hello

could it be that the bl5 when calibrating itselfs that the sub is not so explosive as

the bl2 they have the power to do it better but maybe they get a difrent signal

to be not so explosive.

punisher

thanks

nisrani:

punisher

 

thanks

I may well change my username to Punisher - it sounds much better!

nisrani:

hello

could it be that the bl5 when calibrating itselfs that the sub is not so explosive as

the bl2 they have the power to do it better but maybe they get a difrent signal

to be not so explosive.

Hi nisrani - most here are absolutely convinced that a properly set up BL5 front pair will outperform a BL2 and by some considerable margin. All I can suggest is that you audition a properly setup BL5 surround system and, as Soundproof said, judge with your own ears.

Puncher:

nisrani:

punisher

 

thanks

 

I may well change my username to Punisher - it sounds much better!

Do it Pouncher!

nisrani:

hello

could it be that the bl5 when calibrating itselfs that the sub is not so explosive as

the bl2 they have the power to do it better but maybe they get a difrent signal

to be not so explosive.

Hi Nisrani - the short answer is "no."

As pointed out earlier, the BL2 is not as precise a sub as are the BL5s, and some people may actually like the rumble; but I assure you that a properly set up pair of BL5s will rumble to your heart's content, when calibrated. The room calibration on the BL5s is there to eliminate problems caused by room interaction in the lower frequencies, but it doesn't remove the ooomph, it actually increases it, as the incidences of self-cancelling waves are reduced.

It could be that the difference you perceive between the BL2s and the BL5s are due to the volume you listen at. Speakers are different, and the volume setting required to get a good impression of the BL8000/BL2 setup may be insufficient for the BL5 setup you describe. B&O settings for one speaker array may not be valid for another.

The LFE-channel in movies is the effects channel - the .1 channel, if you want. There can be non-effect related low frequency information as part of the general soundtrack, that would also be decoded properly.
Barring that the BL5s are defective (hold your hand under the skirt, you should feel the flutter of air when they're working), they're not getting the right signal, or being played at too low a volume. I think it's the "not getting the right signal" that will prove to be the answer.

I had the national rep for B&O in my BL5 equipped home cinema, and demonstrated the jet against truck finale of the latest Die Hard movie for him, at the sound pressure level that the movie was shown with in cinemas. He wondered whether my neighbours complained much, as the apartment was literally moving and shaking. A BL2 weighs 18kgs, each BL5 weighs 61kgs - that's a 122 to 18 kilos proportion when it comes to working weight for the subs ... if a BL2 was to put out the same sound energy, it would be ricocheting off the walls.

When you do another demo, make certain that no-sub is selected, and that the low frequency info is sent to the front speakers. Enjoy!

As you say, I believe the moving mass of a BeoLab 5 subwoofer cone is 60 kg, which is far more than a BeoLab 2 is capable of.

The BeoLab 2 can produce some pretty thunderous bass, but the BeoLab 5s far outshine it - in fact the BeoLab 5 low-end far outshines anything else I've ever heard on the market.

Alex:

 I believe the moving mass of a BeoLab 5 subwoofer cone is 60 kg ....................

 

 

stefan:

I think the subwoofer output will be disabled, when you assign the front speaker outputs to BL5. LFE channel will be routed to the front speakers - to BL5. If you were missing bass on the BL5 maybe the speakers were not correctly calibrated...(?)

Stefan

I just tried the settings on our BV7 MKIII. We have BL9s with a sub. Changing the BL9s to 5 in the menu did not alter the sub setting at all. At least in the menu it is possible to set it for both BL5s and a subwoofer. Perhaps this is because of the setting that allows a specific position to be assigned for the subwoofer in the menu, such as front, rear, left, right?

Having said that it does seem to me that with the 5s there is no need for a 2 as the 5s would be much better than the 2, but I have never done the test myself. I go back nd forth on whether I think the sub helps or hurts our 9s.

Razlaw:

I have never done the test myself. I go back nd forth on whether I think the sub helps or hurts our 9s.

I originally had a BL2 with the 7.2. Once I moved to a 7.4 and BL9s, there was little need for the BL2. Instead of keeping the sub, I traded it in against other B&O kit. I'm sure it adds 'something' but unless you live in a detached house and/or really appreciate your bass, I found the BL9s more than sufficient.

Puncher:

Alex:

 I believe the moving mass of a BeoLab 5 subwoofer cone is 60 kg ....................

 

 

 

Wrong terminology on my behalf! When I say 'moving mass', I really mean the mass the subwoofer is capable of moving, not the weight of the cone & coil!

Must be a setup issue.

When I bought my BL5, and first listened to them I was a bit disappointed. It was better than my previous BL6000 and a KEF subwoofer, but not much.

After a bit of investigation, I discovered that the B&O people had selected the right speakers in the setup menu, but they had forgotten to turn the subwoofer choice to "OFF". When changed to "off" the sub channel is delivered to the BL%, and it sounds amazing.

Thavn's on the trail here, and I wouldn't be surprised if this has happened to other users. I can't remember which thread it was, but I remember another thread where a user wanted to buy BL2s to supplement the BL5s, because of insufficient bass. Probably another case where they had forgotten to switch OFF the subwoofer selection.
This can be confusing - but the subwoofer choice on B&O's and other brand's processors is to be selected when there are separate subwoofers in the signal chain. With BL5s, the subwoofers are integrated, and you need to send the LFE signal to the front speakers. That happens automatically when you switch OFF the subwoofer in the setup menu, as thavn describes above.

If I activate the CENTER SPEAKER option on my processor, the dialogue in movies disappears because I don't have a center speaker. When I deactivate it, the dialogue immediately appears, because it is sent to the BL5s, and a phantom center is created.
Same if I select that I have a subwoofer, then the bass information under the cross-over point I have selected just disappears, because that information is then sent to a non-existent subwoofer. And then I'll agree, when I do that the BL5s sound like much ado about nothing!

AND HERE'S THE BIG JOKE: In the above situation, where no LFE and low bass info is going to the BL5s, because you have chosen ON for center speakers, then you'll suddenly get a lot of bass if you connect a BL2 to the center speaker OUT on the BeoSystem 3 or other processor. And you'll scratch your head and think that the BL5s are poor on bass. While the truth is that they are starved for bass info!

As I wrote above, Nisrani: tell your dealer to select OFF for the subwoofer, and I think you'll experience what thavn heard. When doing the test, this was probably left ON, because you were switching between the BL2, which needs it ON, and the BL5s - which require that it should be off.

I guarantee that you'll be amazed at what the BL5s can do in the bass region. And B&O should send dealers a friendly reminder on the intranet concerning this ...

(Hmmm - heard of one customer where I live who bought six BL5s, because he wanted more bass at home after trying two. At the time I thought he had to be a bass addict, now I think he wasn't made aware of the correct setup.)

Alex:

Puncher:

Alex:

 I believe the moving mass of a BeoLab 5 subwoofer cone is 60 kg ....................

 

 

 

Wrong terminology on my behalf! When I say 'moving mass', I really mean the mass the subwoofer is capable of moving, not the weight of the cone & coil!

Yes that's what i thought, what else could it have meant? Interesting fact, cheers!

soundproof:

(Hmmm - heard of one customer where I live who bought six BL5s, because he wanted more bass at home after trying two. At the time I thought he had to be a bass addict, now I think he wasn't made aware of the correct setup.)

Nice and cozy area you live in, soundproof ...

I would consider applying for a dealership there, unfortunately, the area is obviously being served - and even if it wasn't it would most probably mean I would have to move far away 

saf:

soundproof:

(Hmmm - heard of one customer where I live who bought six BL5s, because he wanted more bass at home after trying two. At the time I thought he had to be a bass addict, now I think he wasn't made aware of the correct setup.)

Nice and cozy area you live in, soundproof ...

I would consider applying for a dealership there, unfortunately, the area is obviously being served - and even if it wasn't it would most probably mean I would have to move far away 

 

It sounded quite excessive with six BL5s, but if I remember correctly, there's a house in Uruguay with ten of them ... !

soundproof:

saf:

soundproof:

(Hmmm - heard of one customer where I live who bought six BL5s, because he wanted more bass at home after trying two. At the time I thought he had to be a bass addict, now I think he wasn't made aware of the correct setup.)

Nice and cozy area you live in, soundproof ...

I would consider applying for a dealership there, unfortunately, the area is obviously being served - and even if it wasn't it would most probably mean I would have to move far away 

 

It sounded quite excessive with six BL5s, but if I remember correctly, there's a house in Uruguay with ten of them ... !

 

Lol. 10???!!! Did those people prefer sitting on the BL5's instead of chairs?

Would be nice to hear of your experiences with the BL5s properly set up, Nisrani. And good luck whichever solution you go for!

I had the same problem with my local shop this morning. A friend of mine was impressed by my lab 5 and was quite interessted in th lab 9 to see if this could be a good loudspeaker for him.

At the shop the lab 9 where placed on this "turntable" setup with lab 8000 and 6000, als a lab 2 was connected to a Bv7-32. After my question the guy checked the sound settings to switch of loudness etc., according to him the lab 2 was disabled in the stereo mode (lab 2 was off showing a red light).

But folks, guess what, nice performance but no extra kick! So I took over the BEO4 from the guy and disabled the lab2 in the LS setup menu.....and now the lab9 performed in a way which really where impressive!!!!

Not sure how many not so much impressed potential customers have left the shop with out the superb audio expirence and have the "B&O nice, expensive but under performer" mind set

soundproof:

Would be nice to hear of your experiences with the BL5s properly set up, Nisrani. And good luck whichever solution you go for!

I am going tomorow to the store and hopefully i will be blown away by the bl5 in a good set-up.

kawo:

Not sure how many not so much impressed potential customers have left the shop with out the superb audio expirence and have the "B&O nice, expensive but under performer" mind set

I think we're on the trail of something quite spectacularly sad, Kawo (and thavn). I'm pretty certain there have been a lot of demo's that have gone bad, because of incorrect settings.

After Nisrani started this thread, I spoke with a friend in another city who went to a B&O store to try BL5s after hearing I bought them. He'd been very disappointed by the bass performance in the store, and couldn't understand why I'd bought them. Then he visited a while later, and heard them at my place. His reaction was that this could not be the same version of the speaker. At the time I didn't figure out that they'd been set up completely wrong in the store (though I've experienced some strange store setups).

I'll repeat what I wrote a little earlier. B&O should really remind its dealers about the proper sub settings for BL5 (and other speakers). Not doing it right is shooting oneself in the foot.

What mystifies me is how the dealer who demonstrated the setups Nisrani described could accept the difference in performance, without understanding something was wrong!

I don't know whether to laugh or cry while i read this thread as it goes on and on... BL5's...... *sigh* So unappreciated at times [:'(]

soundproof:

I'll repeat what I wrote a little earlier. B&O should really remind its dealers about the proper sub settings for BL5 (and other speakers). Not doing it right is shooting oneself in the foot.

What mystifies me is how the dealer who demonstrated the setups Nisrani described could accept the difference in performance, without understanding something was wrong!

 

The shop manager who has done the presentation to us is more than 20 years in the B&O business, furthermore, the presentation was done based on this loudspeaker turntable which was designed for showing the strength of the B&O loudspeakers. He did not realize that something was wrong either... 

So too bad! lot of money invested by B&O and the shop owner and than this! 

hello

i went to the same store today because one of the staff members got back from holiday and he could give me the advise about the bl5

but he said the same thing that i cannot use the bl5 with the bl2
because it wouldn t get the right signal only if i gave the bl5 another name
in the set-up menu

confussed

nisrani:

hello

i went to the same store today because one of the staff members got back from holiday and he could give me the advise about the bl5

but he said the same thing that i cannot use the bl5 with the bl2
because it wouldn t get the right signal only if i gave the bl5 another name
in the set-up menu

confussed

 

 

I don't think anyone has said that the BL5's should be used with the BL2 - infact quite the reverse.

If I paraphrase correctly the recommendation was to select the BL5's as fronts and ensure the sub channel is turned off.