Asus goes wide with Bang & Olufsen laptop Asus has kicked off 2010 with a Bang, or should that be an Olufsen? The Taiwanese PC maker has unveiled a super-stylish laptop sporting speakers and design features supplied by the legendary audio firm. Asus_NX90_01 Asus NX90 features Bang & Olufsen speakers and styling The NX90 Bang & Olufsen edition laptop looks like a …
Will be looking forward to the El Reg review of this as it looks pretty damn nice! With this and the HP Envy 17 coming out soon (if the rumours are to be believed) then there's finally seems to be a few high end, large screen, stylish desktop replacement systems coming out...
I personally cant wait!
I've always thought B&O look a bit bland and basic and not at all impressive, but the sound is second to none. The remote controls are so sturdy you could hammer nails in with them. When you but a B&O you're buying a well made quality piece of kit with superb materials. Sorry if you find the flashing lights on a Kenwood or Sony all impressive, more knobs and dials don't make a better stereo.....perhaps you should critique Tesco's new range instead of commenting on top end equipment for people who buy the best.
I think you misunderstand me.
Contrary to your assumption, I'm not coming from the Kenwood/Sony flashing lights and millions of knobs and buttons angle at all. I loathe them just as much as you clearly do, although I should probably qualify that by pointing out that both Kenwood and Sony have some high end kit that pisses all over B&O.
My point is basically that B&O hi-fi is style over substance. You say their sound is "second to none"... and I'm really trying not to be cheeky here (honest - I'm nowhere near being a raving loony hi-fi nut) but I think you should do a bit of research before making claims like that.
Similar to Apple computers, if you buy a B&O hi-fi you are not buying "top end equipment for people who buy the best", you are buying "a solution", "a style", "a statement" and you are paying a significant premium to do so.
Don't get me wrong - B&O are brilliant at what they do. If I were looking for an easy way to an impressive-sounding hi-fi without really having to think about it or go to the hassle of comparing it with other stuff then I'd happily part with my money. I'm not though, and the fact remains that - as with Apple - you can get equally capable kit for much less money, or much better kit for the same money.
Their tellies on the other hand - wow.
Same old same old.
If you took the back off their CRTs it invariably said "Philips" on the tube and tuner. Presumably they also buy the panels in for the LCDs, probably also from Philips. I don't know, I've never taken one of these apart. The money's in the case, the same components are available with less brushed stainless glued on from the OEM.
I agree with the other comment here about the remotes though. There's something deeply statisfying about a hefty object in a cast metal shell and solid buttons with a decent click to them. A massive cut above the more usual placcy and rubber affairs.
Go-on smarty pants, what *is* industrial design then? Speaking as an industrial product designer, I'll tell you that your "style over substance" jibe is a dead give-away that you, like most of the commentators here, haven't a clue what "industrial design" is. You'll be waxing lyrical that form must follow function next, or pontificating on design for design sake, why not just use all of Ruskin's out-moded 19th century notions from his 'Seven Lamps'? Either that or you are an extremely bad designer...
B+O sound is second to quite a lot of things, including stuff like my Allen and Heath mixer and Adam Audio monitors, which cost less and sound better. Conduct a blind taste test with some people with non-cloth ears in a proper controlled enviroment, and you'll see.
That's before we start dragging ugly old carcasses like Rogers LS5/9 speakers and the associated amps into the equation.
Second to none? Not even close. One buys B+O for fun, and for the outrageous alien design rather than for absolutely first-rate audio. Sure, it sounds better than hunks of crap like Bose domestic kit, but there's plenty that sounds much better for much less- even if it doesn't look nearly as awesome.
How the hell can one describe the exterior of something that sports an 18.4" screen that doesn't even fill the full width as "Macbook Air-esque"?
That's a bit like invoking Kate Moss as an example in an article about American obesity.
The only thing Apple-esque about the thing is that they've stuffed a load of off-the-shelf components into a smart case, stuck a badge on the lid and are charging an extortionate price for the result.
More nice styling you pay well over the odds for? Isn't that why we have Apples?
Oh yeah, I forgot, Apples work some times and don't fall apart after the warranty runs out so there is a gap in the market for rich people to swank off about something that looks nice, will go wrong and cost a fortune to repair.
Looks nice though
Another one? Honestly now, have you actually seen or heard a B&O IRL? Say, a Beosystem 7000 running through a set of Penta speakers with CX100 and S120 speakers as surrounds? Obviously not!
And prey tell what system you're snuggling up to to make these 'knowledgable' statements of B&O performance? A flashy Aiwa? The top-of-the-line Matsui? A JVC half price in the sales? Nah, probably bought a Teac and become gods gift to stereo critics?
Please, pretty please say "Denon", I haven't sat in a pool of my own piss clutching my sides and laughing hysterically for a while now.....
As it happens I have one in my [bought second-hand] car, assembled by competent Germans rather than Czechs on minimum wage. Bling aside, its not a patch on the 'free' Symphonia of the previous model which I miss every single day. Since B&O stopped making the 7000 13 years ago you should perhaps take your own advice.
Two problems.
First is that this is a laptop. I don't care how good B&O are at designing hi-fi stuff, on a laptop you're fundamentally limited by the dimensions of the case. £100 multimedia PC speakers will sound better. Nor is the amplification likely to be any better than any other laptop's built-in speakers use.
Second off, compare hi-fi kit to pro audio kit used by people who actually make a living from it. You really want accuracy of reproduction, use what engineers use. Typically they'll have a bunch of speakers ranging from good to crappy, to get an idea how it sounds on a range of speakers, but one of those is going to be a really good set for accurate listening. B&O aren't even in the running there.
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