How do Bang and Olufsen stereo sound?


   How do Bang and Olufsen gears sound?
Where would you put it? Entry level, mid-fi, or Hifi?
I am a music teacher and one of my student has one - but I want to make sure she is listening to quality sound so she can improve.

Will Vanatoo speakers beat it?

Thanks for your words of experience...

Stay safe everyone and take vaccine shots for herd immunity.
gongli3
Thank you so much for all those who took the time to post for me - you guys are great!

I have a Beogram linear-track TT in my collection. With its B&O MI cartridge it is an excellent performer - and neat to watch in action!
Agree with the sentiments of @frogman. I owned a B&O turntable years ago and replaced it with a Well Tempered turntable which was a significant step upward. However the B&O was certainly a decent/solid product. 
Charles 
I recently almost got a pair of Beolab 5. One speaker was not self-calibrating correctly, so I withdrew, but not before listening to them.
I liked the sound very much. For me the strengths more than outweighted weaknesses, and I liked the design.
At the other end of the range, I had a Beosound A2 (untill my daughter took it from me to use in her tiny student’s flat in Paris). Its noway near Beolab 5, but for its size it could be among the best portable speakers I have heard.
Not all B&O are equal, but they can sound very good.
Vast majority of stereo gear is rather industrial looking and drab. Well good aesthetic design tends to cost more, most of us are looking for sound more than decoration, so it makes sense. Audiophiles also get a lot of their cues from the professional market, where the rack stuff comes from and practicality rules over decoration. But just because something is stylish doesn't mean it can't be good audio. B&O may not be the best, but then nobody knows what the best is either. Are you paying a little for style? Sure you are.

But there's more than a little technology in there. The moving iron (fixed coil) technology Peter Ledermann uses at Soundsmith comes from working with B&O. That ain't no small thing. More going on than meets the eye.

The question, "Will Vanatuu speakers beat it?" is whack. First, it's not about speakers. Everything matters. Second, it's not about beating anything or anyone. It's all about getting the sound you want. So third, it's not about you. It's about her. What does she want?


   Thanks a lot frogman for that informative post. They do certainly look nice...
gongli3, B&O gear, while not the best of the best sound wise, will certainly offer sound of more than good enough quality for any music student to appreciate what matters most....the music. Not directly related to music playback equipment, but there is a saying among professional musicians: “No one is ever fired for having a bad sound”. IOW, in music other things matter much more. Good for you for caring about your student. She could do a lot worse than B&O; and it looks very nice.