[CharlieWednesday]

I don’t own one myself, but I saw this at Hall Audio.

You need a Beo4 or other B&O remote to set the BL3500 in Aux mode.  Note there are also different versions depending if you BL3500s are Mark 1 or Mark 2.

I have found this info elsewhere on the old forum:- if the serial number is 19343452 or below, it’s a Mark 1.  If the serial number is above 19343452, it’s a Mark 2.

[CharlieWednesday]

Now that is interesting.  I couldn’t even get my BL3500 to show the timer when connected to my BV8 TV, which of course has a clock.  It seems it can only get the time from an audio master?

This may also be of interest – I connected by BL3500 to my Beolink PC2 which I set to option 2, and I got the clock.  I then went back to the original setup which started this thread – I connected my Beocenter 8500 to the BL3500 via a 1611 converter, but also added the Beolink PC2, this time set to option 6.  I did not get any clock from that setup.

So, it does seem that the time can only be got from an audio master.  In your case though it doesn’t explain how it is getting an incorrect time from an audio master that doesn’t have a clock!

Now I’m imagining you resetting it at midnight, but twice a year due to UK daylight savings…

[CharlieWednesday]

Thanks – I was able to remove just the top platter and didn’t need to remove the belt or wheel- that did provide sufficient space to measure the stylus pressure.  Turns out it was spot-on, but I’m glad I was able to check it!

[CharlieWednesday]

Understood – thanks.  I guess I’d have to fly to Denmark for that second option though, so I’ll just consider the first option!

[CharlieWednesday]

Yes I’ve considered that, but I don’t trust myself with a soldering iron (I tried to fix the mute relay on an Beocenter 9000 recently and it did not go well for me!).  It’s actually my Beogram 3000 I would intend to use in this room, but I see they do a version suitable for that model too.

On that page, they give two prices for each, the second one being higher, but Google Translate is failing to translate that bit.  Don’t suppose you happen to know what the higher price is for?

[CharlieWednesday]

I have considered that option in fact and they do come up at a decent price on eBay sometimes, and they are certainly very mice to look at.  I would probably go for a 3000 or 3200, without the tape deck.

I do listen to DAB a fair bit but that’s not a deal breaker as I could always stream those stations instead.

My understanding is that the various models in this range – none of them have a built-in phono stage, am I right?

[CharlieWednesday]

Yes, it’s odd that my MCL2AV will not use option 4, since as I had already assumed (because it has a TV plug) that it is a later one.

It’s a shame that the Beogram won’t respond when plugged into the Tape or TV plugs of the MCL2AV – it will only respond to CD commands when plugged into the CD socket of the MCL2AV (but of course, because my BS4 is in option 1, that responds too, and the CD player also starts playing!).

I’m guessing therefore that the signals for Beogram CD are the same as those for Beogram, but not the same as those used for TV or Tape – I also tried plugging my BG8500 into both the TV and Tape sockets on the MCL2AV, but then none of the Beo4 buttons (TV, DVD, V.Mem, DTV, or A.Mem) resulted in any response from the turntable.

I wouldn’t want to set my BS4 as a link room as I do use link room speakers with it, and they are an essential part of my setup.

This has all been very interesting, but it seems there is no solution without compromise.  I only hope boffins somewhere (such as those at Hall Audio) will build something!  Think of all the people with Beosound 4 and 5, and later NL products, who’d like to control their connected Beograms with remote control?  I know I won’t be the only one!

[CharlieWednesday]

The label on the back of my MCL2AV is badly damaged but I think it says type 2032. The software version is unreadable, except I can see it ends in 3.

[CharlieWednesday]

Having re-read this, I have looked for those Spincare record cleaners and thy are not what I was thinkign of – I had seen some motorised ones that were several hundred pounds (my friend has one in his record store – it was expensive), but these Spincare ones are actually quite reasonably priced.

I had always been nervous however of using cleaning fluid on my records – I’ve always assumed it must leave some residue, but apparently these Skincare cleaners only use distilled water.  Might get myself one of those then.

[CharlieWednesday]

Madskp wrote:

I do not remember if the MCL2AV can be set in option 4 so it only responds to Link + commands.

I don’t believe it can use option 4 – I tried to set it to option 4 but it made no difference – it does not respond to Link commands.  I found an old MCL manual online and it seems to only have 1, 2, or 0 available.

[CharlieWednesday]

Ah this has become very interesting.

Note that my MCL2AV does not have an Aux socket, it has a TV socket instead.

So anyway – I experimented.  I plugged my Beogram 8500 into the CD input of the MCL2AV.  I cannot remember which mode the MCL2AV is set to, but it does respond to CD commands on my Beo4 – CD causes it to play, the back and forward buttons work, the Stop button works as the Lift command (it doesn’t stop, just pauses, but that’s close enough).  Note the MCL2AV does have an IR eye connected (the old rectangular type).

So, I then tried the same but connecting the Beogram to the TV or Tape sockets on the MCL2AV.  As I expected that didn’t work – pressing TV or A.Mem on the Beo4 had no effect when the Beogram was plugged into those sockets.

I have a 5 PIN DIN to RCA adapter cable already (with 4 RCA plugs, intended for tape connection) so I plugged that into the Tape socket on the MCL2AV, then plugged the other end into a phono stage, which is in turn connected to the BS4’s Aux input.  I tried all 4 RCA plugs but got nothing but either silence, or hum.

Now I know this is a convoluted way of testing it as I am connecting a phono stage after the MCL2AV, but I thought I would have got something, even if very quiet?

 

[CharlieWednesday]

I forgot to add, I do also have a BV8 TV included in the Masterlink network in my office, I don’t know if that adds any extra complication.

[CharlieWednesday]

Thanks Madskp – I had a feeling you’d be the first to reply!

My MCL2AV is the version with the TV socket, not the Aux socket, but maybe it would still work?

I had never considered using a Beomaster though, so am interested in that suggestion.  How would that work?  Would  Beomaster 5000 be suitable?  Beomaster 5000 seems a good option as I believe that one has a built-in phono stage?  Beomaster 5000 will often come up for under £100 on eBay too.

Let me see if I understand:

• Beogram 3000 connects to phono input of a Beomaster (5000, ideally)
• Beocenter 5000 set up as a link room
• Beocenter 5000 connects to 1611 via Aux Link (would the 1614 not work instead, since the BS4 can work as the audio master?)
• 1611 connected to BS4 via Masterlink

Would that allow me to operate the Beogram via Link>Phono (or Link>N.Radio)?

I do currently have link room speakers connected to my BS4 though – a BL3500, and the Beolink Passive, with a pair of CX50s.  Both of these are set to opt4.  Would the above mean that my link room speakers could no longer work that way?

[CharlieWednesday]

Oh I have been careful to calibrate the tracking force, it is set to 1.2 for the MMC4. Interesting that it could be the cantilever, so sending it back to the company the retipped it for me seems the right option. I have ordered a gel cleaner, but those spin clean record washers are bit pricey so I’ll have to think about that! Thanks for the advice.

[CharlieWednesday]

An old post this, but I happened to find it when searching because I had the same problem – both lights were blinking on the IR Eye, but in my case connected to a Beolink Passive.  I opened up the back of the IR eye and found that one of the wires (the bottom one on my case – the shield wire) had come loose form the connection block.  I reconnected it, blinking stopped, and it resumed working as normal.

[CharlieWednesday]

Sorry just saw this.  I did – a good clean up inside, and I added a very small amount of watch oil to the runners of the drawer, and to the spindle of the wheel that drives the drawer belt.  It did reduce the nose considerably.

[CharlieWednesday]

Thought so (on both counts), but needed to check, so thanks for confirming.

Seems a shame that those models don’t have great multiroom capability.  You can’t use MCL because they don’t have the speaker sockets for that, and you can’t use link room Beolabs without 1a 1611.  I understand that you can also use a Beolink Passive connected via Powerlink (instead of ML), and then connect passive speakers, but the person who asked me this question specifically wanted to use a Beolab 2000 with their Beosystem 2500, so I guess that’s not an option for them.

[CharlieWednesday]

Finally I plucked up th courage to replace the mute relay that I bought from Beoparts (now: Danish Sound Parts).  You were right @Guy; the mute relay was the problem.  The new mute relay works, but…

In my amateurish attempts to disassemble the amplifier unit so I could get at the back of the PCB for soldering, I’ve obviously managed to cause another problem.  Before I fitted the mute relay the Speakers 1 outputs did not work but the Speakers 2 outputs worked.  Now, the left channel works in for both 1 and 2, but the right channel does not work for either!  I haven’t yet figured out what I’ve done to it, but I’m sure i’ve just dislodged something, I’ll continue to investigate.

Fact is, you were right about that mute relay though, so just wanted to say thanks.

 

 

• This reply was modified 1 week, 3 days ago by Dillen.

[CharlieWednesday]

Ah yes, I’m sure you’re right. I’ve ordered one, thanks.

[CharlieWednesday]

Since I started this post I bought a Beosound 4 and now have the Beolab 3500 connected to that instead (so no need for the 1611 or 1614 converters in that setup), but I was reminded that we wondered if the BL3500 could get its clock to update from a PC2/Beoport, if both were connected to my Beocenter 8500 via the 1611.

I have since bought a PC2 and use it with my BS4, but out of curiously I reconnected my BC8500 to the 1611 and then to both the PC2 and the 3500 via ML.  You were right – with the PC2 in option 6, the BL3500 doesn’t display the clock.

I changed the PC2 into option 1 and connected it directly to the BL3500, and the clock updated.  So, I would assume from all of this that the clock on a BL3500 can only be set from an audio master that has a clock.

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