Beolab 8000 – Passive ML – Eye – Beosound 9000 -> Wifi streaming?

[chaoske]

Hi all,

We’ve just come to buy a house, where the previous owner has thankfully left their B&O installation. We would like to use this as easy as possible, proposed via Wifi streaming.

The current set-up I have found so far:

Living room:

2 x Beolab 8000 speakers
Beosound 9000 CD/radio player (I suspect this is the main driver of the current system)
IR eye
Attic:

Beolab passive ML
Kitchen

IR eye
2 x CX100 speakers
—-

Garage

Beolab passive ML (#2)
Bathroom

IR Eye
2 x ceiling speakers
We would like to continue to play music independently in each room (bathroom/living room/kitchen) driven by a smartphone – for a reasonable budget :).

One option we received by a shop was to connect a sonos port, but I don’t know if this fully fits the question/purpose.

Thanks upfront for your help, looking forward to finally hear this beauty!

[Millemissen]

What you should first is to start the cd player from each room to see if the system works.
I assume that you have a B&O remote!?
Furthermore the BL8000 probably are connected to the 9000 system (living room) – but where does the ir eye fit in there???

Generally speaking these old ML-driven setups rely on a Master (the BS9000 in your case) – this delievers the sound that can be distributed to the linked rooms (garage etc etc).
You can only listen to what the Master offers – and you can include/exclude the linkrooms as you please.
In the linkrooms you can not listen independently to anything – only what the Master device offers!

Adding a Sonos Port (or any other streaming device) can only happen via the 9000 and the sound from that will be distributed the same way as described…..no individual streams possible in the linkrooms!

You can easily try this out, if you connect the headphone output of a mobile phone/tablet to Aux port of the 9000 = stereo minijack -> din 5-pin cable.

Not quite what you want – but this is due to the nature of the ML infrastructure……it is a master/slave network.

Anyway – as written above – first try out if the system is functional!

MM

[chaoske]

Hi Millemissen,

Thanks for your input, really appreciate the help in discovering the B&O ecosystem.

I´m still not sure what the beolab passives do?

There´s indeed no IR eye in the living Room near the 9000 master system, counted 1 too many :).

The cd player seems to work fine, tomorrow I´ll try to find an actual cd to hear the music. I´ll also order a 5 din cable to Jack, to try and connect an aux device.

Keep you posted!

Ps: would you know what this setup would still be worth today, approx?

[Millemissen]

A Beolink Passive is a box that contains the ML electronic, the ML port, a port for the ir eye (for receiving the control signals from the remote) and the speaker connections for passive speakers.
These boxes are mostly hidden away.
It can be used in different ways – but yours work as described.
They are connected to the ML Master (your BS9000) using the ML bus….which is the cable that runs between all units.
Since it contains an amplifier, it also needs mains power.

There are tons of these units on the second hand market – hard to say how much they are worth.
Might be unsellable…..depending on the region you are in.
The BS9000 is – when in good condition – a beloved oldschool B&O device – depending on your region, it could bring some money.
The BL8000 – depending on the age and condition – may be worth trying to sell.

However, don’t expect too much here!
The best thing to do with oldschool B&O gear is to keep on using it.
The last thing I would sell, would be the speakers…..you can always use speakers/the Beolabs.

P.S.
The Passives can be used as an amplifier for the BS Essence/the BS Core (which are the streaming boxes from B&O) – but you’d need a special cable for connecting. This way you could keep on using the passive speakers in the rooms and have individual sound there.
With some tinkering you might even be able to connect e.g. a Sonos Port in each of the (previous link-)rooms.

!!!If you need help for this, you will have to rely on an installer, who is familiar with the B&O gear from that era……and there aren’t many nowadays.

MM

[chaoske]

Thanks for the help MM, appreciate all knowledge in yhis B&O world :-).

Good news as well, I´be connected a chromecast to the BS9000 av out. It works like a charm and the sound is outstanding! I have Boston Acoustics as well and despite being happy with those,  they don´t have the warmth of the B&O.

If possible, I´d like to eliminate the BS9000 and connect the chromecast (with a more simple device in between if necessary) directly to the speakers. Can this be done?

 

[Millemissen]

chaoske wrote:

If possible, I´d like to eliminate the BS9000 and connect the chromecast (with a more simple device in between if necessary) directly to the speakers. Can this be done?

You can use the BS Core (or the older BS Essence Mk2, if you can get one).
These are network streamers and have native support for Chromecast and more.
You can easily connect your BL8000 there (although a small adapter cable (RJ45 to DIN Powerlink).
This can be controlled in multiple ways – the Beoremote One, the Bang & Olufsen app just to name a few.
If you use Chromecasting, you just pick the device in the music app of your choice, press play and the playback will start immediately.

MM

[Chucky]

If you pick up a core hook a iR to it if you have a beo4. I would keep my ML System a live though. That way you can play anything everywhere with an NL/ML converter.

I had a whole wired ML house and gradually replaced everything except my BS 9000 which I think is Iconic. When you do hook up a core to your BL 8000 your BS9000 becomes IR Unresponsive so it is not broken. You can buy a PL plug from steve to make it responsive again and hook it up to the core through coaxial to optical or through the ML converter

This gets complicated so either google a lot ask around and do not get frustrated or get an installer in.

Good luck on your endeavour!

Chucky

[chaoske]

Thanks guys!

A B&O core costs around 900€.. I think I’ll stick with the BS9000 with my chromecast attached to it :-).

In the meanwhile I’ve been thinking of upgrading the CX100’s in the kitchen. Is there a way to connect non-B&O speakers instead of the CX100’s? Because they sound… very, very thin/metally in comparison to the Beolab’s.

[Millemissen]

I assume (from your first posting) that you have a BL Passive that drives the CX100 in the kitchen.

The CX100 are passive speakers – so you can basicly connect any other passive speaker set there. It is just a matter of the connection plugs/or bare wire.

However, have you had a closer look at the CX100?
The bas units/drivers maybe aren’t that fresh anymore.
This is a rather common thing with these old speaker and relatively easy to fix/get fixed.

I have a set of CX100 in our kitchen too and I would not call the sound there ‘very, very thin/metally’ at all.

 

MM

[chaoske]

I had a suspicion that could be the case, as they really sound nothing like B&O at all. I’ll have a look at the youtube ‘refoam’ videos, open them up and see if that might be the case.

Thanks again!

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