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Thanks – I’ve downloaded it ready for when it arrives. I’m using a Windows 10 PC (I’m a keen PC gamer, so Mac is no good for me!). I’ve held off on installing Windows 11 for now as it needs me to change some BIOS settings and then reinstall, and I simply can’t be bothered with all that just yet!
Location: Liverpool
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I managed to find another Beolink PC2 going cheap on eBay (some sellers were asking a lot for it though!). I was too curious not to buy it in the end, so I bought it and it’s on its way. I’d be grateful for that software then, if you have it.
Location: Liverpool
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Update – the new cable arrived, and there is no longer a hum when it is connected and switched on (but not playing), so the cable was part of the problem, but only part.
There is still a hum, not as loud as before but still very audible, whenever it is playing.
There is od music on the tape that came with it and it plays in okay-ish quality. If I record new music however it’s poor quality when played back, particularly on the right channel. Very variable and scratchy, and lower in level than the left.
It seems the right place to start is the capacitors on the power supply board. I have the service manual and it’s quite easy to identify them, so while I’m no electronics expert, I should be able to get the multimeter and soldering iron out, get hold of the capacitors! Wish me luck.
Location: Liverpool
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Just coming back to this, I managed to get a Masterlink Distribution Box, one came up cheap on eBay. It’ll come in useful because I have decided to keep one of the Beolab 2000s I bought as a package with my Beolab 3500.
As for the Beolink PC2, I missed out on the one that was on eBay but another will come up, and I am just too curious not to buy one now! One thing I didn’t think of though – will I be able to get the software for it?
Location: Liverpool
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My understanding is that the BL6002 (unlike the Beolab 6000, which I have) lack the RCA input, and only have Powerlink inputs?
While I don’t have the same speakers I do have the 6000s, and I have a Beocenter 9000, and I have connected then successfully in the past. I was able to connect them with RCA-to-RCA cables because my BL6000s have an RCA ‘line’ input as well as Powerlink.
I’d ask Steve at Sounds Heavenly if he has the cables for that, if I were you!
Location: Liverpool
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I lost out on the Beolink PC2, I forgot when the auction was up and the time passed without me bidding. It hasn’t been relisted so someone else must have bid for it. A shame, because it came with all the cables, even a double masterlink cable. Never mind, I wait for another one to come up.
Location: Liverpool
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Thanks _ I forget to look at the old forums but I’ll have a look. I’ve not opened it up yet but I’ve been playing around with it- it does at least play, and record, and it appears to play at the right speed. If I plug headphone into it the sound quality is still pretty muffled, but the loud hum that i get if I connect it to my Beocenter is not there when I listen via headphones.
The DIN cable is really old and worn (it may be original!) so I will replace that first, then give the heads a proper clean, then it’s trial and error from there. I don’t have a demagnetiser for the heads but I may buy one.
I have no practical use for a reel-to-reel tape recorder of course, but it does look very cool! I’ve stood it up next to my other equipment (it has clever swivelling legs on the back that help it stand up). It would be nice to get it working better but it’s not the end of the world if I can’t.
Location: Liverpool
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You were right – thanks! The tape was already loaded when I bought it, it was obviously loaded incorrectly – when I checked there are printed arrows on the ends that show which side should be facing out, and when I took a closer look it became more obvious anyway – the ‘correct’ side that hits the heads is the familiar red-brown colour of tape, the other side is black.
There’s a lot of hum when I connect it to my Beocenter (even when not playing), and the sound quality is poor, but I’ll give it a bit of once over, clean and demagnetise the heads, and so on. I’ve found a service manual for it online. This is my new project then!
Location: Liverpool
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I’m such an amateur with reel-to-reel – I didn’t even know there was a correct side! I’ll try and reverse it and see what happens – thanks.
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Yes there is a PC in the same room, which is in use all day, and I already do have quite a lot of digital music stored on it.
The Beolink PC2 is going quite cheap on eBay so I might buy it anyway, just to see if it works. If nothing else, that twin Masterlink cable that’s included with it would be worth having. If it doesn’t work I’ll just put it back on eBay.
Location: Liverpool
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Ah, I knew it would be too good to be true! I was hoping it would have some kind of setting that would prevent it from conflicting, but the manual doesn’t seem to give too much info on the configuration.
Location: Liverpool
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Actually you know, there’s a very cheap Beolink PC2 going on eBay (which I believe is effectively the same as the Beoport?). Is there a way for me to have them all connected – Beolink PC2, Beolink Converter 1611, Beolab 3500 and Beocenter 8500? The Beolink PC2 on eBay has a Masterlink cable included which is split, so it can connect to two other Masterlink devices, so I’m thinking one connects to the BL3500, one connects to the 1611, and then of course my 1611 connects to my Beocenter 8500? Or am I simplifying it too much!? I’ve read that the Beolink PC2 acts as a master, so would this interfere with my Beocenter 8500?
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Thanks for testing. I’ll stop worrying about the clock then!
As for the HDMI sound, in my setup, even if the TV is playing an HDMI source, you cannot get the sound from that source to play via the AV command on the Beocenter at all. It will play sound from the TV’s tuner, or from inputs connected via Scart or YPpPr, but not those connected via HDMI. Probably not surprising given that these 1611 and 1614 converters predate HDMI.
It’s no big deal for me though – the BL3500 was bought for audio only, and it’s the audio system I really care about. I just wanted to test it all out of curiosity really to see what these things can all do.
I only really bought the BV8 TV on a whim because it was cheap on eBay (local collection – £80!) and included a Beo4 remote. It looks good, but I rarely switch it on except when I’m in the mood for a bit of retro gaming, so I don’t really mind too much if I can’t connect it all together.
This has all been very educational though – thanks everyone for your help.
Location: Liverpool
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Me again! The 1614 arrived today so I plugged it in, connecting my BV8 TV to my Beocenter 8500. It works – I set the TV to V-Opt 1 and the Beocenter also to A-Opt 1, and now if I press AV then CD for example, the CD audio comes from the TV speakers, and if I press AV and then TV, the Beocenter switches to Aux and plays the TV sound through the Beocenter. This is just as you advised in this earlier message Guy:This is dependent on ‘Option Settings’. If TV and BC are in V.OPT 1 and A.OPT 1 respectively, each will normally play sound though their own speakers and be controlled directly by the Beo4. In this setup, if you press ‘AV’ before selecting a source, if will play through the ‘other device’ – i.e TV will play audio through BC8500 speakers (if connected) and BC8500 will play through TV.
One strange thing though – it won’t play HDMI inputs via AV on the Beocenter. Other inputs will play through the Beocenter (Scart, YPBr), but not the two HDMI inputs. I’ve messed around with the very complex input settings on the BV8 for a couple of hours but I can’t find an option to make those HDMI inputs work via AV.
I only mention hat out of curiously though – the main thing is I know that both my 1611 and my 1614 work!
Location: Liverpool
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There does not appear to be any way to set the time on the BV8. It does display the correct time when you view the programme guide, so I assume it is simply getting the time from the digital terrestrial tuner. The only time settings I can find in the menus relate to time zone, daylight savings, and the play and sleep timers – no way to actually set the time manually.
Location: Liverpool
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When connected to the TV, I think the only reason I got no sound was because I hadn’t set the options – there are several config options, I didn’t play around with them, as really I have no need to have the TV sound coming out of anything other than the TV’s own speakers – I was only connecting it to see if it could sync the clock from the TV, and it didn’t!
When connected to the BC9000 I didn’t leave it connected for any amount of time so perhaps I was just too impatient! I might try that again and leave it plugged in for a time.
Location: Liverpool
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I’m not sure it’d work now anyway – out of curiosity I connected the BL3500 directly to the BV8 TV via Masterlink, and although it is clearly connected (the display on the BL3500 shows ‘TV’ or ‘SAT’ and so on, depending on the TV source selected), I still get no clock, and no sound out of the BL3500. Probably a setting I’m not getting right where the sound is concerned, but I’m guessing that if the clock were going work, it would just work.
I also connected my Beocenter 9000 (which does have clock and timer, unlike my Beocenter 8500) to the BL3500 via the 1611 box, and again, no clock!
I’m assuming therefore that foe the clock in the BL3500 to work, it needs to be connected to a more modern B&O audio system that has Masterlink built in, such Beosound 3000.
Location: Liverpool
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Since I’ve got both a 1614 and a 1611, I might as well use the 1611. After all, if the BV8 TV ever goes up in smoke I won’t be replacing it with another B&O TV (given that modern B&O TVs start at £6,500!). Both the 1611 and 1614 were bought cheap so I might as well keep both, just in case.
Yes I think I will look for a cheap ML Distribution Box, especially given that I have two MCL cables already (albeit both quite short) with plugs both ends, so all I’d need is the box, plus one more (long) MCL cable.
I realise I’m going to all this trouble just so I can get the clock to show on my BL3500, which might not seem worthwhile, but I’ll do it for the same reason I fixed the tape deck on my Beocenter – it’s there, so I want it to work!
Location: Liverpool
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Oh that is useful, thanks @Guy.
If I do want to bring my TV into the Masterlink network, I think I can then, like this:
- Get a Masterlink junction box, like this one
- Get 3 Masterlink cables with a Masterlink plug on one end, bare wires on the other (there’s a couple of places I could get these from, made to order)
- Wire those three cables into the Masterlink junction box
- I’ll then have 3 Masterlink connections – one for the 1611, one for the BV8 TV, one for the BL3500 (I could also add a 4th Masterlink cable and add one of the BL2000s to the network)
- Connect the 1611 to my BC8500 with the aux link cable that I already have
Or, a variation that is a bit more expensive but may be more flexible:
- Get a Masterlink distribution box, like this one
- Use the 2 Masterlink cables I already have with plugs at both ends, and buy another long one, with plugs at both ends
- Connect them all the same was as above, but to the distribution box instead
I’m also wondering (and judging from your previous posts you might know this @Madskp!), if I bring my BV8 TV into the Masterlink network, then the TV becomes the ‘controller’, so to speak, and powers the network, so I could use either the 1611 or the 1614, but not both?
Location: Liverpool
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