I have both. I use the BL3's as rear home theatre speakers and the 17's as stereo music speakers. BL3 vs BL17 aren't even if the same league. The 17's will destroy the 3's in every way. The 3's are good but don't have much impact or bass. The 17's have much more bass and punch. How were you planning on using them?

I would like to use a pair for listening to music. I have a pair of BS-levels (+ a BL11) and a pair of BS- Emerges i two different rather small-ish rooms and thinking of  BL-3 or 17s or maybe  a pair of BL-Balance for a medium size room (<50 sqm). I have listened to Balance and like the sound but am not a fan of their looks. I like the sound separation capability of BS-level (and to lesser degree the Emerge) but although they sound nice and clear, they are not made for bigger rooms. Larger floor based Beolabs are not an option. I neither like their looks , the space they require or their prices.  

The BL3's could be fine IF you add a subwoofer. The 17's can be ok on their own depending on your taste. For music the bass should be enough.

I was really surprised by how much better the BL3 pair sounded when adding a BL2 subwoofer. They sounded like a completely different speaker. Also, the Bl2 and BL3 look great together.

Thanks everyone for your comments. Generally, I listen to classic music, jazz and some older music from 60-70s. What I really appreciate is not how loud the speakers are or how punchy bass they can deliver. What I do care for is clarity of the sound and the ability to separate different instruments and voices. BS-Level does that while they are not suitable for larger rooms. Maybe I should just forget about the look of BS-balance and get a pair after all or wait for what will come next!

I also use a pair of Levels for music and alway wondered how they compare vs a set of 17’s. Really like the look of the brass version of the 17, but they are very hard to find…. Would prefer them with a Core and Halo for control. Any experience here for a set of Level vs BL17??

I would also love to hear about any experience with a paired set of BS-Edges!

As an owner of 3 sets of BL17, I am a big advocate for these often dismissed/overlooked speakers, plus I prefer them to BL18, even though the BL18s outsold the BL17 10 to 1. BL17 are so tuneful, plus are so accurate, but also versatile, especially for their size.  You can use them for any music or role in a movie surround setup, and they never get close to what they can manage.  Also the build quality is impressive… they are heavy beefy units. For their size they punch well above their weight. I use four (2 x FL + 2x FR) for music with a BL19 and would say I prefer this for music than my Beosound Theatre. I have tried a pair of BL17 in a direct sound comparison with a pair of Levels and a pair of Balance.  To my ears the BL17 sit above the Level and below the Balance in capability and sound quality… but the Balance looks hideous on the wall and the Level’s weakness is the wall mount with power connector is not a strong physical connection to the wall; plus they can distort when played hard. I can see the Level becoming the new choice for surround speakers (because of cost, size and frankly there is nothing new else out there) but remember you get what you pay for and BL17 are close to 1.5 x the cost of a pair of Levels.  Just look at the specs, their is no comparison… the BL17 are a true BeoLab speaker and the Level is a portable speaker. Level: 2 x 4” woofer drivers 1 x 2” full range drivers 2 x 0.8” tweeter 2 × 30 W class D for woofer 1 × 30 W class D for full range 1 × 15 W class D for tweeter 39 - 23000 Hz Maximum Sound Pressure Level @1m 96 dB SPL Bass Capability 79 dB SPL   Beolab 17: 1 x 3/4" tweeter 1 x 6" woofer High frequency driver: ¾” dome drivers with off-set placement 1 x 160 watt class D tweeter 1 x 160 watt class D woofer 31 - 24,000 Hz Maximum Loudness @1m (SPL) 106 dB SPL Bass Capability 90 dB SPL   Balance: 2 x 5,25” woofer drivers 2 x 3” fullrange drivers 2 x 2” full range drivers 1 x ¾” tweeter 2 x 200 watt class D for bass 2ohm 2 x 100 watt class D for fullrange 4ohm 2 x 100 watt class D for fullrange 4ohm 1 x 50 watt class D for tweeters 6ohm 26 - 23,000 Hz Maximum Sound Pressure Level @1m 104 dB SPL Bass Capability 88 dB SPL

@SimonWeir, this reads like a very nice speaker combo. What TV or otherwise do you have the BL17 connected with? Do you just use them for movies or also for music?