Gents, sorry to be naive do the PL connections mean I can add 2 rear speakers for a 4.1 system?

What rears would people recommend?

Also I've heard of problems switching back to AirPlay from the TV signal as the AirPlay signal is always live even if you're not playing music?

Steve at Sounds Heavenly wrote:

Hi badgersurf,

Thanks for this, based on the limited testing that we have been able to do so far, the full situation with the Hub appears to be rather strange.....

When there is nothing connected to the Powerlink (RJ45) input of the Hub, it outputs a correct Powerlink signal, ie. trigger voltage and stereo audio whenever sound is present on the optical or analogue inputs.  As soon as a Powerlink device is connected to the Powerlink input, it switches to "Line" mode and provides audio only (no Powerlink trigger signal) on the output socket.  If audio only is connected to the Powerlink input (ie. no trigger signal) then the Hub simply ignores this.

Hence, your Hub should be able to give a normal Powerlink output to your speakers, as long as no other B&O product is connected to the Powerlink In socket.

I'm really hoping that someone from B&O Technical can reply to this thread to explain the reasoning behind this, because I'm struggling to see a logical reason for the Hub turning off the Powerlink trigger at the output socket when a B&O device is connected to the Powerlink input socket.

Based on the enquiries that I've been getting from dealers and B&O customers so far, this is a common sticking point that makes the Hub far less flexible than it could otherwise be.  Any ideas please B&O?

Kind regards, Steve.

Has there been a solution to this. I would like to connect a non-B&O to the connection hub (with Beollab 8002 connected to it) and also an essence to have multi-room functionality. When I watch a movie on the television, the BLs should play the sound, while playing over the Essence should enable the audio played multi-room.

Am I dreaming or is this doable?

Hi Steve1977,

No problem, in this case you would need to connect the TV to the Hub with an optical cable (

Steve at Sounds Heavenly wrote:

Hi Steve1977,

No problem, in this case you would need to connect the TV to the Hub with an optical cable (

Hi,

Yes, you can connect any Beolab speakers to the S8 Hub, but you will only ever get stereo sound, not surround sound.  I'm not sure which device takes priority when several devices are connected to the Hub at once - if I recall correctly, the Hub switches automatically to whichever source is playing.

If you need any help with cables to get your system working, please let me know!

Kind regards, Steve.

Thanks. I thought I were able to get surround with a Beolab 14 as it includes surround processor? Or does the Connection Hub not work with a Baolab 14? What about a pair of BL3 with a BL2 (i.e., 2+1)?

Once I finalize my decision on the system to go ahead with, I will need cables. Shall I just go ahead with your web-site or ping you directly?

Steve at Sounds Heavenly wrote:

When there is nothing connected to the Powerlink (RJ45) input of the Hub, it outputs a correct Powerlink signal, ie. trigger voltage and stereo audio whenever sound is present on the optical or analogue inputs.  As soon as a Powerlink device is connected to the Powerlink input, it switches to "Line" mode and provides audio only (no Powerlink trigger signal) on the output socket.  If audio only is connected to the Powerlink input (ie. no trigger signal) then the Hub simply ignores this.

Hence, your Hub should be able to give a normal Powerlink output to your speakers, as long as no other B&O product is connected to the Powerlink In socket.

Did you get a reply on this frmo B&O? What are the implications for my use case (connecting Essence and a non-B&O TV as inputs and BL3 (and maybe BL2) as output? Will this work or is this constraint by what you are describing above?

Hi Steve,

Unfortunately, no-one from B&O has responded to me to clarify the situation regarding the Powerlink input on the S8 Hub, so this socket is best ignored to give you simpler operation for your speakers.

To clarify, Beolab 14 does not have a surround sound processor, it simply has multiple power amplifiers built in.  The S8 Hub is a stereo pre-amp only, so it will give stereo sound to a Beolab 14, not surround sound.  To get surround sound from a Beolab 14, you need a full surround sound processor or pre-amplifier.

If you need any help with cables for your system, please contact me directly at

Thanks. I will probably take another 2-3 weeks to finalize my decision, but will for sure not forget to reach you on provided web-site for the respective cables.

Do I understand you right that the issue about the PL-Input may not even impact me/ I need the PL-Output and still have 2 (or even 3?) other inputs for the Essence, my non-B&O televion (and a third device?). But no need to even use the PL-Input?

Possible to connect a pair of BL3, but also a BL2 to the Connection hub? Or just 2.0 and not 2.1?

You only have to worry, if you use the PL-in AND one or more of the other connections.

Just PL to the BL2 and from there to the BL3's.

Using a PL-splitter might also be possible.

MM