Opinion: Unless you desperately need the 1 sq.ft. (incl. air rights!) the Overture takes up on your desk, I would stick with it.  

Here's why: So you don't want the "old media look"?  Personally, I like the way Overture looks, and the option to play some CDs in a pinch, and tune radio without streaming.  Also the Beolab 4000's are OK, but they aren't so good that switching to some fancy preamp or running the sound digitally over USB is going to make them sound any better than they do now.  To eliminate one wire (from your Mac), you could *add* an Apple Airport Express and stream to your Overture; you're already used to hitting the "AUX" button... this would allow you to stream from your iDevices as well.  If you want the beauty of the Beolab 4000's and must have your Beo4 remote, you should live with the "beauty" of the Overture too.  

One small step toward modernity would be a BeoSound 3200.  Or you could buy a Core, but how far are you willing to bend over just to save those Beolab 4000's?  Starting from scratch, a higher fidelity but still "hi-tech pretty" alternative might be a pair of KEF LS50's and a Naim Uniti Atom.  Of course once you give up on B&O there are many other good choices including so-called "wireless" speakers -- but finding sleekly designed components narrows the field a lot.  For example, I feel that Yamaha WXC-50 is rather... utilitarian-looking.  But if you go that route, Steve at Sounds Heavenly has a "powered trigger kit" for the speakers, and some opinions about using the 12V trigger from other equipment: /forum/general-discussion-and-questions/which-trigger-cables-do-i-need-to-make-this-51-setup#post-2073050

Hi Micheal,

Isn't a Playmaker what your looking after?

Keep the Ouverture/BL4000 combo and - like trackbeo wrote) add a wireless receiver (APE, maybe) to it.

Why replace something, that is working?

Do you solely use the Mac as source or also an iDevice

If you really want to get rid of the Ouverture (you don’t use CD’s anymore, need the space....?), get yourself a BS Core....no fancy trigger cables needed there. Consider adding an ir-eye to it, if you are used to the Beo-remote.

MM

matador43 wrote:

Hi Micheal,

Isn't a Playmaker what your looking after?

Might do the job - but hardwired to the network, then.

MM

trackbeo wrote:

Opinion: Unless you desperately need the 1 sq.ft. (incl. air rights!) the Overture takes up on your desk, I would stick with it.  

Here's why: So you don't want the "old media look"?  Personally, I like the way Overture looks, and the option to play some CDs in a pinch, and tune radio without streaming.  Also the Beolab 4000's are OK, but they aren't so good that switching to some fancy preamp or running the sound digitally over USB is going to make them sound any better than they do now.  To eliminate one wire (from your Mac), you could *add* an Apple Airport Express and stream to your Overture; you're already used to hitting the "AUX" button... this would allow you to stream from your iDevices as well.  If you want the beauty of the Beolab 4000's and must have your Beo4 remote, you should live with the "beauty" of the Overture too.  

One small step toward modernity would be a BeoSound 3200.  Or you could buy a Core, but how far are you willing to bend over just to save those Beolab 4000's?  Starting from scratch, a higher fidelity but still "hi-tech pretty" alternative might be a pair of KEF LS50's and a Naim Uniti Atom.  Of course once you give up on B&O there are many other good choices including so-called "wireless" speakers -- but finding sleekly designed components narrows the field a lot.  For example, I feel that Yamaha WXC-50 is rather... utilitarian-looking.  But if you go that route, Steve at Sounds Heavenly has a "powered trigger kit" for the speakers, and some opinions about using the 12V trigger from other equipment: /forum/general-discussion-and-questions/which-trigger-cables-do-i-need-to-make-this-51-setup#post-2073050

True, I don't want the old media look but thats not the first issue. The issue is that the room is small. I use it as a study and a guest room. I want as little stuff as possible in it. The Ouverture is quite thick and cumbersome to wallmount. It won't look flush and modern. I love the Ouverture though and thats why I still have it. I did notice that I got more bussing noise in the background with it than with the BeoSound 4 I had for a while. I did not like it because it stood out even more so I sold it. 

Reason I want a smaller preamp is to have a volume wheel on my desk instead of on the stereo far away. I think it would work well with the rest of the computer stuff and listening to CD´s is fun but not a necessity. I do not have a radio antenna in my building because it is new so I would have to use a portable antenna for the FM-band to work which I do not want either. I do not really want to go up to a BeoSound 3200 when one of these small amps is still pretty cheap. And more modern. 

Thanks for the link, it sounds like an idea. I also realize I could probably just run the speakers directly off the computer but then I would always have to use the built in volume, but that .. works too :).  

Howzit wrote:

I was looking for a solution as well, but the offerings from B&O right now for a source are pretty lame, except for the Beovosions, which I think are superb.

I started off with the WXC-50, and I loved it so much, that I went for the CX-A5100. I have a full Beolab 9.2.2 channel setup, and it’s great. All Beolabs are running triggered cables.

I have however been thinking about the Beosound Moment. Have you considered that?

Personally, I’m currently loving the idea of the Moment...

VERY interesting! I have been playing with the thought of getting rid of my beovision avant 55" and replace it with an OLED TV and/or a projector. I want to keep my Beolabs and I will miss the experience but since B&O is apparently getting rid of the TV department I don't see many different choices. I've had a very expensive Yamaha amp before RX-V3800 and I recall that it felt a bit light on bass. I don't know if it is a signature tone or something in that device and my old speakers. I used to have passive speakers but then moved to Beolabs and had it running Beolab 8000 pretty nicely on its pre out. 

leosgonewild wrote:

You can also dismantle the Beosound ouverture and place the motherboard, power supply, IR-receiver and input board in a nice casing. Say like this one https://youtu.be/sF6XzAU4K2k

😂

That actually feels like a cool project :D. SInce I work in IT I almost want to cram it into a 1U format but at the same time not really :D. Why did you do this by the way? :)