Beosound 4 / Masterlink / MCL / BC9500

[speedsixdave]

Hi all,

I have mostly a Masterlink / MCL question, for a thing I’ve failed to grasp while reading the manuals.

Current setup is a Beocenter 9500 and Beogram 1902, driving Beolab 4000s and Beolab 3000s via powerlink in our L-shaped living/dining room, and a Beolab 3500 Mk 1 connected to it by MCL cable in the conservatory. In the kitchen we have a Panasonic HC2020 DAB radio.

We’re planning to replace the conservatory with a new kitchen diner extension, and I’d like to extend the BC9500 set-up into the new extension so we can listen to records in there too. That bit’s easy with the MCL system, either with the existing BL3500 or some other speakers. But more important is to be able to listen to DAB radio in the new kitchen too (mostly BBC R4, R4x, R6 and R5sx). We could just stick with the Panasonic but I’d much rather integrate a DAB into the B&O system with better sound and speakers. My budget is, shall we say, ‘classic B&O’ rather than ‘new B&O’!

So my questions / assumptions are:

(1) I’m thinking the Beosound 4 is the best reasonably-priced B&O option for a wifely-friendly DAB radio unit in the kitchen. I’m not that bothered about the CD or SD card modes of the BS4 but they may be a bonus. Any other obvious options I haven’t considered?

(2) Can I connect both a new BS4 and my BC9500 to the same link system? I’m presuming if that’s possible it would be Masterlink at the BS4 end, MCL at the BC9500 end and some sort of Beolink Converter in the middle.

(3) If it’s not possible to connect the BS4 to my existing system, can I connect a Beogram to the BS4? I have an ‘archived’ BG1202 which would presumably need a RIAA pre-amp, or if you absolutely insist I could consider a datalink-enabled radial Beogram with in-built pre-amp…

All thoughts greatly appreciated. Ultimately I’d like a fully-integrated multiroom system of the sort they confidently show in the ML/MCL manuals, but the most important thing if I’m going to replace the familiar Panasonic will be Wifely Acceptance and relative ease of use.

Thanks!

Dave

[Millemissen]

First of all, the BS4 does not support Dab+.

However, if  you are in the UK (which I presume), that should not be a problem….as far as I know there are several Dab stations available there (?).

As I undestand it, you also want to listen to vinyls in the kitchen area (?).

If you install the BS4 (masterlink/option 6/linkroom product), it will be possible to listen to the sources from the main audio setup.
However, you will not be able to listen to Dab radio in the main room/the 9500 – and also not through the 3500.

If you’d install the BS4 as the main system, you can connect the (RIAA-enabled) turntable there – but you will not be able to remote controlit…..the AUX-in of the BS4 has no datalink connection (only L/R).

Please note!
For the connection from the 9500 to the BS4 you’ll need masterlink and therefore a converter connected to the 9500. This also means, that you must change the connection to the 3500 to ML as well.

The far easiest option would be to have the BS4 as a standalone unit (of cource with speakers) in the kitchen area…..if all you need there is a replacement for the Panasonic Dab.

MM

[Guy]

Millemissen wrote:

First of all, the BS4 does not support Dab+.

However, if  you are in the UK (which I presume), that should not be a problem….as far as I know there are several Dab stations available there (?).

Most UK radio broadcasts are DAB rather than DAB+. However, there do seem to be a few stations migrating to the newer DAB+ format; ‘Classic FM’ did so on 1 Jan 24 (I still think it’s funny that they have ‘FM’ in their station title, but they do broadcast on FM as well.) And for some reason the BBC use DAB+ in the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey, plus parts of Cumbria.

[Guy]

Another way to modernise your system is to add a OneRemote product. Have a look at their offerings here:  https://shop.oneremote.dk/shop/69094-digital-radio-solutions-for-bo/

I used an older OneRemote Radio with my BC9500 which was connected to a link room with MCL.  My OneRemote radio could use datalink for control, so I could control the radio from the link room.  I think that their newer radios may require direct IR control from a B&O remote in the main room, but I am not totally sure on this!  If you send them an email and explain your current setup and what you want to achieve, they are very helpful and will let you know what is possible.  Their latest Radio PL7 would add DAB+, Internet Radio, Spotify and lots more features, all controllable from a Smart Phone and B&O remote.

[speedsixdave]

Morning gents,

 

Thanks very much for those useful replies. Food for thought. I did not know about the OneRemote radios etc and there are some other interesting options on there like the the powerlink switches too.

The DAB/DAB+ thing I knew about, hard to know how much of an issue this will be down the line. I would hope the BBC would keep broadcasting on DAB for a while yet but I might be buying a white elephant with the BS4.

Useful to know that one can put two audio sources into the same system though.

All this would be easier (maybe) if the Panasonic had any kind of output options, but there’s not even a headphones socket on it. Ah well, you live and learn.

[Guy]

speedsixdave wrote:

I would hope the BBC would keep broadcasting on DAB for a while yet but I might be buying a white elephant with the BS4.

Don’t forget that you still have BBC on FM until at least 2030! That’s my main source – an added advantage that it is always ‘in sync’ between radios in different rooms. You might need a decent external antenna (or loft antenna) to make the most of FM, but it’s well worth it for sound quality typically superior to most DAB, or even DAB+, broadcasts.

[sverreh]

If DAB+ is important,  some of the BS4 models do support DAB+. Mine does, as Norway closed down the national FM network in 2017. Unfortunately they are hard to come by and, at least here, a bit more expensive than the regular or DAB-compatible units. They do, however, offer backwards compatibility with DAB.

Sverre

[pestria]

Hi

It might have already been covered but BC9500s can cause conflicts when trying to use them as a second audio master.

FWIW I’d go for a ML based system with a converter into the BC9500.  Then I’d add an airport express or similar into the aux socket.  That way you can feed any digital input overall the ML network via the BC9500 using your phone, laptop or ipad.

 

AP

[Author]

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