the hight. There are switches on the back of the beo 3 (and also the 18, 8000 and the beo 2) What are the settings on the TV? I have the 7-55-4 and the distance and volume are set on the TV according to the distance to the listener. I have an avg of 73 DB with a peak of 88. The beolab 2 gives a strong base so I set the tv base -1 to the center settings. If you set the speakers to 4 you can listen with the beo 18 and beo 3 and beo 2 together what give a different experience. I don't like speaker 5 for music. Look forward to your review and your opinion and tips for settings. Thanks in advance from the Netherlands.

[@soundsheavenly]

Thanks! I should have added in the video that the speaker switches just cut or boost the bass level, these can be set up to your preferred bass level once you have positioned the speakers where you want them. If using a subwoofer, I suggest setting up the Beolab 3 speakers first, then adding the sub once you are happy with how the smaller speakers perform (otherwise the sub can cloud the performance of the other speakers).

[@svenfranze926]

Hi, thans you for answering my question. A new one😊what is the minimum distance between the beolab3? Thans you.

[@soundsheavenly]

You can place the speakers as close together as you wish. However, for best results, please try to place the speakers about the same distance apart as you will normally sit away from the speakers (if you look down from the ceiling of the room, you can imagine a triangle with you and the two speakers as the three points - each side of the triangle should be about the same length to get the best sound). Hope this helps!

[@TheGodfather2504]

Hi Steve I have one more question, Is Beolab 3 a good speaker to be for the surround channel ? my living room is 6mX4mX3m =72sqm

[@soundsheavenly]

Hi, yes Beolab 3 is a superb surround speaker, especially when partnered with Beolab 9, 18 or 20 as front speakers.

[@TheGodfather2504]

@@soundsheavenly I am planning to use my Beolab 8000 as front is it good or need one of what you mention above?

[@soundsheavenly]

@@TheGodfather2504 Yes, that will work well - Beolab 6000 is also a good match as rear speakers when you have Beolab 8000 at the front.

[@TheGodfather2504]

@@soundsheavenly thank you very much Steve, your give a great technical support to Bang & Olufsen Lovers

[@soundsheavenly]

@@TheGodfather2504 Thanks, I'm always happy to help! ;-)

[@limsniffer]

Thanks for some awesome videos. Very informal indeed. I am wondering if you have ever come across the wall-/ceiling mounted Beovox 2-1? I can’t find any reviews what so ever either on google or KZbin. What is your verdict on those? Hoping for your answer😊 BR. Morten

[@soundsheavenly]

Thanks Morten! Unfortunately, I haven't had a proper chance to listen to the Beovox 2-1 or 2-2 speakers yet, but as soon as I get to hear these then I will make a video.

[@limsniffer]

@@soundsheavenly thanks for a swift reply! Have a nice weekend👍👍

[@soundsheavenly]

@@limsniffer Thanks, you too!

[@andreasecci9153]

Hi Steve! I have in my room a Harmony tv along with bola 18 as front speaker, bola 2 as subwoofer . Since I only have 20 cm only for both side from wall to my couch, I was wondering whether I may use a couple of Beolab 3 as rear speakers using wall configuration , so to have a surround system made with all b&o speakers. Moreover I was thinking to buy a wisa receiver so to transform the beolab 3 into wifi speaker as beolab 18. Do you think is a good idea because I really have narrow space and only option for rear speakers due to dimensions are beolab 3. I'd like to have your idea on this project. Thanks. Congrats once again for your channel that I usually watch as a subscriber. Best, Andrea

[@soundsheavenly]

Hi, yes I think either Beolab 3 or the smaller Beolab 4 could work well here. Please use these cables, either to connect these speakers to Receiver 1 (for wireless) or to cable the speakers directly to the TV : soundsheavenly.com/bang-olufsen/31-325-rj45-to-powerlink-compatible-all-in-one-cable-convert-new-2013-ethernet-powerlink-to-traditional-8-pin-din-powerlink.html#/9-length-18m

[@andreasecci9153]

Steve at Sounds Heavenly Hi Steve! Thanks for your prompt reply. I will take couple of them to connect the pair of beolab 3 to Wisa receiver. Best, Andrea

[@soundsheavenly]

@@andreasecci9153 Thanks!

[@bigblueocean]

Still fetching over a grand second hand!

[@soundsheavenly]

Yes, and with good reason - these are superb speakers for their size, with timeless styling - B&O haven't managed to beat them since, in my opinion!

[@Puroplatino]

@@soundsheavenly I just got into B&O Steve. I got 4 Beolab 3's and a Beosound/Beomaster 5 with 1tb and cd ripper. I's going into my home gym. If I listen to music very loud will I need a sub in your opinion? If so which one? Thanks in advance. I will take measurements as I am going to need wiring for these as well.

[@soundsheavenly]

@@Puroplatino Yes, a sub will really help to boost the music, B&O's Beolab 2 works well with your speakers, or you can use any brand of powered (active) subwoofer if you prefer. I have tried the REL T7/i sub and this works really well at a sensible price. I can help with cables for any subwoofer, so please feel free to get in touch at soundsheavenly.com and I will be happy to help!