Last summer I bought a Beosystem/Beomaster 7000 with the three other units being in the 6500 family.

This summer I came across a seller with a Beomaster 6500, and thought I should make a set with units of one model -- freeing the 7000 to serve as a stand-alone amplifier for my computer.
Some may also remember that when I got my Beolab 5000 from Classic Audio I was quite convinced it outplayed my Beomaster 7000 -- putting that down to the Beolab having been completely refurbished with numerous parts replaced, while the Bm7000 had done service since it was first assembled.

Yesterday evening I got the Bm6500 through the door.

Connected the wayward Beomaster to its brothers and sisters and fired up the now complete Beosystem 6500.
With my Beolink 5000 in hand I checked the sound settings. Horror!
The seller had set the Bm6500 with LOUDNESS ON, and with the BASS pushed all the way up (6+), and to compensate had also pushed the TREBLE all the way up. At least the BALANCE was balanced.
All settings were immediately jogged to neutral. 

I let the Bm6500 warm up before I sat down to listen. I'd been quite happy with the sound from my Bm7000, and was curious as to what I was going to hear.
Well - I discovered the R-channel on the mutable circuit is mute, and guess this is due to the known troubles with the muting device. Can't find a service manual, but will investigate this. (Any advice is welcome).

Switched to the twin, not mutable circuit and had sound coming through both channels. Spent a little time making certain that the two channels were balanced, since the mute channel on the other circuit could have a variety of causes. The unit looked mint on the outside, but for all I knew it had Coca-Cola inside. But things sounded OK, so I got ready to listen.

Hey! This amp goes deeper than my Bm7000.
It goes higher.
Better dynamics - even a touch more detail!
Not imagining this - hooked up to the Bm7000 for a direct comparison, and yes - the 6500 was simply richer and more precise.
I guess this supports my suspicion that these units will "age" differently - probably dependent upon how much they have been used, and where. I will now be sending my Bm7000 off for an upgrade. Will be fun to compare the two again afterwards.

Again - any tips on how to wake up the silent R-channel on the mutable circuit will be well received. 

Interesting!

I have owned both and there was no descernible difference as far as I could tell. I'm pretty sure they were identical products barring the RDS which was fitted to the later BM7000. Maybe it is just down to the amount of use/abuse each have suffered?

Chris.

Medogsfat:

Interesting!
Maybe it is just down to the amount of use/abuse each have suffered?

Chris.

That's what I think. The units are supposed to be identical, with the exception of the RDS. Beo_Bogener in the Workshop has some comments on this, and he's inside them redoing them all the time, so he should know.

I'm certain it's different "wear-and-tear" that accounts for the richer output from the 6500, and that they were both the same when they left B&O in their day. I'm not talking night and day, but it's enough to have me sit up and notice details in music I know well.

soundproof:

............... Can't find a service manual, but will investigate this. (Any advice is welcome).

Isn't this it???

That IS interesting!

 Is it more, or less of the wear and tear that enables it to have a richer sound?

Puncher:

soundproof:

............... Can't find a service manual, but will investigate this. (Any advice is welcome).

 

Isn't this it???

Hmmm - went looking, and just couldn't find it. You're a better hunter. (And it's not as if I know how to use a Service Manual to fix the problem!)

philipsmz333:

That IS interesting!

 Is it more, or less of the wear and tear that enables it to have a richer sound?

I have no idea. But I can make some guesses, based upon previous experiences. If the unit has been worked hard, at loud volumes, it will have been running hotter. Capacitors will have dried out, both due to time and such heavy use. Could also be a function of placement, air circulation/humidity where it's been used, etc.
For all I know the 6500 could even have been in the shop and had some parts replaced ...

They do have different sound characteristics. 

The later BeoMaster 6500s can be upgraded with an RDS board I believe, to bring them up to spec to do everything the 7000 will do.

Alex:

The later BeoMaster 6500s can be upgraded with an RDS board I believe, to bring them up to spec to do everything the 7000 will do.

The RDS I consider something I don't need.

Want to do the upgrade Beo_Bogener recommends in Workshop, though. He has some nice suggestions both for the BGCD and the Beomaster.
 

The RDS board is particularly useless to me, as even when I do get a BeoLink 7000, I will still only be receiving 1 radio station, which is hardly the greatest station to listen to!