BeoVision 8-32 + BeoLab 3500?

[Niall Hall]

Hello all!

A few years ago I came into possession of a BeoVision 8-32 and have been using it with my Apple TV. It’s my first experience with a B&O product, and despite its age I’ve really enjoyed it!

Recently I acquired a BeoLab 3500 (MK2) that used to be part of a MasterLink system (it came with a ML cable) and hasn’t been used for about a decade. I’d love to bring this speaker back to life, and after some research it seems that the easiest way is to get a special cable that allows it to work as a stand‑alone speaker.

However, since I already have the ML cable and my BeoVision 8‑32 has a MasterLink socket, I’m wondering: could I simply connect the two and use the BeoLab 3500 as an extra speaker in my TV room?

Maybe it’s a silly idea, again I’m not very experienced with B&O products, which is why I’m turning to the experts here. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Favourite Product: BeoVision 8-32

[Madskp]

Niall Hall wrote:

it seems that the easiest way is to get a special cable that allows it to work as a stand‑alone speaker.

This solution is easy in terms of connection, but has some drawbacks in terms of usablity. To activate the speaker you need to press Menu+Menu+0+4+GO after that the speaker will play, but any keypress will turn it off again so no volume control is available.

Niall Hall wrote:

However, since I already have the ML cable and my BeoVision 8‑32 has a MasterLink socket, I’m wondering: could I simply connect the two and use the BeoLab 3500 as an extra speaker in my TV room?

That is a possibility. The BL3500 will the respond to the same commands as the TV, and play the same sources. You could run into some issues with the volume control on the TV and the BL3500 not following each other though.

 

A third possibility is to connect the Masterlink cable from the BL3500 to a Beolink Converter type 1611. That way you can use it as a stand alone speaker with to selectable input, and functioning volume control. The solution is shown in this post https://forum.beoworld.org/forums/topic/beolab-3500-and-1611-converter-settings/page/4/#post-42271

Hope this can help you a little

Location: Denmark

[Niall Hall]

Thank you for the swift reply! I read through that post, and it seems to me that the BeoLink Converter 1611 is the way to go. I did some tests today just out of curiosity by connecting the BeoLab 3500 (set to Option 4) directly to my BeoVision 8 (set to Option 2), and the result was that no audio reached the speaker. The MasterLink connection is definitely active, I confirmed this by pressing MENU MENU 0 2 GO, and the BeoLab displayed ML OK.

So I tried asking Copilot what could be causing the problem, and according to the AI, the HDMI input is the reason it isn’t working. The HDMI audio signal is entirely digital, while the ML audio signal is analog, and there is no internal component that converts between the two. It referenced this service manual as a source: http://www.abo-center.dk/Abo_center_2/reptips/diagrammer/Beovision/Beovision%208%2032%20Type%209550.pdf

However, the manual is in Danish, which is not my strongest language, so I can’t really confirm whether the AI is correct.

If anyone has experience with this setup or can confirm whether the HDMI/ML limitation is correct, I’d really appreciate your insight.

Favourite Product: BeoVision 8-32

[Madskp]

Niall Hall wrote:

I did some tests today just out of curiosity by connecting the BeoLab 3500 (set to Option 4) directly to my BeoVision 8 (set to Option 2), and the result was that no audio reached the speaker. The MasterLink connection is definitely active, I confirmed this by pressing MENU MENU 0 2 GO, and the BeoLab displayed ML OK.

When the Beolab 3500 is in option 4 it will only respond to commands if the command LINK is pressed before the actual command. On the BEO4 remote link commands can be added to the list.

But to test it out you could simply set the Beolab 3500 to option 6 and it should react to the same commands as the TV. The Beolab 3500 display should show the same source as you choose on the TV.

 

Niall Hall wrote:

So I tried asking Copilot what could be causing the problem, and according to the AI, the HDMI input is the reason it isn’t working. The HDMI audio signal is entirely digital, while the ML audio signal is analog, and there is no internal component that converts between the two. It referenced this service manual as a source: http://www.abo-center.dk/Abo_center_2/reptips/diagrammer/Beovision/Beovision%208%2032%20Type%209550.pdf

However, the manual is in Danish, which is not my strongest language, so I can’t really confirm whether the AI is correct.

If anyone has experience with this setup or can confirm whether the HDMI/ML limitation is correct, I’d really appreciate your insight.

It is correct that there are some limitations with digital sources going to Masterlink. I think it has to do with delays being introduced in the conversion from digital audio to analog audio (which is used in Masterlink). But try to see if you can get something out by the method described above.

Location: Denmark

[Niall Hall]

Hello again, so after trying multiple option settings without any success, I decided to use an HDMI audio extractor and route the audio signal to the AV3 port with an RCA cable. And it worked! I can finally hear sound from the BeoLab 3500, and it’s actually very pleasant on its own.

There is a slight delay between the built‑in speaker on the BeoVision 8 and the BeoLab 3500, which creates a bit of an echo effect. Because of that, I won’t be using them together in the same room, but I am really happy to have confirmed that the speaker is working properly.

So now I just need the BeoLink Converter 1611 and this special cable: https://soundsheavenly.com/products/5-pin-din-to-4-x-rca-input-and-output-cable-for-b-o-naim-quad#/2-length-1m plus an audio source of course and then I should be good to go, right?

Favourite Product: BeoVision 8-32

[Madskp]

Niall Hall wrote:

So now I just need the BeoLink Converter 1611 and this special cable: https://soundsheavenly.com/products/5-pin-din-to-4-x-rca-input-and-output-cable-for-b-o-naim-quad#/2-length-1m plus an audio source of course and then I should be good to go, right?

That should be what you need yes

Location: Denmark

[Niall Hall]

Thanks a lot for your help Madskp, I really appreciate it! 😊

Favourite Product: BeoVision 8-32

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