Troubleshooting NL/ML - ML\MCL setup - 5 rooms

27 replies

Hi all, attempting to get some expensive equipment working again as a present to my father. He has a fairly comprehensive B & O house system here in New Zealand which has:

  1. Cost buckets to purchase and install new about 5 yrs ago
  2. Started humming like there was interference about 1 yr ago (at least)
  3. Stopped producing sound in any room other than lounge about a week ago

From what I can tell there is no longer an NZ agent so I'm trying to troubleshoot what I can.

The setup from what I can tell is:

Room

Speakers

ML/MCL Converter

Controller

Other

Kitchen

2 inset roof speakers

Yes & NL/ML Converter

IR Receiver (cover falling off)

 

Lounge

2 x wall speakers
1 x subwoofer

?

  •  
    • >

Beovision 11

Front Outside

2 x square wall speakers

Yes & NL/ML Converter

IR Receiver

 

Side Outside

2 x square wall speakers

Yes & NL/ML Converter

IR Receiver

 

Hallway

2 inset roof speakers

Yes & NL/ML Converter

IR Receiver

 

These all work with a Beo4 remote. I have previously had the Bank & Olufsen app working on my Android phone which still recognises:

  1. Kitchen NL/ML converter
  2. Beovision 11 TV

The house Ipad still recognises a "Beosound essence" as a sound output option but I do not know which physical part that is.

The Beovision 11 has Apple TV integrated. Ideally I would like to set this up for him to be able to play spotify on the TV, and have sound in other rooms. As easily as possible for a tech illiterate man. In particular I would like a way to see the volume levels of every room at once. He would quite consistently turn the speakers up to max, not hearing anything, then press play on his iPad.

Where do I start troublehooting this? I have labeled each ML/MCL converter and am trying to identify which controls which room.

 

Wow, this is quite complicated arrangement. Never seen so many NL/ML-Converters in one installation!

I'd recommend downloading the BeoTool-app to check the status of all NL-devices. Maybe you can share some screenshots of the results of the app.

Each NL/ML-Converter has its own ip-address with which you can enter a settings page.

Then some standard questions:
- Has anyone changed the network after installation of the B&O equipment 5 years ago? > Are all converters on the same network? Is the physical network still intact and cabling working correctly? And the cabling from the ML/MCL-converters to the speakers?
- Which app is installed on the house iPad?

That table can’t be right.

There is absolutely no use for a NL/ML Converter in a room with a set of speakers (not to speak of 5 of these).

*If so installed, the dealer has made a lot of money there 🙄 Or he somehow had to use an existing homenetwork installation instead of a ML-bus.

Are you sure that you don’t mistake these for the ML/MCL Converter aka BL Passive or the BL Active.

In that setup only one NL/ML Converter would be needed - as a bridge between the BV11 and the (assuming) ML connected rooms with the ir eyes/speakers.

You mention a ‘BS Essence’, but do not show it in the table —- ?

My guess is, that there is one NL/ML Converter and a ML-cable going to the respective ‘linkrooms’.

And it seems, that there is no ML-audiosystem involved (but probably a ML Powerbox instead)

Please clarify - it seems kind of odd to me!

(Could you post a pic of these converters?)

 

MM

Location: Flensborg————Danmark

Could there be a ML/NL converter with a gaming adaptor, to make wireless net? So you have wireless masterlink?
I have my self also thinked of that idea.

Millemissen wrote:

That table can’t be right.

There is absolutely no use for a NL/ML Converter in a room with a set of speakers (not to speak of 5 of these).

*If so installed, the dealer has made a lot of money there 🙄 Or he somehow had to use an existing homenetwork installation instead of a ML-bus.

Are you sure that you don’t mistake these for the ML/MCL Converter aka BL Passive or the BL Active.

In that setup only one NL/ML Converter would be needed - as a bridge between the BV11 and the (assuming) ML connected rooms with the ir eyes/speakers.

You mention a ‘BS Essence’, but do not show it in the table —- ?

My guess is, that there is one NL/ML Converter and a ML-cable going to the respective ‘linkrooms’.

And it seems, that there is no ML-audiosystem involved (but probably a ML Powerbox instead)

Please clarify - it seems kind of odd to me!

(Could you post a pic of these converters?)

MM

There is a tv - and there is a BV.

a NL/ML converter van also be used as a “BeoLink active” kind of device in a NL setup.

So not strange at all
First check the lan cables and switches and/or router. Maybe a switch doesn’t work anymore.

Then go to your router and check out the ip addresses of the NL/ML converters.

Type one of these IP’s in your browser (be sure your on the same network). Can you access the BLC (= NL/ML converter). Do you have the credentials to login?

Carolpa wrote:
Millemissen wrote:

a NL/ML converter van also be used as a “BeoLink active” kind of device in a NL setup.

So not strange at all

I know = of course!

That is the readon why I wrote”

‘If so installed, the dealer has made a lot of money there 🙄 Or he somehow had to use an existing homenetwork installation instead of a ML-bus.‘

Which means, if there is not a particular readon for it (e.g. a non-existing ML chain), it would be overkill imo.

MM

Location: Flensborg————Danmark

I must say I still don't know what equipment there is - this was just based on my best guesses. All network equipment for the entire house (excluding speakers and IR receivers) seems to be stored in the lounge cabinet, under the Beovision 11.

There are four black converters which I'm pretty sure said ML/MCL converter. A link is linked. Each has:

  1. Two grey cables. Each grey cable has a large strand (power?) and a smaller strand (signal?)
  2. A power input
  3. A black cable I think is signal input 

In the next cabinet there are four silver, sleek looking boxes with no model name I could see. It looks like

Sounds like an MCL setup updated to Masterlink, then updated to NL. With BV11 and Essence as av sources, an NL-ML converter connected to to 4 BL passives connected to passive wall- and ceiling speakers.

Stefan

Forgot the MCL extra speaker kits....

Stefan

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