[CharlieWednesday]

Further to the above, I don’t think that having it connected to the same ML network as my Beosound 4 is enough – I think that the Beosystem 3 wants to have its own IR eye.  I have a spare IR eye but don’t have the right type of cable for it (3.5mm jack), but I see that Steve at Sounds Heavenly sells those, so I’ll order one and see if I have any luck with that.

The seller of the Beosystem 3 assures me it was tested and working (they are a business, not a private seller), so I do think it’s probably me making incorrect assumptions about how it should work.  The B&O manual only gives instructions for connecting it to a Beovision 4 and a projector, but since I don’t have a Beovision 4, the IR eye might be a necessity.

[CharlieWednesday]

I have just taken delivery today of my Beosystem 3, and of course, I can’t figure it out!

To make things simple I have disconnected my Beovision 7 TV from the mains and from the ML network for now.  I don’t have an IR eye connected to the BS3 but I am able to power it on – it is connected to my Beosound 4 via ML, and if I put my Beosound 4 into Opt.2 and the Beosystem 3 into either 0 or 1, the Beosystem 3 does power up if I select a video source, such as DTV.  My Beosound 4 display shows that source, and the channel number, so it would appear to be ‘working’.

However, I am getting no video signal out of it.  It’s a Mk2 so it has DVI outputs rather than HDMI but I have a DVI-HDMI adapter connected, and then I have connected it to a normal PC monitor just to test it.  I am getting no video signal.  I have tried Format 0 on the Beo4 remote to switch between TV and cinema mode, and I have tried both of the DVI outputs, but I am getting nothing.  The power LED is on, but I get no display.

It could be that the Beosystem 3 is faulty, but it seems more likely that I am doing something wrong!  Any advice would be much appreciated.

[CharlieWednesday]

Thanks for this – it opens up some possibilities for me for both my Beosound 4 and my Beocenter 8500 (via a 1611 converter, which I already have).  I had always thought the Playmaker would be of no practical use to me, and I had also thought that in order to use an Essence, I would also need an NL/ML converter, but it seems that by using Steve’s cable, I wouldn’t need that.

I am not an Apple user and never will be, but DNLA is an option.

[CharlieWednesday]

Guy wrote:

If you ever want to use datalink with the ‘expanded’ input then it could be worth trying to find the B&O Aux Expander, which gave full 7-pin DIN switching from up to 4 inputs.  They do come up on eBay occasionally:

I’ve never heard of the B&O Aux Expander, but now I really want one.

Guy wrote:

Alternatively, connect a Playmaker to the BC9300 Aux input, stream Qobuz from your phone using airplay/DNLA and connect the Revox tapedeck to the Playmaker’s (auto-sensing) aux input.  Instead of a Playmaker you could also do this with Essence Mk1 or Mk2.

How would that work?  I’ve never really considered getting a Playmaker as I thought they had no output other than speaker outputs.  So, you can somehow adapt those for use to connect it to an Aux input, with the right cable?  Playmaker and Essence Mk1 often come up on eBay for less than £100 so I’m thinking I might use that solution myself!

[CharlieWednesday]

Ah yes, now I think of it, the other inputs you want to add (the tapecorder and the internet box) don’t need to be controlled by your B&O remote, so a simple external tape switch box might be a better solution, such as this one with DIN connectors, or this one with RCA connectors.  Connect your Beogram to the Phono/Tape 2 input, and your other devices (via the switch box) to the Aux input.

I used to have a tape switch box such as this myself, which I used so I could have my Beogram turntable an also a reel-to-reel tape deck connected to by Beosound 4 (because the Beosound 4 has only one aux input), and it worked fine.

[CharlieWednesday]

I’ve never owned a 9300, but I do own a 8500, and have also owned a 9000 like you.

I did once look into getting a 9300 myself but decided against it as I was told that the amplifier was not as good as in the 8500 (and I use my 8500 with passive Beovox speakers, so the amp is important!).

When I researched the 9300 however, my understanding was that the Phono and Tape 2 input buttons would work dependent on what was connected to that input – if you had the Beogram 4500 connected to it, you would be able to control that by remote, and likewise if you had a B&O external tape deck connected instead.

One way to extend the inputs would be to add a B&O MCL2AV link room system which you would connect to the Aux input of the 9300.  You could then connect your internet box and REVOX tapecorder to that, and switch to them using LINK room commands on your B&O remote.  You could have your Beogram 4500 connected to the 9300’s Tape2/Phono input, which would have the advantage of allowing you to control the Beogram with remote too.

 

[CharlieWednesday]

FYI, the crossover cables arrived, and they worked fine in the ‘dotless’ versions of the power/line adapters.  I tested them with my Beocom 6000 pyramid base, Beoline PSTN base and Beotalk 1200, and they worked with all three.

[CharlieWednesday]

Since posting the above, I have managed to get hold of a Beosystem 3 Mk2 quite cheap on eBay (they usually go for £400-£500 but I managed to get one for under £150), so I will also be trying that out when it arrives – connecting speakers, projector, and BV7 to the Beosystem 3 instead.  I think this will work if I set the BV7 to Opt.4, the Beosystem 3 to Opt.2 and my Beosound 4 to Opt 0.

My only concern is that the Beosystem 3 might not be able to get its remote commands from the BV7 or the BS4.  I do have a spare IR eye but don’t have the right cable to connect it to a Beosystem 3.

I’ll update this post with how I get on.  If the Beosystem 3 turns out to be of little use to me, I’ll just sell it on eBay and go back to the original plan in the post above!

[CharlieWednesday]

That is great news.  I have three B&O turntables (Beogram 3000, 8500 and RX2), and I’ve replaced the MMC4s in the first two at quite some cost quite recently.  They sound great, but the ability to get rebuilt MMC cartridges won’t last forever, so it’s good to see someone working on a longer-term solution.  Great work.

[CharlieWednesday]

I’m afraid I don’t really understand this.  Do you plan to make an adapter that allows the use of Ortofon cartridges in B&O turntables?

[CharlieWednesday]

I hadn’t actually noticed the white dot until you just mentioned it, thanks!  I’ll continue my experiments when those crossover cables arrive.

[CharlieWednesday]

Follow up – I’ve looked on eBay and I think what I need for the second type of adapter (with the pins close together) is a crossover 2 pin cable, like this one.  I’ll buy them and test them.

[CharlieWednesday]

Thaks Guy.  You will have a different Beoline to me if yours does not need an adapter.  Mine is the rectangular one that does need the adapter.

It seems to depend on the cable then – I looked at the main landline phone we have (not B&O) and checked the cable.  On that one, only the two middle pins where present on the RJ11 plug.  Using that cable, it was the other adapters that worked – the second one in my picture.  The first ones did not work.

The cable I had originally tested with is one where all 4 pins are present, so it’s a combination of having the right cable working with the right adapter.

I’ll see if I can get hold of the correct cables for the other two adapters then.  I dig a round in the garage might yield some results….

[CharlieWednesday]

FYI, I found website that listed the 10,000 possible 4-digit pins in order or popularity.  I worked my way down that list… the PIN was number 903 on that list!  I’ve changed it back to 0000 now.

This says more about my obsessive nature than you really need to know, but there it is – there is a solution, if you’re very patient.

[CharlieWednesday]

I think I’m happy with it the way it is working now. The main purpose of it is to play digital music from my PC, and be able to control that with my Beo4.

The ability to use it as a ‘remote control’ for other sources is useful, I just have to be conscious that I have to select that source with the Beo4 first, before I can control it on the Beoport app.

I listen to a lot of Spotify too, so using N.Radio as a workaround to listen to Spotify when played on that PC is useful.

I’m still hoping that Hall Audio’s ML Streamer Kickstarter is successful so I can use that instead and control Spotify with my Beo4, but if it isn’t, I’ll be looking out for an Essence Mk2 on eBay (plus an NL/ML converter so I connect the Essence to my ML system).

 

[CharlieWednesday]

Yes you were right!  I tried plugging one of my Beolab Pentas into the PC2 direct, and I got sound. That was just for testing though – I have plugged the Pentas back into the BS4 now.

So, it seems that if my BS4 is in Opt.1 and the PC2 is in Opt.6, I can control everything with my Beo4.  I can also control things with the Beoport app, but only if I have already selected that source with my Beo4 – for example if I select CD on the Beo4, I can then also select CD on the Beoport app, and control CD playback with the buttons in the Beoport app.  I’ve tried that with the TV too – if I’m watching DTV on the BV7, I can select DTV in the Beoport app. and change channels, adjust volume and so on.  I chose Opt.6 instead of Opt.0 on the PC2 as for some reason TV sources such as DTV and DVD are not available if using Opt.0.

This time, I have not bothered to add any N.Radio stations via the workaround earlier in this thread (most of them did not work anyway), and I have switched on the ‘Mix Sound’ option in the Beoport settings. This means that if I select N.Radio with my Beo4, no radio station plays as the list is empty, but I can then play Spotify on that new PC, and it plays through B&O system.

It’s not perfect, but it works!  Thanks for your help.

 

 

[CharlieWednesday]

I have revisited this post to remind myself how I managed to get my Beolink PC2 working, because it’s stopped working! At least, it’s not working fully.

I decided to get a tablet PC to use as a dedicated music PC (because my main PC is usually for gaming), so I connected the PC2 to that, installed the same Beoport software, and set the Beoport to Opt.0.  My Beosound 4 remains in Opt.1.

It’s not working like it used to.  It’s as if they are not communicating properly.

If I use my Beo4 to select any source, it all works (including N.Music and N.Radio).  If I select N.Music or N.Radio with the Beo4, that source is highlighted in the Beoport app.

If I select any other source such as CD on my Beo4 however, it plays fine, but the Beoport app does not seem to recognise that the source has changed – it will continue to show N.Music or N.Radio, and that source will still be ‘playing’ on the PC.

If I try to use the Beoport app to control my system, it doesn’t really work at all.  If my BS4 is in standby and I select a main source such as CD in the Beoport app, then the source displays on the BS4 display, the CD spins and plays, but my Beloab Pentas do not power up – there’s no sound.  If I select a TV source such as DTV, then my BV7’s display shows that source in its display, but the screen does not come on, and no sound is heard.  They will then only go into standby if I hold down the standby button on my Beo4, for the ‘All Off’ command.

If the BS4 is already switched on and playing either CD or Radio, then I can control that source via the Beoport app, but if I hit the Standby button within the Beoport app, the source ceases to display in the Beoport app, but the BS4 remains on, and continues playign that source.

If I try to play N.Music or N.Radio via the Beoport app rather than from the Beo4, the BS4 does nothing.

It used to work fine so this is a mystery!  So far I have tried, without success:

• Reinstalling the BeoPort app
• Trying the BeoPort app in all other available Opt. settings (2, 4, 6)
• Trying the BS4 in Opt.2
• Trying a different ML cable, and connecting it direct to the BS4 without any junction boxes
• Restarting the PC
• Reconnecting it all back to my original PC

I get the same results no matter what I try.  So frustrating considering it definitely used to work – I cannot understand why it has stopped working.

Here’s a screenshot of the Advanced tab in the settings:

[CharlieWednesday]

Ah that is good to know, thanks. If Hall’s Kickstarter is not successful, I’ll look for an Essence Mk2, and an NL/ML Converter so I can connect it to my Beosound 4 (or possibly to my Beocenter 8500, using a 1611 converter).

[CharlieWednesday]

Thanks Guy.  Yes I tried that; I reset the handset, pushed the button on the base, and put the handset in.  The LED on the back of the handset continues to flash, and when you pick it up, it’s still asking for the PIN.

It’s my own fault – I should have reset that base before I de-registered the handset from it.  It never crossed my mind that the PIN would have been changed.

I’ve got 10,000 possibilities to try then eh!?

I’m sure there’ll be a way of resetting it back to 0000 if you open it up, but I can’t find a service manual for it anywhere online.

[CharlieWednesday]

Having got the Beoline PSTN base working, I decided to connect one of the Beocom 6000 handsets to my original pyramid base.  It asks for a PIN, and I add 0000, but then I get ‘***Error***’, and registration fails (I’ve never changed the PIN so the default should work, but I did buy it used, so maybe the original owner changed it).  I know the handset is fine because it will connect to the Beoline PSTN base, but won’t connect to the pyramid base.

I know you can reset a base with dot 7 000 8 but you have to be registered to it to do that, and I can’t register to it!  Does anyone know of a way to solve this?

 

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