Bang & Olufsen BeoLab 8000 (1997)
The BeoLab 8000 is an active, powered stereo loudspeaker introduced by Bang & Olufsen in 1997. It has a tall, tapered column shape. HiFI-Stereo (May 1993, p.54) described it as resembling an organ pipe and said its form was unlike that of any other speaker of the period. That review predates the 1997 introduction by a few years, so the design was probably in development or on display well before the official launch date.
It is a 2-way active design in a bass reflex enclosure, with a 200mm (8-inch) woofer and a 25mm dome tweeter. Each speaker carries its own built-in amplification, rated at 160W per channel. Frequency response is specified at 42Hz - 20kHz (±3dB), with a crossover at 350Hz. Sensitivity is listed at 81dB, total harmonic distortion at 0.03%, and signal-to-noise ratio above 100dB. The cabinet measures 1034mm high by 180mm wide by 350mm deep, and each speaker weighs 23.5kg.
The original listed price in Japan was ¥470,000 per pair. The speaker takes two line-level analog inputs, though the connector type is not documented in the sources available. As with many B&O products of this era, the BeoLab 8000 was designed to work within the Beolink system — HiFI-Stereo (November 1992, p.48) showcased it alongside the Beocenter 9500, noting its suitability for both video surround-sound and remote music reproduction.
Not much is documented beyond that. There is no detailed information on the internal circuit topology or digital processing, no current used-market pricing, and no record of common failure modes or spare-parts availability. What exists is a spec sheet and a couple of period mentions.
- Type: 2-way active loudspeaker, bass reflex enclosure
- Drivers: 200mm woofer, 25mm dome tweeter
- Power: 160W per channel (built-in)
- Frequency response: 42Hz–20kHz (±3dB)
- Crossover: 350Hz
- Dimensions: 1034 × 180 × 350mm (H×W×D)
- Weight: 23.5kg per speaker
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