[Ianc2]

I was just listening to paradise radio on the b&o app , but right now it’s one of the very rare days when I don’t like it .
Now turned off , and back in the garage playing around with a couple of explore speakers linked to my iPad .
Started playing around last night watching YouTube videos of rem at Glastonbury 1999 .
Pretty impressive little speakers when paired and placed far enough away

[Ianc2]

There’s a good chance I even have a couple that will fit , but I’m sorry , I cannot take my speakers apart just to find out !!! Lol

Jasmine at tekmg is a bit of a god-send , but If you know the part number it is much easier ….

[Ianc2]

I have a pc2 that’s not been used for years if you’re interested ?

An option I am using is an Apple AirPort Express hooked up to a 9000 cd player that’s on masterlink , and once masterlink is on the home network you can stream to it .

[Ianc2]

I’m not willing to take mine apart to look , but there is ever chance it is a standard electronics jumper and you can take measurements and buy at most electronic suppliers .
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/shunts-jumpers/304?s=N4IgjCBcoEwJxVAYygMwIYBsDOBTANCAPZQDaIAzACwBsArAOwwgC6hADgC5QgDKnAJwCWAOwDmIAL7SgA

If in USA , you can try tekmg for b&o parts .
jtovanyan@tekmg.com

[Ianc2]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174764815727?itmmeta=01HSYSV2D11X78WEQ7HB5K0JCJ&hash=item28b0cb756f:g:gP0AAOSwQMBfBjM-&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAAwHp6N20seN5959%2BrhooY6F1B7v1i0X0JLgS9UkgsDAvyK%2BsYNgPq%2Fe6E%2B1i6D8U3n0iLg5Hz6LxcmSUyCg2Sqte69jrwnfheKa1ZzWurGpmviXMc8L3v8P6TW%2BwiOhc%2BFfWK571rRLTJZaUMrMWFPmVuHQBup75AUPCML7CZOoHgIcc5OQ4UN0TFEiGjM4dT%2BxXqFlVbdhV5AiDucHTA8YknthDD2W0s7CqBSqEYNBzi7YBpmtha1pMEo%2FKDKdqvXg%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR96m7NnPYw

[Ianc2]

What other pieces do you need to use on masterlink ?

If it is speakers in a seperate room , with a processor like the Emotiva I had you can add them as a zone , or you can add an Apple AirPort Express and get them on the WiFi network , then stream to them . A lesser quality option is to add a Bluetooth adapter to link a phone etc .
The Apple way will a;so work in reverse if needed , eg: play cd on the network .

Also b&0 speakers can be used with any brand of equipment , though the easiest way is to buy something with rca outputs for surround etc and a 12vdc trigger output on mini-jack .

I will add a picture of a system I ran for a while using a Vizio 4k smart panel , outlaw/Emotiva processors and meridian/Oppo disks.
Apple TV , dvd etc hdmi to processor , and arc-hdmi from smart apps in tv to processor .

I still have the adapter cables and the little outlaw surround processor if you are interested in buying them ?
Also the 7-1 and 65” tv , but that might prove a little bulky to ship !!
I have a b&o pc box somewhere that I never used , maybe research if one of those can integrate masterlink into whatever you end up buying .

[Ianc2]

There are eclipse settings to share bass , have dedicated sub , multiple subs , crossover points , levels etc .
If if sounded acceptable to you through the old tv , I’d say you have the eclipse set up wrong .

[Ianc2]

I am in the same position , but having sold the Oppo bluray I now have no way of even playing CDs, other than using the Macs in the music room and having sound on the network .
As those things eat electricity , and I’m allways forgetting to turn off , so recently I’ve been looking at a naim core .
As well as b&o , we have a couple of naim streaming speakers in the house so I’m sure it would be easy to link to them .
Not sure how to integrate it to b&o , or even if I should ….
It is a combined server and ripper/player , and once I’ve ripped all mine it will simply be an overpriced storage device as it’s much easier to stream than play a cd ….

I think a few hours ripping CDs in the music room and using a cheaper network storage device could be a better option , but I’ve yet to look into the software needed to run the library & if the Mac’s would need to be permantly on to use that software .
Hopefully the naim and b&o apps or Apple Music could access the library from phone/ipad .

[Ianc2]

I just had an issue with beolab 8s , but I think it was my own making .

But one quick thing worth looking at when you have the issue :
Move your hand over the top to make the lights come on .
The Bluetooth and mic symbols are only on the primary .
If yours have switched primary speaker , usb will not work as it is to be plugged into primary .
Note : I believe the left/right primary switch was caused by myself rather than software .

[Ianc2]

The streaming thing is now fixed !!
Thankfully , these are not used as hieght speakers as it would be a pain to get ladders to see what is happening on the top and lights etc ……

Just now I did one more check , by going to speaker and hitting one of the preset station buttons on top .
Music played from both !!!
I asked her to grab her phone and try streaming and still no go so I decided to reset Bluetooth using the button on top and the Bluetooth button wasn’t there .
It is only on the primary speaker in a pair , so I had to squeeze in to get to what should be secondary as it’s hard to get to , and that one is now the primary !!
A quick press of the Bluetooth button made them appear on her Bluetooth under a different name , and now all good to stream .

I don’t know if this was the fault of an update , but I suspect operator error rather than software error as I was fumbling through setting them up as surrounds when it happened .

As the speakers are on a rear wall they are left/right in music mode , but right/left in tv mode , so slightly confusing especially when you can swap them in the app .

I’m still to look at surround settings , but hopefully this weekend .

[Ianc2]

A quick update :
They still look good & they still sound good .
However , I messed them up !!!
As mentioned earlier the rear surround sound will get part upgrade / part downgrade now the 8s are in place , and I temporarily placed the BL3s on the floor behind the sofa pointing up at an angle to bounce off the rear wall .
They are sat on a roll of masking tape as the backs are round .
I then went into the eclipse menu to add them ….

After FINALLY figuring a way to get the 3s to output sound , then playing with levels I was happy with the way the experiment was going and then went back to private ryan .
A bullet that was supposed to enter the water from the right traveling left seemed odd , but I carried on for a few more minutes then rewinded .

The right BL8 had no sound !!!

I was done for the night , so made sure Bluetooth streaming was working on both and planned to revisit the following night .

I spent a night reading instructions , trying to figure out what the eclipse menu meant by speaker presets etc and tried again .
Still no sound from that one 8 .
This time I did not try Bluetooth at the end .

Next night I got in from work and she told me she tried to stream but it didn’t work .
She paired her iPad , and it made the conformation sound but no music :/

I’ve not had time to revisit this , but I plan to do a factory reset tonight to get at least Bluetooth streaming working ….

[Ianc2]

Ianc2 wrote:

I have read it is possible to add a later model 65” lg screen with different bracketry and modifying the eclipse aluminum slightly . i will look at mine this weekend for a reminder , but i believe only hdmi and 1 rj45 connect to the screen , so in theory it could be used with any size/brand screen . i have a spare Vizio tv i can try this with .

I looked , and yes entirely possible to do this .
I think the thread ravsted linked to that replaces the old oled with a newer model is the best way to go . And what I will do should my panel ever develop problems .
however if you are wall-mounted and do not need a motorized mount etc it can be a totally seperate system using a tv wall-mount to space the panel off the wall inline with the sound center .
It will not look as good from the side though , should you have a doorway next to tv like I have .
The thing I like most about the eclipse is its integrated look , it looks much better than a theater in that regard .
I slso like that it has compartment on the back perfectly sized to integrate an Apple TV 4K .
It will fit other older models , but new 4k is smaller and more efficient .
I went a step further and ordered the correct length power and hdmi cables to make install better …

[Ianc2]

I wonder what 2 new products we are getting for Christmas …

BL18 replacement ?

 

[Ianc2]

I have read it is possible to add a later model 65” lg screen with different bracketry and modifying the eclipse aluminum slightly .

i will look at mine this weekend for a reminder , but i believe only hdmi and 1 rj45 connect to the screen , so in theory it could be used with any size/brand screen .

i have a spare Vizio tv i can try this with .

[Ianc2]

If you know what size they are , you can order online from Amazon etc

if not , take one to homedepot and measure it (it will be metric , so m4/m5/m6 etc. all you need then is length of thread (from backside of head) eg: m4x15mm .

[Ianc2]

I have an eclipse and get complaints whenever I watch a movie loud !!

did you look at filtering and go to sub and turn level up ?

if you flatten the levels in settings , then use the remote volume to get the center to a level you are happy with , enable the sub and set the level to where you want on a scene you are familiar with .
Make sure crossover is set correctly , and you’ll be pretty much there .

i had 2 facing one another diagonally across the room , but the rear one had to go so now I have to reposition again , but that is something to look at once you have the sub levels near to correct .

[Ianc2]

Another neat option is old Apple express wifi routers …

I have a bs9000 as wall art in the corridor to the bedroom , and this is linked to bl4000s on the patio with an active link , and onto the lynksis network so I can stream to them too .

they are/where still available new-in-box upto last year when I bought on ebay/craigslist etc and on Amazon you can buy a neat plastic holder to mount them out of the way .

the only thing I’m not sure of is if they will work on any manufacturers wifi/mesh system and Apple no longer support there products , though lynksis have taken over and are available direct from Apple or other sites .

[Ianc2]

If I’m reading correctly you just want a 3m or 5m with rj45 on both ends ?

Europe wide there are plenty of options , and in England there are a few options from amazon cat7 or cat8 patch cables , to official b&o , to sounds heavenly , to ebay sellers , to making your own or getting a network company to make them .

If it’s old powerlink to rj45 , I’d only go with sounds heavenly .

[Ianc2]

Steve at Sounds Heavenly wrote:

B&O audio system can give you the best sound for music AND home cinema? I met up with Ian from B&O Manchester to find out his views in this video, please let me know your thoughts!

this ian from Manchester , noted the other ian from Manchester was quick to interject with a proviso when you asked him this question .

i agree with him , though i have dynaudio speakers and they might make an argument from that side of things and im sure Lyngdorf/steinway might give a little wave …..

b&o have allways made good products , but to say they are the best is all down to what you are working with.

are they the best at integrating the all the technology needed to achieve “both” into products than can suit most rooms and decors ? I would say yes to this .

are they the best at making products that can either disappear or stand out in a room ? To this I also say yes

‘are they THE BEST at sound ? Highly subjectible  , but I would strongly say no .

not that they are bad , and in fact rather fantastic in what they can do mixing great design AND great sound !!

‘if you had a real home cinema room with acoustic cloth or some other design hiding/covering all the speakers and electronics , I would wager better results could be had .

and likewise with proper design around a dedicated listening spot , it could do stereo music (or any permutation of) better .

but in the average “living” room , from a 1-bed flat to a penthouse , I believe b&o do it right .

note: I used to be heavily into stereo many years ago when I lived back in England , and I was HARD to find a happy place where you wasn’t thinking of or trying yet another upgrade . With hindsight I put this down too making stereo my hobby rather than making music or listening to music , and therefore reading magazines etc and getting crazy ideas !!!

The last system I tried was a simple pair of meridian balanced m3s and cd player/pre-amp shoeboxes , absolutely fantastic in such small and well designed “boxes” and I started to see the error of my ways …

that all changed when I decided to go with “surround sound” , and dump the hi-fi only hobby . I got 4x BL800s and an avant (with vcr built in !!!) … the ambience of the room changed for the better …

no more 2x 5-shelf racks full of mono-blocks and other electronics etc , no more “wooden box” speakers , no more things being seen that didn’t need to be seen !!

was the sound better ? No , but I no longer needed to look at where the sound was coming from ….

i see lots of pics online with people having bl5 , bl50 etc in much too small a room to be effective , and with the design too big and too bold that it takes over the room .

imho , this is not what b&o are about ….

they are about getting control , and the designs complimenting decor in “normal”homes . Or in the case of BL100 being a work of art that dominates a large space !!

sorry for the essay , but this is just my opinion . And it’s not just rose tinted glasses , I have a music room in the house with nuemann desk monitors and dynaudio studio monitors mounted above , with a pair of meridian Dsp actives at the other end all hooked up to the mixer/console . And they play music rather well . Could I / would I put them in the living room ? Hell no !!!
‘Allthough I think the new BL8 I got would fit rather nicely in there with them …….

[Ianc2]

Even then I won’t get a decent “dedicated listening “ position .

the room just isn’t shaped right , and too much glass .

i had a living room designed around stereo in the distant past , and even then it was a compromise , and quite a large downgrade when I changed to b&o to integrate surround sound , but there’s no way I can go back to big wooden boxes …..

 

[Author]

Posts