I've lived with my Beocenter 2300 for close to a year, and I'm very impressed with it. Set up with its own complimentary speakers, it has a nice, neutral sound but with little or no imaging. The speakers (active speakers like much of B&O's current loudspeaker line) can be seperated, and this is exactly what I did roughly a month ago. I used Sanus Systems' 24" speaker stands and B&O's Powerlink speaker cables to re-orient the system with roughly 10 feet between the speakers and a slight toe-in to each. I can only say that the effect is staggering; soundstaging is deep and wide, instruments take on clear focus, and most importantly, I'm more involved in the performances than ever. Chesky's "Ultimate Demo. Disc" sounded accurate, and the bass was incredible for such small speakers (helped, I'm sure, by the stands). I also use a Pro-ject 1.2 TT and dedicated Parasound phono stage to incorporate vinyl, and my record collection has never sounded better.
I've heard other "audiophile" systems with cabling that cost more than my whole set-up that don't sound any better. Can you put together better hi-fi than the Beocenter 2300 for a comparable cost? Probably. But don't count this little Danish goodie out too prematurely.

It's amazing player! Glass doors slightly moves away when you decide change cd or something else on front panel. Design is very stylish.

Technique, sound, price

none at all

I cannot agree with Peter Stok's review of this fantastic product. I bought my Beocenter back in 1997. I did not have enough money for the Beolab active speakers, so I decided to use my NAD power amp. and my old KEF speakers. Firstly, I was astonished by the sound quality which was much better than my old highly awarded and expensive Sony cd player. The overall sound reproduction was much more comfortable with a deep bass and a crisp trebble but still more neutral than my NAD pre-amp. Besides that, the daily operation of the Beocenter was incredible compared to my old system. I know listen to music instead of pressing buttons and reading about technique. Further, the sound controls were much easier to use than those of the NAD pre-amp. I often had to adjust the controls of the NAD pre-amp because the sound was often rather dark with no spark. The Beocenter has that punch without sharp edges as is normal with a lot of Japanese equipment. It does not focus on any particular frequency but instead plays the cd as was intended by those who produced it. Interesting, the sound quality improved as I bought a pair of Beolab 4000 active boxes which plays low frequences even better than my NAD power amp and KEF speakers. My KEF speakers sounded unnatural compared with the Beolab because of its emphasis on the midrange. I now have a Beosound 9000 with an even better sound than the 2300. But the Beosound 9000 does not have the same value for money as the 2300. Its a bargain. A sublime unity of sound and design.

Similar Products Used:

Sony cd-player, NAD pre- and power amps

My existing system contains:Counterpoint SA 12 + SA 7.1 power and pre amp.
Cambridge CD 3 cd-player
Magnepan MG 1.5
Because of the respectable age (8 years) of the cd-player I was looking for an upgrade. I was always charmed by the B&O looks but never listened to it seriously. My idea was to replace the pre-amp and the CD-player by the B&O 2300 and use my own power amp and speakers. The dealer said no problem sir we have done that before to match the 2300 with other amps and speakers. So the system was set-up at home for a week to listen in my own room. After 1 week I brought it back very disappointed.
First the famous build quality. It looks great before you touch it. B&O is using a lot of plastic in this model. It's sometimes coated with a metal paint but it still is plastic. The display's are very small and can not be read if you use the remote control (which B&O is so proud on). The rubber knobs on the unit itself are to small and you can only operate it with your finger nails. The sliding doors are great but they also open if you only pass the unit without the intention of operating it. So don't hang or put at a place where you pass often.
The sound was very bad. I was prepaired for not a real super performance but still it was worse than expected. The system had no focus (something I already heard on the B&O 2300 with Beolab 8000). Instruments and voices where all over the place. There was no dept. It sounded very mechanical without involving you in the music. This was for me the first and the last time I would ever listen to a B&O. I was happy to connect the old stuff again. On pur musical performance I would rate it 1 star. But one thing they really understand in Denmark is design and marketing of a hifi product. That's where a lot of the so called 'serious hifi' still have a lot to learn.