I knew that one was coming! I still quite like Beosound A9 and if you have a B&O system around the house it's the likely choice as it will integrate better than the Marantz. I also like the fact that A9 has Chromecast and Horizon does not. That being said if I was buying a system from scratch I would personally choose the Marantz Horizon or Grand Horizon and go down the HEOS route. Other rooms with HEOS amps like the Marantz M1 and a pair of speakers would still be pretty affordable. I prefer the build quality of the Horizon & Grand Horizon, I like the tasteful lighting, I LOVE the tripod stand or the marble base. The sound performance is truly exceptional for an all in one, the personal tuning is good on B&O and Horizon but the Horizon just has a more 'hi-fi' feel if that makes sense? Horizon for me is just that bit more musical and the bass seems more textured and controlled, I don't usually listen loud but, it doesn't get throttled by aggressive ABL like the A9 when you listen at higher levels. But to be fair, Horizon & Grand Horizon do cost a little more than A9. At the end of the day only you can decide what's best for you, if possible try both and see what you prefer. Hope that helps! - John
I would've wished to see how well they stack up against their obvious competitor, Bang&olufsen. The beolab 8 are mad expensive - but these here easily beat the price tag if you want a stereo pair. While the Beolab8 arguably look better still (to me that's not even a question, but tastes differ). Or how good are they against the Beolab 28? Because they do come closer in price to that beast than the Beolab 8.
I felt that too with Devialet, very heavy bass and lots at the top with a hole in the middle. Some people love that sound, it can be quite pleasing, I'm not a huge fan. The Horizon is not like that at all. - John.
I really wish these videos were a little more in-depth - especially given how expensive these speakers are. How do they perform sonically? Have you measured them in room? Is there a significant difference in measurements between the sound profiles? Does it sound similar to the M1, the stereo line, the cinema line? You give some opinions on the sound quality, but no science to back this up. How do the sliding scales affect things in the profile settings - is extra soundstage a good thing or a bad?
Thanks for your comment. I aim to make a good balance to the videos and make them accessible enough so that they are entertaining and still give a good overview of key features and technology. The audio world can be intimidating, I feel that it's all too easy to get bogged down in spec sheets and frequency graphs, as interesting as people like us find them I want to discourage judging a product with numbers on paper and actually encourage people to be curious enough to just listen for themselves. - Best wishes, John.
@ thanks John. I appreciate that you want these videos to be accessible. I really hope that someone spending this much would be interested in that kind of information - but maybe I am overly optimistic! Anyway, keep up the good work!
dare I ask the obvious "broad impressions vs the A9?) question!!! Nice video as always sir....
I knew that one was coming! I still quite like Beosound A9 and if you have a B&O system around the house it's the likely choice as it will integrate better than the Marantz. I also like the fact that A9 has Chromecast and Horizon does not.
That being said if I was buying a system from scratch I would personally choose the Marantz Horizon or Grand Horizon and go down the HEOS route. Other rooms with HEOS amps like the Marantz M1 and a pair of speakers would still be pretty affordable.
I prefer the build quality of the Horizon & Grand Horizon, I like the tasteful lighting, I LOVE the tripod stand or the marble base. The sound performance is truly exceptional for an all in one, the personal tuning is good on B&O and Horizon but the Horizon just has a more 'hi-fi' feel if that makes sense?
Horizon for me is just that bit more musical and the bass seems more textured and controlled, I don't usually listen loud but, it doesn't get throttled by aggressive ABL like the A9 when you listen at higher levels.
But to be fair, Horizon & Grand Horizon do cost a little more than A9. At the end of the day only you can decide what's best for you, if possible try both and see what you prefer. Hope that helps! - John
Good to see you’re vast knowledge is being shared John 😊
Nice to see you in the comments Bill. I hope you're well. - John
I envy your camera skills, I don't think people realise how much work this takes!
Thanks Miki. It's just practice, but I can always improve. To be honest it doesn't feel like work, I'm lucky to do this job! - John
I would've wished to see how well they stack up against their obvious competitor, Bang&olufsen. The beolab 8 are mad expensive - but these here easily beat the price tag if you want a stereo pair. While the Beolab8 arguably look better still (to me that's not even a question, but tastes differ). Or how good are they against the Beolab 28? Because they do come closer in price to that beast than the Beolab 8.
Hello, How does these ones compares against the B&O A9 last gen? thank you!
Check the pinned comment! - John
I have a couple of Devialet phantoms , is there any comparison , I feel the devialet miss some mid range
I felt that too with Devialet, very heavy bass and lots at the top with a hole in the middle. Some people love that sound, it can be quite pleasing, I'm not a huge fan. The Horizon is not like that at all. - John.
Does it supports airplay 2?
Yes
I really wish these videos were a little more in-depth - especially given how expensive these speakers are. How do they perform sonically? Have you measured them in room? Is there a significant difference in measurements between the sound profiles? Does it sound similar to the M1, the stereo line, the cinema line? You give some opinions on the sound quality, but no science to back this up. How do the sliding scales affect things in the profile settings - is extra soundstage a good thing or a bad?
Thanks for your comment. I aim to make a good balance to the videos and make them accessible enough so that they are entertaining and still give a good overview of key features and technology. The audio world can be intimidating, I feel that it's all too easy to get bogged down in spec sheets and frequency graphs, as interesting as people like us find them I want to discourage judging a product with numbers on paper and actually encourage people to be curious enough to just listen for themselves. - Best wishes, John.
@ thanks John. I appreciate that you want these videos to be accessible. I really hope that someone spending this much would be interested in that kind of information - but maybe I am overly optimistic! Anyway, keep up the good work!
So can these be wirelessly connected as a stereo pair ?
They can. I asked this question on the Marantz website. Should be a part of their Q+A.
it looks like the lamps behind you...
Can I get this if you have cats. Just don't. 😂