Audio File
May 1, 2008
BANG & OLUFSEN BEOVISION 8 TV
Flat-panel TVs hold inherent aesthetic appeal, but from a
design standpoint, they offer no more surprises than a McDonald’s meal.
Manufacturers sometimes tout the slightest distinction—a barely perceptible
color pinstripe or a slim translucent accent—as a bold design element. Bang
& Olufsen, however, has rejected flat-panel precedents as enthusiastically
as other manufacturers have embraced them. This Danish manufacturer is renowned
for doing things its own way, often discarding accepted form factors in the
pursuit of more pleasing aesthetics and easier operation.
To date, the new BeoVision 8 is Bang & Olufsen’s most daring statement in flat-panel TV design. Its truly distinctive feature is a large "lip" that protrudes below the screen. Chief designer David Lewis added the protrusion in order to provide room for what is surely the most substantial speaker system ever built into a 32-inch flat-panel TV. Two front-mounted speakers provide stereo sound, and a bottom-mounted four-inch subwoofer speaker gives the BeoVision 8 the most satisfying bass response of any screen in its class.
As Lewis explains, the unusual speaker enclosure supports a unique aesthetic: the TV as a theater in miniature, with the enclosure serving as a stage and the columns at either side of the screen suggesting curtains. The screen itself enhances the theatrical effect—when the set is turned on, the image opens from the center, as a pair of curtains would.
Retractable feet allow the TV to sit atop a table or on the floor, and the set can also be mounted on a wall. A polarized glare filter rejects stray light, making the Beo-Vision 8 ideal for use in brightly lit rooms. According to Bang & Olufsen, the set resists glare so well that its picture still looks good even if the set is viewed beneath a veranda.
With 1,366-by-768-pixel resolution, the $3,950 Beo-Vision 8 is appropriate for use with high-definition or standard video sources, as a computer monitor and video game display. No matter what it displays, the BeoVision 8 is one of the few TVs likely to garner just as much attention when it is turned off.
Bang & Olufsen,
847.590.4941, www.bang-olufsen.com
MERIDIAN AUDIO MUSIC SYSTEM
Meridian Audio began as a partnership between audio engineer
Bob Stuart and industrial designer Allen Boothroyd; both now rank among the
leading practitioners in their respective fields. When they decided to create a
tabletop music system, they set the goal of designing a product that would be
both visually arresting and far better sounding than comparable designs. To laud
the $2,995 Meridian-Ferrari F80 merely for accomplishing both goals, though,
seems faint praise.
Boothroyd’s arching design is molded from a dense composite material used in Ferrari race cars. The shape and material combine to form a remarkably rigid enclosure and a visually appealing chassis, especially after it is coated with one of five high-gloss, lacquered Ferrari finishes. Two front-mounted speakers and a rear-mounted subwoofer—each powered by its own digital amplifier—deliver sound clear and powerful enough to fill a great room or six-car garage. Stuart’s digital audio technology smoothes the sound to near perfection, equaling the tonal purity of many high-end audio systems.
The F80’s entertainment options include an AM/FM radio tuner, a DVD/CD player and an optional iPod dock. In addition, any audio source device can be connected through jacks on the back. Most functions can be controlled through buttons on the front or from a credit card–size remote control. In a classic, consumer-friendly Boothroyd touch, one need not navigate an array of buttons to adjust volume—there’s a simple knob on the F80’s right side.
While many manufacturers describe their products as "the Ferrari of . . . ," for the F80 that distinction is true—both literally and figuratively. There is simply no easier, more attractive way to get high-performance, audiophile-quality sound in the home.
Meridian Audio, 404.344.7111, www.meridian-audio.com
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