This may seem like an obvious question to those in the know but unfortunately I have no idea myself. I would like to know if it is possible to connect passive speakers to the  BeoCenter 2300 and also to the BeoSound 9000 without the use of a separate amp.  Many thanks.

No. There is no power amplifier in either of those products so you need either powered speakers or an external power amplifier like the MCL2P.

The only passive speakers you can connect to these units are headphones, I'm afraid.

For loudspeakers you either need active speakers (e.g. Beolab 4000/6000/8000/3 etc.) or passive speakers fed via an MCL 2P power amp.

Thanks peter for your quick response.

Thanks lawrence, thats very helpful. I thought that was going to be that case but very grateful to have it confirmed.