Masterlink and Network Link – some help needed

[CharlieWednesday]

All of my B&O equipment is Masterlink era or earlier, but since the Hall Audio ML Streamer’s Kickstarter was unsuccessful (I’m hoping they will still find a way to sell it though), I want to  find another solution for playing digital music on my setup, and being able to control it with my B&O remote.  I use Spotify a lot so the solution has to include Spotify.

So, I’m back to thinking I needed either a Beosound Essence Mk2, a Beosound Core, or a Beosound Moment.  I’m hoping to stick to a budget of £500 max.

The above three devices all use the newer Network Link as far as I understand.  Would I need an NL/ML Converter to integrate it into my B&O system, or can they be connected, and controlled, without that?  I don’t know anything much about how NL works I’m afraid.

I would likely connect it with my Beosound 4 and Beovision 7, but may also choose to connect it to my Beocenter 8500 instead (and yes, I have a 1611 converter for that).

 

[Millemissen]

You do not need to know anything about NetworkLink to do that..…
……unless you want a full integration (using the NL/ML Converter).

You can use the Essence Mk2 or the Core (skip the Moment!) as a source connected directly to the Audio Master using a PL/RJ45 to Din-5 pin/Aux adapter (ask Steve/SoundsHeavenly for that).
If you mainly want to use Spotify (Connect) just play to it from your mobile device.
If you want to use the B&O Netradio as well, you will have to do that via the Bang & Olufsen app.

You can also use the WIFI Streamer from Hall Audio!
(Order the version with the rigt cable).
In that case there is a small remote with access to netradio stations.

There are also other small dongle solutions with Spotify Connect support!

It all comes down to your needs respectively how deep you’d want to integrate e.g. a Beosound Core with the rest of you system.

MM

[Guy]

If you want Beo4 control of (for example) B&O Netradio from linkrooms (i.e selecting radio presets) then you could add the NL/ML converter, but perhaps get the Essence Mk2 first and then experiment with how you make use of it – see if you are happy to control primarily with a smartphone and the B&O app.

Both Essence Mk2 and NL/ML Converter can be found relatively cheap on UK eBay.  I paid £129 for my Essence and £102 for the converter.

[CharlieWednesday]

You may have been lucky to get an Essence Mk2 for £129 – I’ve had my eye out for one for a while now and they go for twice that at least.  I’ll keep looking though.

I have seen NL/ML converters often go for about £100 though, so I guess I might as well look at getting both.  I do have two link room speakers so that would be useful to have it ‘properly’ connected.

@Guy, do you have your Essence connected to any other B&O audio or video equipment?  If so, how you do you select Spotify as a source?

…and from what @Millemissen said, I take it the BS Moment is not recommended!  I have heard some stories of ‘dead tablet’ on those.

It’s such as shame Spotify won’t work on a BS5 – such an attractive piece of kit, and having a dedicated touchscreen would be so useful, but the lack of Spotify is a deal breaker for me.

[Guy]

CharlieWednesday wrote:

@Guy, do you have your Essence connected to any other B&O audio or video equipment?  If so, how you do you select Spotify as a source?

It’s not connected to anything at the moment – I bought it and the NL/ML converter for use in a future set up once I have moved house!  (I’ve been saying similar for three years now … 😀)

When I did my experiments I didn’t actually try Spotify, but I am happy to reconnect and have a play, probably not until next week though.  I will try Spotify with just Essence, and then with Essence and NL/ML converter (I’ll rig up a quick ML network to experiment).

I was hoping to be able to control the Essence directly with IR, but couldn’t get that to work sadly.  See here: https://forum.beoworld.org/forums/topic/connect-essence-mkii-with-old-ir-eye/

I can’t comment on the BS Moment – never used one.

[CharlieWednesday]

I might be asking too much to control the Essence with my B&O remote.  I just don’t like to have to find my phone, unlock it, and fiddle about with it to do simple things on Spotify.

Also, I have my speakers connected to my BV7 so I can get surround sound.  Therefore the BV7 is in Opt2 and the BS4 is in Opt0.  I’m not sure what (if any) option on the BS Essence would work with that setup.

If I see an Essence Mk2 at a good price on eBay I’ll buy it, but otherwise I’ll keep hoping that Hall Audio still find a way of selling that ML Streamer – that thing is exactly what I need!

I’ve also been on the lookout of a Beo5 remote (not a single one available on eBay in the UK right now), and I know that while they are difficult to program they can control third party equipment, so that might be another option – get a non-B&O streamer which can be controlled with IR, and program the Beo5 to control it.  That doesn’t sound easy, but it does sound possible!

[Madskp]

CharlieWednesday wrote:

I’m not sure what (if any) option on the BS Essence would work with that setup.

The essence is not a ML product and therefore it does not have option settings. What you ahve to do in the NL/ML conveter is to choose which sources from the Essence is redirected to which source in the ML system. In your case N.MUSIC would be the obvious, but if you did not have a TV you could also redirect the Essence source to a video command in the ML system

[CharlieWednesday]

An Essence Ms2 just came up on eBay for £129 including delivery, so I snapped it up.  I’ll get an RJ45 to RCA cable to connect it to the Aux In of my Beosound 4, and see how I feel about controlling it on my phone with the app, but I think I will also get an NL/ML converter when I see one at a good price.  There’s a few on eBay now for £250+, but I know I’ll be able to get one for £100, if I’m patient.

I see that the Essence has RCA input too, so that’ll be handy for my Beogram 9500 (connected via a phono stage).

Ultimately, when we have had the work finished in the house in January and I have more space, I intend to go back to using my Beocenter 8500/Beogram 8500 as my main system.  I am hoping that using both a 1611 converter and also an NL/ML converter in sequence will work okay, but if anyone has any experience of that setup, I’d be glad of any tips.

[Carolpa]

Millemissen wrote:

You do not need to know anything about NetworkLink to do that..… ……unless you want a full integration (using the NL/ML Converter). You can use the Essence Mk2 or the Core (skip the Moment!) as a source connected directly to the Audio Master using a PL/RJ45 to Din-5 pin/Aux adapter (ask Steve/SoundsHeavenly for that). If you mainly want to use Spotify (Connect) just play to it from your mobile device. If you want to use the B&O Netradio as well, you will have to do that via the Bang & Olufsen app. You can also use the WIFI Streamer from Hall Audio! (Order the version with the rigt cable). In that case there is a small remote with access to netradio stations. There are also other small dongle solutions with Spotify Connect support! It all comes down to your needs respectively how deep you’d want to integrate e.g. a Beosound Core with the rest of you system. MM

But be aware that Hall Audio sell you items not in stock and don’t react on any mail send.

I ordered some item; no delivery, no reaction what so ever.

[Madskp]

Carolpa wrote:

But be aware that Hall Audio sell you items not in stock and don’t react on any mail send. I ordered some item; no delivery, no reaction what so ever.

I think it might be a case of a one man company with to much work for one person.

I had ordered some of the Masterlink adapters for use with network cables and only after I ordered it I discovered that it was not in stock. I also tried to send a mail with no response. After some time I tried to call on the phone instead and the owner of the company got the order fixed and shipped the same day so I got the parts that was in stock instead. But I agree that it would be better customer service to answer the mail in the first place.

We also had a  nice chat about the ML streamer and how it can be difficult to explain the product to people who are not Masterlink knowledgeable and how that might have affected how many was pledging for the kickstarter. He said that he expected to make some kind of preorder of the product instead at one point, and when there was enough preorders start the production of it.

But again one man to do the job and also busy keeping track of orders of the companys other products may mean that it can take some time before this is going to happen.

[Millemissen]

Actually it is a ‘two-man-company’, Ulrik Tuemand and his wife Marie-Louise Larsen.
In my experience very helpfull….but also very busy.

Feel free to use Google Translate to read about the company (if you need it) here

MM

[Carolpa]

Madskp wrote:

I think it might be a case of a one man company with to much work for one person.

Millemissen wrote:

In my experience very helpfull….but also very busy.

Both arguments: no excuses! Especial if they want to build a decent business.

I will contact them see what happens.

[Carolpa]

Carolpa wrote:

Madskp wrote:

I think it might be a case of a one man company with to much work for one person.

Millemissen wrote:

In my experience very helpfull….but also very busy.

Both arguments: no excuses! Especial if they want to build a decent business.

I will contact them see what happens.

Just tried to contact them on the phone nummer on their site!  I got a tape saying: “we will be back the 21st of Oktober”.

So it looks like scam to me if you are seemingly out of business but still sell items. But maybe MM and/or Madskp get a response phoning from DK?

EDIT

it looks like…but that said, for sure it is no scam. 
I’ve spoken to Ulrik. In the end it was Paypal which fooled both of us. He did get info the order was canceled, I did get a mail which said I paid.

And ….. he will change his voicemail message!

• This reply was modified 5 days, 15 hours ago by Carolpa.
• This reply was modified 5 days, 15 hours ago by Carolpa.
• This reply was modified 5 days, 15 hours ago by Carolpa.

[Guy]

CharlieWednesday wrote:

An Essence Ms2 just came up on eBay for £129 including delivery, so I snapped it up.  I’ll get an RJ45 to RCA cable to connect it to the Aux In of my Beosound 4, and see how I feel about controlling it on my phone with the app, but I think I will also get an NL/ML converter when I see one at a good price.  There’s a few on eBay now for £250+, but I know I’ll be able to get one for £100, if I’m patient.

Hopefully you will get your Essence Mk2 soon and have a chance to experiment with settings especially Spotify and app control.  I will hold off on trying out any setups with my Essence and NL/ML Converter unless there are specific questions once you have had a play.  I’ll be particularly interested if you manage to control the Essence directly by IR – assuming you try connecting a hockey puck type sensor (either older ‘Timer’ or newer ‘Join’ version).

[Madskp]

Carolpa wrote:

Carolpa wrote:

Madskp wrote:

I think it might be a case of a one man company with to much work for one person.

Millemissen wrote:

In my experience very helpfull….but also very busy.

Both arguments: no excuses! Especial if they want to build a decent business.

I will contact them see what happens.

Just tried to contact them on the phone nummer on their site! I got a tape saying: “we will be back the 21st of Oktober”.

So it looks like scam to me if you are seemingly out of business but still sell items. But maybe MM and/or Madskp get a response phoning from DK?

EDIT

it looks like…but that said, for sure it is no scam. I’ve spoken to Ulrik. In the end it was Paypal which fooled both of us. He did get info the order was canceled, I did get a mail which said I paid.

And ….. he will change his voicemail message!

Good to hear that it got resolved in the end 🙂

[Millemissen]

[CharlieWednesday]

Thanks for all of the advice, and glad to know things worked out for you with your Hall Audio order @Carolpa.  Hall Audio have always seemed very helpful to me – in fact I once emailed a question, and Ulrik phoned me in the UK from Denmark to answer that question, and we had a good conversation about what they were working on!

The Essence is on its way to me but hasn’t arrived yet.  It does not include the Essence remote and I don’t think I’ll bother buying one of those – they are quite expensive considering their limited functionality.

My first test will be to connect it via the first method given in @Millemissen‘s helpful info above, and I’ll control it with my phone/tablet (both Android).

I do have a round IR eye going spare, but I would need a different cable for it – if anyone has a wiring diagram for connecting that type of cable, that would be really helpful.

Ultimately though, I’m pretty convinced that getting a Beolink Converter NL/ML is the right way to go, because if I do get any more NL products in the future (which seems likely), that’ll continue to be useful.

I’m waiting until I see a converter up for £100ish on eBay, as I’ve seen them for that price before.

[Guy]

CharlieWednesday wrote:

I do have a round IR eye going spare, but I would need a different cable for it – if anyone has a wiring diagram for connecting that type of cable, that would be really helpful.

Connections are shown on the attached document.

The diagram shows the  connections for one of the newer IR eyes, with the JOIN button (rather than the TIMER button).

However, I have been trying to get one of the older eyes (with Timer button) to work, just connecting the +5V, Gnd and IR data wires.  I have not got this to work with my Essence, but it will work when connected to my NL/ML Converter.  Perhaps my Essence is faulty?

Attachments:

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[CharlieWednesday]

Thanks @Guy – I might as well give that a try once it turns up then, as I currently don’t have any other use for that IR eye (and yes, it is the older version with the Timer button).

Like most people I have more than enough network cables in the cupboard so I can easily butcher one!

[Peter]

Thanks to the splendid chaps at Multicare, I have now upgraded my speakers from Pentas to Beolab 5s – and have been shown how to work the Moment I have (ridiculous device – strongly suggest not getting one!) but it has allowed me to attach an Amazon Echo to the system and I have now have voice control of my music! The Daleks are in fantastic condition and I even managed to palm off some old bits onto them! Simple minijack to line in on the Moment and it connects wirelessly to the Beovision 11 (sorry to say this, but this is the worst TV in the house – the LG sets are just more user friendly and have a better picture – have one with the B&O Stage so sound on that is excellent.) The set up however looks great and sounds great. Many thanks Multicare!

I add this here as prior to this I had an MCL/ML/NL system (!!) which had become increasingly difficult to sort – simplicity seems to be the best solution. There were service manuals on line for the eyes in the past and I expect they are available on site.

[Author]

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