Hi there,

I have a spare set of Beolabs, and I was thinking whether it is possible to feed them with music (wirelessly) via an apple airport express (using a Beoport box in-between)? Could I control the loudspeakers using the Beo4 remote control?

So, in other words .. there would be no PC/Mac connected directly to the Beoport .. only the airport express feeding the audio signal and the two Beolabs.

Cheers,

Jesper

The Beoport doesnt do much without an audio master I believe.

What Beolabs do you have? Just connect them straight to the airport, you can control the volume of the Airport express from within Itunes ....

It may be a bit sensitive to adjust depending on the power of the speakers ...

If they have no line in connection, I would just built an adapter cable and supply the speaker with the 5V control power that keeps them switched on.

So what are your labs?

Cheers

JK

Beoport requires a computer.

Stan

hi JK,

I have 2 times Beolab 6000 .. I do not see how I can connect them directly to the airport express ..?

Cheers,

jesper

the beolab 6000 manual can be downloaded from here

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/user-guides/?cat=Loudspeakers&prodid=113&typeid=1

Page 7 describes how to attach them to a non-B&O system

there is a phono socket that you use

and a switch [L-R-LINE] that you must switch to LINE

so a cable with a jack plug at the airport end and two phono plugs - one for each speaker is what you need

Sorry if this a stupid question or if the answer is somewhere in the forum and I just can't find it.

We are using Masterlink to connect the speakers in our house to the iMac and iTunes. We have an extra pair of 4000s. If I want to use them in another room, can I connect them to an Airport Express as described above?  If so, how do I control the volume of them?  Does the remote on the iTouch do that?  Could I also use an Airport Express to connected a Beosound 1 to iTunes using the auxiliary in of the Beosound 1?

Thanks!

You can definitely hook the BS1 to an AE.  I used to do that... you just need a mini-jack to DIN cable (or I'm using mini-jack -> RCA -> DIN ), and remember how to turn on AUX (I usually hit the A.TAPE button on the beo4).

I eventually moved to a wired approach because the music would drop when my wife talked on the phone (a lot).

Stan

Razlaw:

We have an extra pair of 4000s. If I want to use them in another room, can I connect them to an Airport Express as described above?

From the BL 4000 manual:

Connection to non-Bang & Olufsen systems

Use a special adapter with an ordinary phono/RCA plug in one end, and a DIN­plug in the other (‘Cable for line signal’ – optional accessory, available from your Bang & Olufsen retailer).

Set the switch to LINE.

Razlaw:

If so, how do I control the volume of them?  Does the remote on the iTouch do that?

I am not sure ... I know there is a setting in iTunes but I have not experimented with it

My own setup is iTunes to Airport to BeoLabs.  

The part coming from the BeoLabs is "Cable - External Line" which is a DIN to RCA male as mentioned above.  It is a B&O product and the part # is 6270856.  You'll need one for each speaker.  From there, you will need an RCA female to mini stereo adaptor. 

Here's the tricky part.  Don't plug the mini stereo directly into the Airport otherwise you'll blow your speakers (per my own experience).  The Airport puts out a very strong signal.  You will then need a headset in-line volume control to attenuate.  (Its a volume control that goes from a sports earset into an ipod for example.) 

The in-line volume control goes between the adaptor and the Airport.  Adjust the volume control to about halfway.  The volume control then goes into the Airport.

I have iTunes on a Mac.  The Mac "sees" the Airport and asks you whether you would stream music thru Airtunes (the answer is yes).  You can then control the volume remotely from iTunes.  

It works splendidly for me.  I have three sets of B&O speakers each with an Airport.  I can run 1 room, 2 rooms, or all three thru iTunes.

Oh, and if you have the BL8000, you wont need the B&O din to RCA.  You'll just need a set of RCAs - male at both ends.

Hope this helps, and sorry if there were any redundancies to the posts of others.

So there is no way to control the volume from the room the speakers are in.....i.e. by an iTouch?  the volume can only be controlled from the iMac?

Well, the iTouch has a bluetooth that streams to (wireless) bluetooth headphones.  So it seems its possible provided you have some sort of destination bluetooth device that has an audio out.  I don't know if there is such an animal out there.  Let's both do some homework and see if there is such a thing.

Hello Raz.

Take a look at this.  It looks like it may fit your needs, but it's not cheap.  http://www.crutchfield.com/p_142IUBHK/Scosche-IUBHK-BlueLife-Home-Kit.html?tp=243

I don't think you will need the transmitter part of this unit because your iTouch already has a bluetooth transmitter.  

I'm also not sure about the sound quality but it is an attractive idea that you can control volume from something you have in your pocket.

I would say unpack it carefully in the event you don't like it so you can return it.

I currently use the Remote app on an iTouch to select music. It also has a volume control although I use the Beo 4 for that. It appears, from the following link, that the Remote app can be used to adjust the volume for individual pairs of speakers connected to an Airport Express.

http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/features/airtunes.html

Kevin:

My own setup is iTunes to Airport to BeoLabs.  

The part coming from the BeoLabs is "Cable - External Line" which is a DIN to RCA male as mentioned above.  It is a B&O product and the part # is 6270856.  You'll need one for each speaker.  From there, you will need an RCA female to mini stereo adaptor. 

Here's the tricky part.  Don't plug the mini stereo directly into the Airport otherwise you'll blow your speakers (per my own experience).  The Airport puts out a very strong signal.  You will then need a headset in-line volume control to attenuate.  (Its a volume control that goes from a sports earset into an ipod for example.) 

The in-line volume control goes between the adaptor and the Airport.  Adjust the volume control to about halfway.  The volume control then goes into the Airport.

I have iTunes on a Mac.  The Mac "sees" the Airport and asks you whether you would stream music thru Airtunes (the answer is yes).  You can then control the volume remotely from iTunes.  

It works splendidly for me.  I have three sets of B&O speakers each with an Airport.  I can run 1 room, 2 rooms, or all three thru iTunes.

Oh, and if you have the BL8000, you wont need the B&O din to RCA.  You'll just need a set of RCAs - male at both ends.

Hope this helps, and sorry if there were any redundancies to the posts of others.

And turning on/off the speakers is done how? using the b&o remote? or are they on all the time? or how does it work?

Cheers,

Jesper

I may be wrong, but I think the speakers will turn on automatically when they receive a signal. After a period of time with no signal they will turn to standby.

Kevin:

Here's the tricky part.  Don't plug the mini stereo directly into the Airport otherwise you'll blow your speakers (per my own experience).  The Airport puts out a very strong signal.  You will then need a headset in-line volume control to attenuate.  (Its a volume control that goes from a sports earset into an ipod for example.) 

Thank you for that warning !!!

You can control the output of the airport from within itunes .... obviously you have to set it to low when firing up the setup.

Cheers

JK

Honestly, the volume thru iTunes to an Airport to a BL is verrrry loud even at the lowest volume setting on iTunes.  Each little increase is a quantum leap without the inline volume.  I blew up a BL4000 finding out.  I would highly suggest the inline volume control as a precaution.  Its just a couple bucks.   

Interesting thread. Thank you for everyones input.

Ordered this yesterday - I will post up the results.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?TabID=1&criteria=usb&ModuleNo=33144&C=SO&U=Strat15

Hi Guzz.  I have the equivalent. 

Happy New Year all!

With this type of set up (Mac, iTunes, Airport/Express to Beolabs with vol control) is it possible to play a source on your Mac like Skysongs (access to 4 millions songs) which is streamed to your Mac but not into iTunes?

Does anyone have such a set up or ideas on how to get it to work?

thanks

Is this what you are looking for ?

http://www.rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/mac/

I tested their demo copy and it worked fine.

This http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?TabID=1&criteria=usb&ModuleNo=33144&C=SO&U=Strat15 works perfectly.

Ran several sets of speakers on Airport/Apple TV all night on New Years Eve. That combined with Remote on the iPhone proved unstoppable!

As someone suggested above get the in-line attenuator!!!

Also, you can control volume from itunes or the itouch (app is called "remote" and is a free download....beautiful!).  However, the volume is changed for all the speakers at once, you can't control the volume for each individual speaker AFAIK.