Hi

I have no experience of B&O systems so please bear with me! I have been asked by a neigbour to advise on a change to their system. So hopefully someone on here can help me.

They have:

BeoVision Avant TV/Video

BeoLab 2000

BeoSound Ouverture

BeoLab 3500

They want to change the TV/Video (TV picture poor and recorder defunct) for a new non-B&O flatscreen model but retain the functionallity of the Ouveture/2000/3500 for music and radio distribution. In effect the the new TV will be stand-alone (unless there is way to distribute TV sound from say a Panasonic/Sony TV via the B&O system.)

My question is - can the TV be "removed" from the existing system and the remaining units reconnected somehow via the Masterlink connections or is the TV and presumably the BEO4 remote dependant on it's being there? If so how would I go about it?

Many thanks

 

 

 

The audio system can certainly stand by itself and control the other speakers. You can also connect the non B&O TV for main room use though control will have to be via its own controller - unless you go for a Beo5/6 and have it programmed.

Thanks Peter - most helpful.

 

I haven't looked in detail at the installation yet, I only have the documentation for each component. I note that there is only one masterlink socket on each one so presumably they will each be cabled to a junction box or similar somewhere in the house? That being the case then is it simply a case of removing the connection to the TV/Video and using the BEO4 to control the audio set up that remains? (The system was installed by B&O some years back now and there is no local dealer anymore hence my probably naive questions.)

Yes, usually a junction box - with four Masterlink connections - split ML signals to the different devices. So disconnect the ML plug of the Avant (set the TV to standby and disconnect mains first). In the setup you describe are no additional Beolabs in the mainroom, just the Avant speakers. So I think, the Ouverture is set to A.OPT 0, which means, that it is controled via the Avant. Set  the Ouverture to A.OPT 1, and it sould be possible to control it directly with Beo4. In this (Audio) setup you have to connect active speakers (Beolabs) to the Ouverture, which were the Avant speakers in the previous setup. You can also get a Beovision (BV10 ?), and use the inbuilt speakers for music. The linkroom speakers - BL2000, 35000) should work like before.

Stefan

Thanks Stefan - that is really useful.

I'll know more when I have a closer look. They do have two (I presume active) speakers in the main room as well. Tall slim units - sorry to be vague! So I guess these can be (or are all ready) directly connected to the Ouverture. I'll get to look in more detail in the next few days - and if I have any more questions I'll "pop back" on here.

 

Once again thanks Peter and Stefan for your help.

 

Hi again. I've had a more detailed look at this now and unfortunately the active speakers are connected directly to the Avant "Powerlink Front" sockets. The other 4 masterlink (Ouverture, TV, Beolab 2000 & 3500) cables all seem to be crammed into a very small junction box at the back of the Avant. Typically all cabling is under carpet or concealed (Ouverture is other end of the room!) Is there any way to connect the active speakers into the existing masterlink cabling (e.g. by adding in another junction box to one of the existing cables or by connecting them somehow to the unrequired Avant masterlink plug (adaptor/connector of some sort maybe?) Or, as I suspect, are these entirely separate being active? If not it's carpet up and connect them directly to the Ouverture I assume. Thanks again for any advice.

If you don't want to move the cables, you should look at buying a BeoLink Active.  This box will take MasterLink audio and send it to PowerLink speakers.  It only has one PowerLink output so you may need a splitter depending on the speaker configuration.  Also, you can run a special cable (I think SoundsHeavenly carries them - see ads on this site) from the TV's analog output (if it has one) to the "PC" port of the Active and listen to the TV via the B&O speakers connected to the Active.

Active boxes can be found 2nd hand relatively cheap, although you may need to buy a new IR receiver as usually the 2nd hand ones do not have these.

Alternatively, you could look at moving the Ouverture to where the TV used to be, and put the TV somewhere else (or figure out how to have both there).  Locating the Ouverture near the TV would also allow you to run the audio from the TV to the AUX input on the Ouverture and listen to the TV via B&O speakers.

Stan

Stan many thanks for your reply. I'll have a look at the Active, it's presumably controlled from the BEO4 remote? The existing speakers are each cabled back to the TV but I believe these can be configured to work via a single cable

Yes, the Active has a IR receiver - although if you buy 2nd hand, many times the IR receiver is not included... and it is not very useful without.

You will probably need a splitter for the PL.  You can run BL4000s, 6000s and 1s in series, but this would require changing the cabling as I assume both speakers are currently connected to the TV (and not TV -> Spk1 -> Spk2).

Thanks Stan. Yes both BL6000's are connected independently so I would need a splitter. Otherwise it's carpets up to coonect in series, in which case I might as well recable them to the Ouverture and save the cost of an Active. I'll weigh up the options with my neighbour whose system this is and see what they prefer. Once again thanks for your guidance. I might be back......