General Forum

Re: BL5 Noise problems

Jackplug — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 05:54:20 GMT

Just reporting back about the Beolab 5s. Thanks to all for the work on this thread with cables and digital suggestions.

I finally got my problems solved, which were the noise on both my Beolab 5s. One in the upper bass module and the other in the treble module.

A new pair was delivered. One of the new pair had the same fault (upper bass). Finally got that replaced in October. Using all same cables as I started with (out of the box).

Though it was the speakers in the end (as the same symptoms occurred when they took the first pair back to the shop), I have got rid of the MX too and grabbed myself a ‘contingenty’ AVANT 32 VCR curved – in black of course J the best £265 I ever spent

The output from the AVANT is much improved and after a few weeks the BL5s are softening up nicely. Best things I’ve heard them play are ‘Songs about Jane – Maroon 5, Seal IV, Justin Timberlake – Futuresex/Lovesounds, David Gilmore - Albert Hall gig (DVD), Incredibles (DVD).

Play any of these titles and you won’t mistake the feeling of 20Hz shaking you like a roller-coaster or making your walls wobble. You do have to be careful what you play. If it’s a bad recording then it will show. Same thing happened to me when I upgraded my MMC4 to an MMC1, everything sounded much clearer, including all the clicks & pops and hiss on my vinyl. Anyone vinyl nerds fancy taking it off my hands as I’m finally converted to digital now, sorry.

It was worth the wait but audition your BL5s carefully.

Re: BL5 Noise problems

The Stig - ver. 1.7 — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 04:12:28 GMT

Mr10Percent:

Just to add my two cents:-
1. The guy paid over GBP10,000 for these speakers. Let the dealer fix the issue.
2. The cables normally supplied with the BL5's are approx 4-4.5mm thick and have a ferrite ring on either side of the powerlink connector. not sure if the are Mk2 or 3 (cant see them right now). however, the key is the ferrite rings which should distingush the BL5 powerlinks from any other type of powerlink cable, Mk3 or not.

10%

It's Mk 2, If the fault isn't with the BL5 then he cant be sure to get the service of his MX5500 for free, remember this is going to be 4 -5 h job including Transport.

Re: BL5 Noise problems

Mr10Percent — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 02:16:19 GMT

Just to add my two cents:-

1. The guy paid over GBP10,000 for these speakers. Let the dealer fix the issue.

2. The cables normally supplied with the BL5's are approx 4-4.5mm thick and have a ferrite ring on either side of the powerlink connector. not sure if the are Mk2 or 3 (cant see them right now). however, the key is the ferrite rings which should distingush the BL5 powerlinks from any other type of powerlink cable, Mk3 or not.

10%

Re: BL5 Noise problems

Keith Saunders — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 01:02:44 GMT

Powerlink Mark III cable looks as below with the stated triangle on the plastic cover above the locating lug

Re: BL5 Noise problems

The Stig - ver. 1.7 — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:24:19 GMT

I have seen a MX6000 today with 100 Hz noise in it's Beolab6000 speakers. The problem disappeared when discounting the Motor stand!!!

You cut tray this and see if it helps?

Re: BL5 Noise problems

The Stig - ver. 1.7 — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 17:03:54 GMT

Jackplug:

Might start a new thread next week. Will tell you how it all turns out.

Please do... The only downside with BL5, is all other speakers from now on is Rubbish

Re: BL5 Noise problems

Jackplug — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:39:13 GMT

OK folks, think we kicked the ass out of this thread now. Yes I have BL1000. You can key in pin code with it but the 'SOUND 1 STORE' method does not change BL5 options (this is multi room beolink options for those that don't know). For BL5 mode changes then I do need Beo4. But at £170 then I don't need to change the BL5 options just yet. Was going to look for a nice Avant DVD, few years old, that came with a Beo4. Failing that, I'll just wait for the new remote to come out in Sep and may even just splash out on a new Beovision (although I already got a 12 month old Panasonic Vierra, 42" HD upstairs feeding a Bose Lifestyle 8 5.1 system. My wife is quite happy watching telly on the MX5500 down here (takes her mind on the BL5s waiting to 'exterminate' her :)

Oh yes, back to the speakers. Well sorry to disappoint all those with brain-box advice. What I ended up doing, but was trying to avoid, was I've simply left all the wiring as was, then swapped the speakers round i.e. lifted them across the room and put the left where the right was then the right where the left was. There-by trying to see if the noise interference moved. Well it did. So I've concluded in the end (which is the same as at the start) that, one of my BL5s is bot as well shielded as the other. The actual case, nothing to do with the MX or the PL cables or the AC sockets. It's the speaker. So as I said, dealer is comiong on Monday, with a new pair I hope.

I guess I will have to suffer them swapping things around, tutting at my telly scratching their heads with my BL1000 (unless they pack a Beo4 on the van too), but there's no getting away from the fact that £10k is not beer money, even for many of us on here so I want it sorted. I don't want £4k worth of BL5 and £1k worth of excuses or advice on how to upgrade the rest of my system. One speaker is different to the other and that itself is poor. The one with the extra crackle and pop noise can be heard very easily when the volume is up, even just past medium (with CD on pause etc). Yes you can't hear the noise if the speakers are turned way up or are very very low. On classical tracks that have some quiet passages then the noise breaks through. Once heard, then always heard.

Might start a new thread next week. Will tell you how it all turns out.

Thanks boys & girls for all the enthusiastic suggestions. Don't be put off by all this. They sound scary, they look scary but boy, they obey every command no matter what. "... I'd like to hear it loud please...." Certainly sir.

BL5 read, OMG!

Re: BL5 Noise problems

Alex — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:21:40 GMT

Exactly

Re: BL5 Noise problems

Puncher — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:32:59 GMT

But wasn't the MX5500 supplied with a Beolink 1000??

Re: BL5 Noise problems

soundproof — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 11:07:41 GMT

Yes, but you are assuming that he has a Beolink 1000, which is not a given.

Re: BL5 Noise problems

Alex — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 10:45:19 GMT

Exactly the same as the Beo4, except you press PLAY instead of GO.

Re: BL5 Noise problems

soundproof — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 10:08:34 GMT

Just out of curiosity, how do you enter the PIN-code, etc., for the speakers without the Beo4?

Re: BL5 Noise problems

Alex — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 09:52:40 GMT

I believe you can do it with a BeoLink 1000 (which I assume you have). Switch everything into standby, and then Sound, 1, Store near the speakers (cup your hand around the remote control over the BL5 eye to prevent the signals reaching the BeoSound). The speaker should make a sound to confirm the command.

Re: BL5 Noise problems

Jackplug — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 09:48:48 GMT

OK, couple of things. Firstly, thanks for the help again with suggestions. I need to as you say try and get a listen to them without PL connected but I think I've already excluded the TV as a source of noise by my 'half-splitting' approaches at the start of this thread where I've set both speakers switches to the 'right' channel but there was no change in the aparrent noise from the left speaker. And then swapping the cables and using differenc sockets etc. I don't have Beo4 remote so once I've figured out how to set the BL5s to option 1 then I'll connect a standard line input, see how that works, then I will try the S/PDIF config and let you know. There is no triangles on the PL cables but I'm pretty sure they're the ones out of the box.

Give me a day or so to decide once and for all whether this is either wiring, placement or associated mains OR the speakers themselves.

Re: BL5 Noise problems

soundproof — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 02:23:19 GMT

kawo:
HI, I just took al look at my cables which came with the lab 5. There is no mark on it and they are roughly 2 to 3 times thicker than the PL MK3 cables for my lab3.

Hi kawo,

I wouldn't say the difference in gauges is 2-3 times thicker, but there is a difference.

I also always get them confused, the MKII and MKIII !!!