Hey Guys, 

I just recently purchased a pair of beolab 5s, but the previous owner doesn't have the pin code , so he never used them, and so he was also not able to provide me with the pin code. He told me that I could take them and and see if I could get them to work before having to make the purchase. 

 I was reading that a service code of "11111" could be entered and that this will allow the use of the Lab 5s for a period of 12 hours. I've tried entering this code but have not been able to get them to work. I have read the user manual on the B&O website, but it hasn't helped too much. 

 

Im using a Beosound 4 that I have had connected to a pair of Lab 3s, and that setup has worked very well. I read that there are some cables that wont work with the lab 5s. Shouldn't the same cables came with my lab 3s also work with the 5s ?

 

Ive tried talking to my nearest B&O retailer, but as soon as I told them that the speakers weren't purchased from an retailer they became very unfriendly and refused to help me any further. Shouldn't B&O's customer service be better than this ?

 If anybody knows a good retailer in the US that might be a little more helpful could you please let me know who they are ?

 

Thanks

Roger  

The only people who can help are B&O. You need the PIN code. The previous owner should be able to get it for you or you will need proof of purchase so that B&O can check that you have not received a stolen pair. You will need the serial numbers. Try emailing B&O themselves and they will suggest a dealer. There is no reason why a dealer should not help but they too have to check the provenance of the speakers.

The fact the previous owner did not have the code and therefore never used them is rather suspicious! I can understand the dealer being very wary.

Even so, shouldn't the dealer ask for the serial and check whether they are indeed stolen goods? And how do you steal a pair of Lab 5s anyways?

Hi Roger,

You will need Mk II powerlink cables for sure.  I recently purchased a used pair of Beolab 5 speakers myself and the cables I had for my Beolab 1/3 speakers did NOT work with the 5's. 

I also got the same treatment from my local B&O dealer here in the US.  Call around, there are other dealers willing to help. 

How can I tell if my cables are the MKIIs ?Is ther any sort of marking that destiguishes them ?

 I understand that I can be suspicious that the seller didn'thave any info, but the fact that he let me take them and make sure I can get them to work before paying him makes me feel pretty sure that they couldn't be stolen.

 I understand the retailers not wanting to jump through hoops to support grey market speakersm after all they dont really beenfit from it. But I wish B&O offered more support at a corporate level. Its almost like the simple fact that these products have had more than one owner makes them less worthy of the B&O name and quality service.

Roger21087:

How can I tell if my cables are the MKIIs ?Is ther any sort of marking that destiguishes them ?

Hi Roger 21087

The powerlink MKII´s are a bit thicker than your ordinary powerlinkcables. 

Hi Roger,

Unlike other B&O speakers, don't forget that each BeoLab 5 speaker has its own serial number as a pair are not set with the same pin code.

You must try and source the first owner of the speakers and from which B&O dealer they were bought. With this information B&O will be much more willing to help you. 

Ehlerz:

Roger21087:

How can I tell if my cables are the MKIIs ?Is ther any sort of marking that destiguishes them ?

Hi Roger 21087

The powerlink MKII´s are a bit thicker than your ordinary powerlinkcables. 

MK III has a triangle on the plugs, MK II does not. If you have BeoLab 3 it is MOST likely that you have MK III cables.

Christian,

Yes, this is correct - the mark 2 cables required for Beolab 5 will NOT have triangles marked on them.  They will be fairly thick cables (typically 4 to 5mm thick for good quality cables).  However, I would always recommend buying new cables to get the best from your new speakers, especially if you don't know that your existing cables are the right ones.

The cost of brand new mark 2 Powerlink cables is only a small fraction of the investment that you've made in the Beolab 5's, but it will help you to get the best from the speakers.  If you have a music source with a digital output (eg. Beosound 9000 or Beocenter 2), then you can use co-axial S/PDIF cables to let your Lab 5's really sing!  (I know B&O say that any old cable will do for digital links, but that's not what Sony and Philips said when the S/PDIF standard was developed)

For reference, if you have a multimeter (eg. Fluke or Avo) and you want to tell if you have mark 2 cables, test for continuity from one end of the cable to the other on both pins 6 and 7 (ie. the two pins at the ends of the "C" shape within each plug).  Only mark 2 cables will have these both connected.

The "Service PIN Code" only gives 12 hours use and can usually only be entered once.  If your speakers are rejecting this, it would appear that this code may have been used previously (when they were demonstrated during the sale process?) and this would ring some very loud alarm bells for me!  Please get in touch with your local dealer and ask for his help in obtaining the correct PIN codes.

Best regards,

Steve.

oh.. and if someone stole your BeoLab 5's in 6 months time, didn't have the PIN code and called a B&O dealer who gave it to them no questions asked over the phone - would you be happy about that?

PIN Codes are there for a reason, and to be fair, on paper, the prognosis doesn't exactly read too well. You shouldn't have parted with any cash without the PIN codes!!

Welcome to the forum anyway - great speakers (when they eventually work) - you will love them!

Lee

 

Thanks for all the input guys.

 Im currently doing the leg work of trying to make sure that these puppies aren't stolen. Does B&O keep any type of database of stolen items and the seriel numbers so that I may check with them ?

Sorry to be the first with a "clear" negative input, but I think that you should be extra careful.

Have you already parted with your Cash?

Have you had any contact with the seller afterwards?

Loosing the pincodes is something I can understand, but what I can't understand is not getting them back...

Is the last owner (the one you bought them from) the original owner? Or is he a second owner?

If he's the second owner, he should have contacted the first owner and get the pincodes back... Since they are only four digit-codes, the first owner might even recall them!

Anyway, it will be much easier for the original (first) owner to get the codes back.

Did you get the original invoice? I wouldn't buy pincode protected B&O without the original invoice...