Beolab 3000s switching on and off in use

[speedsixdave]

Evening all, I’m after some advice on my Beolab 3000s, which have started turning on and off fairly randomly in use.

For a couple of years they’ve been connected by fully-wired powerlink, originally to a BS9500 then to a BM6500. They’re in our dining room, adjacent to the lounge with the BS6500 and Beolab 4000s. There’s also a BL3500 in the conservatory connected by MCL. The arrangement is:

BL4000 >PL> BM6500 >PL> BL4000 >PL> BL3000 >PL> BL3000

>MCL2> BL3500 in conservatory

Until recently everything has worked fine, and then I started messing…

 

We’re planning to build an extension and rearrange the house so I’ve been investigating options for extending the system into new and other rooms, which is a separate subject really. I bought a Beolink Converter 1611 and a Beolink Active, made a 15m Masterlink cable from two short bits of plugged ML cable, two junction boxes and some CAT7, and connected all to the 3000s in the dining room:

BM6500 >PL/AAL> BLC1611 >ML> BLA1636 >PL> BL3000 >PL> BL3000

Once I’d got the sequence of turning things on in the correct order right, everything worked as it should for maybe an hour, then the 3000s started clicking on and off. Sometimes they’d stop clicking on and off of their own accord, sometimes I’d have to turn them off fully. I checked the connections which seemed ok, but still the clicking on and off. Sometimes only the furthest daisychained BL3000 would turn on and off, sometimes both.

So I tried a couple of different MCL2AV boxes:

BM6500 >MCL> MCL2AV >PL> BL3000 >PL> BL3000

And the same thing happened –  fine for a while, then clicking on and off. At this point I thought the BM6500 might be at fault, so tried with my only other suitable amp:

BM3300 >MCL> MCL2AV >PL> BL3000 >PL> BL3000

And the same problem again. So I reverted back to the original powerlink-only setup – exactly the same cables set up in exactly the same way as at the start, but the clicking on and off continues.

Because this is so annoying (especially for my wife), I’ve cut my losses at the moment and wired the speakers directly as Beovox 300os, bypassing the amp:

BM6500 > MCL> MCL2A >SL L+R> BV3000s

This works fine. of course.

Any ideas what’s happening to the Beolabs? I could sort of understand if something had died inside one of the Beolabs but the fact it’s happening to both (and sometimes the furthest one independently) is baffling. Unless I’ve killed both of them somehow.

Two things I have not tried yet:

(1) BM6500 >SL L+R> BL3000s, i.e. running speaker cables direct into the Beolab amps as Speakerlink, either direct from the BM or via MCL2A. This would not be too difficult but I suspect the clicking on and off again.

(2) swapping the BL4000s and BL3000s round, and seeing whether they all behave properly. But this is a real faff with wall-mounts and cabling.

Any ideas appreciated. Sometimes I think active speakers and classic hifi is more trouble than it’s worth.

 

Dave

Location: UK

Favourite Product: Beolab 3000

My B&O Icons:

[Peter]

Have you tried the BL3000s working directly with the BM6500 just using Powerlink cables? It means moving the BM6500 into the room with the 3000s but if it works, it will be something to do with the cabling. If it does the same, then the amplifiers in the speakers have developed a fault – seems strange both should do this at once though. I have a pair myself though are now just decorative as my ridiculously complex ML/MCL/NL system is no longer in use! I did have a pair of 5000s but far too big so were lent to my dentist – probably on a permanent basis!!

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[speedsixdave]

Hi Peter,

 

Thanks for the reply and suggestion. Foolishly I had not thought of trying just the powerlink connection direct, but it is now the weekend so I have had chance to try. I have a 15 or 20m fully-wired PL cable from Steve that will reach (just) from the BM6500 to either of the BL3000s so I’ve tried that. So far:

BM6500 >PL> furthest BL3000 = switching on and off after twenty minutes or so

BM6500 >PL> nearest BL3000 = appears to be fine, though I’ve only run it for about four hours. Will try again today.

This makes me think that perhaps only the furthest BL3000 is problematic, and perhaps its switching on and off was affecting the nearer one too when they were daisychained together. Promising.

I also tried Extra Thing One last weekend, running ‘Speakerlink’ into the Beolab amps. This resulted in a loud buzzing sound when no source was playing, at least with the furthest BL3000. So I think there’s definitely a problem there. Will try more things with the nearest BL3000 and see if it behaves well.

Thanks again for the input. Most helpful as a sounding board.

Incidentally I’ve been running the BL3000s as BV3000s all week, bypassing the amps. To my untrained ears the sound is pretty similar, perhaps a bit less bass-rich.

Location: UK

Favourite Product: Beolab 3000

My B&O Icons:

[speedsixdave]

Nope, spoke too soon. Both BL3000s switch on and off when connected independently and directly by Powerlink. Direct to the Beomaster, via a Beolink Active or via an MCL2AV. Various different cables. They didn’t do this a month ago so I can only conclude I’ve fried something inside each of them. God knows why they work for a bit and then start the switching. Capacitors? I don’t know enough about electronics to form a useful opinion.

Location: UK

Favourite Product: Beolab 3000

My B&O Icons:

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