[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!

Location: Liverpool

[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.

Location: Liverpool

[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.

Location: Liverpool

[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.

Location: Liverpool

[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?

 

Location: Liverpool

[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.

Location: Liverpool

[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?

Location: Liverpool

[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.

Location: Liverpool

[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.

Location: Liverpool

[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.

Location: Liverpool

[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.

Location: Liverpool

[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.

 

 

Location: Liverpool

[CharlieWednesday]

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

Location: Liverpool

[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.

Location: Liverpool

[CharlieWednesday]

That did really help, thanks.  I’ve got it all reconnected now and working.

Location: Liverpool

[CharlieWednesday]

Also you were right about the ground being in the ring of the DIN.  I got a proper DIN female to RCA male adapter today, and connected it to the phono stage via RCA (the phono stage in question having both DIN and RCA inputs and outputs).  I made the ground connection by just jamming a pierce of thin shielded wire into the edge if the DIN ring, and connected that to the ground connection on the phono stage.  The earth hum was definitely gone.

I will play test it for a few days and see if I am happy with the sound quality of the cheap phono stage.  If I’m not, I’ll buy a better one – at least now I’ll know how to earth it.

Location: Liverpool

[CharlieWednesday]

Oh, that looks cool.  That’s in my bookmarks now, hopefully they will bring that to market.  That’s exactly what I need, and if I understood it right, might also be able to bring datalink controls back to the Beogram 3000 I have connected to by Beosound 4.

Location: Liverpool

[CharlieWednesday]

You were right – the DIN connection was quite poor because of the recess in the casing.  If I pushed it in more firmly, it gave a better connection.

I also switched the output cable from the phono stage to the BS4 for another one, just in case there was an issue there (though they were both good quality RCA cables).

It does sound much better now; not as good as when connected with the Pro-Ject phono stage, still a bit flat, but not bad.  I still think I’ll buy another Pro-Ject one th0ugh, now that I know how to earth it!

Location: Liverpool

[CharlieWednesday]

I still keep thinking about a better (and better looking) solution for digital music on my setup, and I have decided that a Beosound 5 is not practical.  While it is a very beautiful piece of kit, it just doesn’t really offer too much anymore, due to its age and lack of support.  Shame on B&O for failing to support their expensive kit for longer!  I’d want at least 1000 years of use for those prices.

So, I looked at the Beosound Moment, and they do come up at a similar price to the BS5 sometimes on eBay.  I know it doesn’t have Spotify but it does have Deezer (but for how long!?).  I also know that I would need an NL/ML converter to connect it to my Beosound 4.  The BS Moment has not got the look of the BS5 in my opinion, but it’s by no means bad looking.

Does anyone have experience of NL and ML kit linked up?  I’m told that with the NL/ML converter, you can control ‘legacy’ B&O devices with the B&O app, has anyone experience of this, and how useful it is?  If I connected my BS4 to a NL/ML converter, and then to a BS Moment, would I get the audio from the BS Moment playing through the Beolab speakers connected to my BS4?

I know that B&O seem to have moved on from Spotify support to Deezer support, and then more recently to Tidal support, but never all three.  Pick a lane, B&O.

Location: Liverpool

[CharlieWednesday]

I happened to have a transformer unit in a drawer from a Beocenter 8500 which I broke down for parts – I’ve just taken a look at the 8 rubber bushings and they are rock solid; in fact one of them broke to pieces while I was inspecting it.  My understanding is that the transformer unit (part ref PCB64) is the same in the 8500 and 9500 – not sure if anyone can confirm that?

Since the bushings are so cheap and the transformer unit is relatively easy to remove, I think it would be worth a try.  There’s a reasonably good chance that they are the cause.

Location: Liverpool

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