[trackbeo]

P.S.  A manual switch for such sleek equipment seems rather declassé.  Given the one you proposed, I guess an automatic Almando Multiplay Stereo is way too expensive? Perhaps using one of the 9000s as the Aux-input to the other one might work…  On the other hand, who really needs a 12-CD changer nowadays?  By all means tell everyone what kind of cool installation you intend to do!  (Or as they say on the automotive forums, “If you don’t post pix, it didn’t happen.”:-)

[trackbeo]

Brand name & model # of the A/B switch?  And/or a photo of the interior?  If it contains a physical 8-Pole Double-Throw switch, it might work.  But if inside is a 100BaseT network multi-port router on a chip, with a single pin to that switch, controlling the output of all the signals, it definitely won’t work.

Personally, I would bet against it connecting all 8 pins directly to all 8 other.  But a customer photo inside the (more rugged-looking, $17 instead of $6) CablesOnline.com model # SB-034 physical switch looks OK:

In theory the box will subject the audio signal to no shielding by ground thru routing the wires, but for short runs and where only audio signals are inside a metal box, you should be OK.  The only thing you need to make sure is that your box, like the one shown above, actually switches all the wires and doesn’t take any shortcuts like connecting a bunch of them together, e.g. “because only 4 are used in 10BaseT”.  Yes, in theory you only need 4 wires for Powerlink mk.1, but do you know which are which?  Don’t chance it.  Also I don’t like the potential shorting of sliders inside a multi-pole switch, so I would advise powering down both BS9000s (and thus the BL8000s are also told to power down) before switching and powering up only one of the BS9000.  In the unlikely event you get “the usual hum troubles and noise burst each time the volume button is pressed”, switch to Mk.3 Powerlink cables from the box to your BS9000s.

[trackbeo]

YannChris wrote:

No way on a NAS too? I have a QNAP model with the latest QTS.

So in theory you would use Container Station to create yourself a virtual machine (if you have a QNAP powerful enough to support that) and install HASS onto it. A Google search will point you to a YouTube video, showing such an install. (N.B. I do not own a QNAP. On a Synology NAS one would launch Docker and install HASS into that.)

[trackbeo]

Sorry, you’re correct: SHIFT-ABC is the same as MENU (either activates the “Programming” touch control on the 9500).

[trackbeo]

Guy wrote:

So on the N.American Mk2 do both ABC and >> send the same command?

Nope, at least not to a BeoCenter 9500: >> fast-forwards, and ABC does nothing. But SHIFT-ABC seems to do the same thing as the “Programming” touch control.  [Edit: ABC does send something. because the dot on a BeoMaster 7000 blinks.]

P.S.  That “Transcriptor Sweep Arm” was a fancy substitute for the old Watts “Dust Bug”.  Supposedly one could hear the front nylon bristles of a Dust Bug scraping away (so the following velvet roller could pick up the dislodged crud better) — thru the stylus & cartridge!

[trackbeo]

Differences, plural.  “ABC” is just some iconographer’s method of signifying text.  But also Euro “SAT” got turned into N.A. “MENU”.

[trackbeo]

There’s no substitute for listening yourself!  At a dealer (Hallandale race track, Florida) the 20s sounded more “balanced”, but less “precise”, pardon the silly audiophile terms.  If it’s your only set, or you listen to douf-douf, maybe get the 20s.  Otherwise, add the 19, because your 18s are way more handsome than those little nuns.  Yes, beauty matters, because none of the speakers at the dealership (including 5s at that time), reproduced, e.g. the timbre of a trombone or a brass ensemble better than what I already had!  (I did succumb and buy a set of 18s later, at/for another location.)

[trackbeo]

From failing memory, there were two types.  And the Beovision 11 used the second type.  They can’t be swapped, just use stretch knit fabric to re-cover your original grille in the new color. P.S. Make sure the grille is firmly attached before letting go — I ripped one fabric corner open by having it fall off, onto the floor. [Edit: Maybe try to buy an old one?  One such part # is 1605213, B&O calls that ‘BeoVision 10-46 Front Cover Silver'”]

[trackbeo]

After it is repaired, @beowillie suggested using the pins on the USB connector to drive a tiny heat sink fan internally — at half-voltage so it doesn’t make noise — and “strategically placing” it inside the case.  He rather hand-waved verbally on the BeoTalk podcast as to where he shoved it, but apparently with the case open this was obvious?

[trackbeo]

60,000 Euros. That’s what I think.  A hefty price increase of the 72-23 over the 72-22, not just from the 18s–>28s?

Steve, does your cable have ginger-colored cloth braided jacket?!?!

[trackbeo]

But @Die_Bogener (or the picture hosting service) does upload them here in a moderately high resolution: The example above is actually 1024 × 768 pixels.

Rather than clicking on the picture, control+click (or right-click) on it.  Then, from the pop-up menu, do NOT choose a menu item starting with “Open Link in…”, but DO choose “Open image in…” menu item.  (Approximate wording, depending on your browser.)  Then you will see the image that was uploaded, rather than an image the website down-sized to fit in the running text width.  Once you have a new window or tab with that image in it, it will be larger but maybe still reduced by your browser to fit — but then you should be able to click on it to see the full resolution, or save the file if your browser is unwilling to enlarge.  Again, pic above should end up 1024 x 768.

[trackbeo]

Suggestion: If the manuals section had a list that was browse-able by any registered user, one could see whether a particular manual was available — if one paid for a Gold upgrade!  (Not visible to un-logged-in users (or spiders), but directory listable to all Bronze&Silver.)  It would be free advertising of the benefit Gold Membership brings!  (N.B. I just resorted to scanning a (tiny:-) manual, because I couldn’t tell a newbie to upgrade and download it, with any certainty that it was even available.)

[trackbeo]

I couldn’t see if BeoWorld has the Floor Base 2119 manual online for Gold Members, so have uploaded it below.  It does not carry a copyright notice, and besides it’s a protected use per 17 USC 107 anyway.

 

[trackbeo]

The tool that the bases came with!  Or, any wide, flat, piece of steel.  The long middle part of a typical cheap “church key” can opener with both rounded (bottle) and pointy (can) ends would work OK.  The essential knowledge is that the nut will not be tightened beyond the point that a simple flat pry bar would run into the bolt and be bumped off.  Getting the nut off is harder(*), and would require using two smaller flat-head screwdrivers held in a “cross grip”, like a plumber would do. (That’s if you don’t have the double-tipped tool.  The mistake people often make, is trying using the double-tipped tool to tighten the nut — they bend the tool tips.  You tighten with the flat part of the tool, which gives you more torque and won’t set the nut beyond the end of the bolt.)

[Edit: Such precision tightening requires the presence of the 2mm thick lock washer between the nut and the base plate.  Your photo shows one, but if future searchers are DIY with no tool, maybe washers were missing too?]

* “That’s what she said.” (Sorry, been watching to much of the BeoTalk / BOTF bros.)

[trackbeo]

I’ll do a Gold Membership again if you actually get a service manual, and give it to Lee or Keith to scan!  In the meantime, here’s a take-apart video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sF3mNfomxI  (The Vietnamese subtitles and auto-translation are weak.  Notice that he had already removed the antenna connectors and also taped up the metal surround for prying.  It’s a 2nd-gen.)  Last week on the BeoTalk stream, @Mikipedia mentioned the 3 bottom plastic covers break easily and @Beowillie confirmed, saying he kept spares in his parts stash.

[trackbeo]

E-mail blast to North America: code “PRIVATESALE23” offers 25% discount on “a selection of products.”  But the only products discounted are Balance w/ Google Voice Assistant.  Also available at dealers, thru May 22 or none left.

Also, not available online, but local dealers with leftover stock of Beoplay A9 4th Gen, Beosound 1, & Beosound 2 will be selling at “special offers” in stores.  (Each of these but the BS2 has been offered at 25 or 30% off, long before their EOL now.)

[Edit: As of May 24, the offer was extended on A9 4th-gen black only, until they run out.] [Edit 2: As of May 29, amazon.com still has white A9 gen.4 for USD 2537.50, slightly lower than dealership prices for the remaining black ones.]

[trackbeo]

Normann wrote:

Could It be possible to connect a Bluesound Node and use the hdmi output on that and connect to the Theater?

Nope, sorry.  Node’s HDMI connector is for input only, from the eARC out of a TV.

Normann wrote:

Or an iFi Streamer and analog out and in on the usb-c using a dongle?

Again, I don’t see the point of stretching for a hi-res data stream, and then doing a conversion to analog in the source device, only to resample it back to digital at the input of the Theatre (later converting it back to analog again to drive the speakers).

The only other possibility I can imagine is if there are applications in the LG panel, or the AppleTV, for your hi-res music service, which can output to the eARC — that supports up to 24-bit 192-kHz.  (Don’t forget to read the HDMI cable markings, because it needs 48 Gbps transmission bandwidth to send that.)  Also bear in mind, if you use any of the self-calibration features of the Theatre or the TrueImage speaker steering, it’s going to muck around with your pristine digital data anyway!

[trackbeo]

Probably a Mk.1.  My Mk.2 says item no. 1665522.  But it’s also easy to tell without guessing at decoding numbers: If your Beosound 1 were a Mk.2 the label on the bottom (line 2) would say, “Model: BeoSound 1 2nd generation”.

[trackbeo]

That extra D-to-A plus A-to-D resampling round-trip seems anathema, in the high-res world.  Might one solution be acquiring an “old” Oppo UDP-205 for its jitter-eliminating secondary HDMI Audio-only port, and using it as the streamer, thus preserving the signal digitally, into one of the Theatre’s HDMI inputs?  I don’t remember the issues vs. Roon-ready after all this time, but I thought this allowed hi-res all the way until the final renderer’s (Theatre’s) D-to-A?

[trackbeo]

bsantini1 wrote:

Is there a recommended height range for the Theatre soundbar

When Geoff Martin was asked long ago about how BeoLab 18s could be located properly, given that the tweeter acoustic lens was not on a level with the listener’s ears, he said the crossover and sound profile had already been adjusted for a seated listener to get the most even frequency response. (I believe he even named a seating distance and a height measurement.) Your best course of installation would be to assume that the same has been done for the Theatre.  Also, the Theatre is designed to calibrate itself based on you placing its microphone at your listening position, so — theoretically — it can make up for unevenness, in each channel individually.

Therefore, adjust the screen the best you can, so you aren’t craning your neck or slouching to get the maximum immersion, then let the Theatre do its work!  Typically, that means mount your television so that in a seated position, the viewer’s eyes line up with the middle of the screen, then mount the Theatre hard up against the bottom edge, as the B&O stand does — that’s assuming it’s a LG G-panel or thinner and free-standing.  Otherwise, mount it a few inches lower if a thicker screen blocks the drivers. The closer to the screen, the better the sense of location from the center channel,… BUT… for example, a Sonos soundbar recommends at least 4″ of distance so the upfiring drivers can radiate before reflecting off the screen, and also recommends at least 1 foot from the wall.

Does the Technical Sound Guide really not address this issue? May be ripe for a 0.1 edition!

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