[Ianc2]

If you know what size they are , you can order online from Amazon etc

if not , take one to homedepot and measure it (it will be metric , so m4/m5/m6 etc. all you need then is length of thread (from backside of head) eg: m4x15mm .

[Madskp]

I managed to get hold of another motherboard for the BM5, the 1,5Ghz version for aaround 40€ including shipment and another mini itx motherboard.

I have installed the replacement motherboard, updated the BIOS and done a restore.

Although it took some boot loops and manuel restarts it now seems like it is running like it should.

Next issue the sticky black coating, and a broken glass on the BS5 head unit.

[Guy]

It’s a shame that there is no headphone output, otherwise it would be very easy!

Anyway, I would probably use the TV’s Digital Optical Output, and connect it to a Digital to Analogue Converter (DAC) like this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neoteck-NTK003-Aluminum-Converter-Digital/dp/B01MD0KHK1

Note that this is not a specific recommendation as I have not used this device – other forum members may be able to recommend a specific make/model.

You would then need to connect the DAC to the input for your Beomaster, for which you would need a cable like this: https://soundsheavenly.com/bang-olufsen/52-72-stereo-rca-twin-phono-to-beosound-aux-input-din-socket.html#/2-length-1m

On the BM5500, you could connect to the CD, TAPE or TAPE2 input socket and select using that Source on the remote.

On the BM6500, you could connect to any of the above or the TV/AUX socket. If the latter you could then put the BM6500 in A.OPT 2 (ask if unsure how) and you will be able to select using TV on the B&O remote.

One word of caution, I am not sure if the processing time of the DAC will cause lip-sync issues due to a delay against the TV picture – hopefully not!

[Millemissen]

Mikipedi4 wrote:

Millemissen wrote:

@Miki What a weird ending…..why? MM

We had an hour and lost track of time, sorry about that. Did we go over enough otherwise? He’ll be back, so we can go for round two and do more Q&A

Thanks – but that seemed like ‘being cut off’.
Anyway, if you can do another round, that would be great.

Generally….it was nice – even if I personally already knew it – to hear how much efford they put into it – with the myriad of devices, product generations and the wish to be backwards compatible etc.
Especially it was nice to hear that they will not drop support for the NL/ML Converter.

However, there were many ‘everyday questions’ not asked.
I saw several in the chat for the first halv hour, that I managed to see live.
N.B. No chat available, when you watch the video later!?

I’d like to know who they cater for….the guy with a set of headphones or a BT device or the costumer, who has had a 10 piece – or more – setup for years and who still buy new products?
Who should be prioritized here, when creating a functional app.
Those with one set of headphones/a BT speaker will hardly ever use the app!

Recently I talked to a guy with an M5 – he did not even know, that that device has a built-in netradio function. He just used it for airplaying stuff….no need for the Bang & Olufsen app there.
I guess there are many out there like him.

So, why not focus on those with an otherweise well (hmmmm!) functioning setup of products and make an app, that matches the quality and handling of the B&O devices?

We want to know more of prioritizing the users and of the roadmap, which function we may expect becoming reality etc.
When will they clean up (!) the mess of sources in the Source List?
Something that should have been done right away…..before the official release of the app.
Why am I forced to have/to use a physical remote in order to have an easy access to my radio stations or to my 4 favourites/the MyButtons, when that could be done from within the app?
Why not prioritize that kind of stuff?

I’d like to know, why we can not access legacy products (via NL/ML Converter) from the Mozart platform just like it is possible with the ASE products?
I know that this might be a product issue, but it certainly also is an app issue…..this is about handling our stuff/our setup on a daily basis.
We have had Mozart products for a while now – still not solved.
That is a thing that can keep me from investing in Mozart products for my setup (except of course for the BST ?).

Enough to talk about, enough questions to be asked….and maybe answered.

MM

[Gspaltenhorn]

Madskp wrote:

So I made a little 7 pin DIN connector with data and ground from the MCL IR eye connected to pin 6 and 2 and a wire to a set of headphones connected to pin 1, 4 and 2. 5V power from a bench supply connected ground and +5V wires of the IR eye.

Setting the IR eye to option 1, and covering the BM5500’s IR eye full control is possible.

I´m currently trying to reproduce this. But i can´t achieve full control. Here is my Setup:

• Beolab 8000 connected to Beolab 2 connected to Power Link 1
• MCL Sensor – data (White) connected to BM6500 TV/Aux – Datalink
• MCL Sensor – ground connected to BM6500 Aux – ground
• MCL Sensor – 5V connected to external powersupply
• MCL Sensor in option 1 (Standby – while keeping the timer button on MCL Sensor depressed, press “AV” button on Beolink 1000)
• BM6500 in option 1 (Standby – press “sound”, “1”, “store”)

With this Setup I´m able to start up the BM6500 via my Beolink 1000 remote. The correct source is also selected. But unfortunately the speakers stay muted and cannot be umuted by neither the “mute” button on the Beolink nor the “mute” button on the MCL Sensor.

I guess some options are not set correctly… However, I don’t really understand the combinations of all the options yet. Therefore, I would appreciate any help!!

[Lein]

“I would like to connect headphone to my Beovision 11, but this television does not have a mini jack connection. I have purchased an RJ45 to mini jack cable to solve this problem. Can someone tell me which RJ45 input I should connect this cable to, and any settings I may need to change/add to use the headphones?”

[matteventu]

Millemissen wrote:

I did notice that (on my M5/M3, but not for the Essences)….and I thought, well that’s the new look. I can’t say that I am impressed ? I did not dig as deep as you did, though – but I see your points. The Sound Settings – Startup Volume/Max Volume – are gone too. Again – where are the heading with the app? What do they have in store for us? MM

You’re right, also the max and default volume settings are gone! Fantastic, for that (+ speaker placement) we need to resort to the web UI ?

Do your Mozart devices have this UI or are still with the old/normal one?

[Millemissen]

I did notice that (on my M5/M3, but not for the Essences)….and I thought, well that’s the new look.

I can’t say that I am impressed ?

I did not dig as deep as you did, though – but I see your points.
The Sound Settings – Startup Volume/Max Volume – are gone too.

Again – where are the heading with the app?
What do they have in store for us?

MM

[NQVHNWI]

Looking for help as I’ve kinda forgot the ins and outs of the BS5 and it’s settings.

A few years ago, I gave my Son my BS5 as his Uni music box beater. The head unit was ok but the BM5 cabinet has gone somewhat sticky. So after being down for a number of months, his BS5 has had issues booting up again. I briefly played around with it and went through recovery mode but still no final boot up.

The BS5 is indicating a windows SE component is corrupted (forgot which sys file).

Question is….how do I recover this. I think the B&O shell makes it impossible to access or repair the OS……so it’s in through the USB port with a bootable drive.

Does anyone know if I should repair the OS and will it delete the B&O BM5 shell or will the Beotool fix everything – OS and BS5 shell?

Please let me know if you have any ideas?

[Madskp]

This may be drifting a little away from the passive, but still relevant for the use of the IR eyes.

As observed in another thread the datalink conenctions are shared between the AUX and speakerlink connectors at least in a BM5500.

On the The MCL2A IR data from the IR eye is connected directly to the datalink connection

 

This made me think, can the IR eye be used connected directly to the datalink pin 6 on the BM5500 AUX connector. So I made a little 7 pin DIN connector with data and ground from the MCL IR eye connected to pin 6 and 2 and a wire to a set of headphones connected to pin 1, 4 and 2. 5V power from a bench supply connected ground and +5V wires of the IR eye.

Setting the IR eye to option 1, and covering the BM5500’s IR eye full control is possible.

 

[HAWK]

ebnrob wrote:

HAWK wrote:

but apparantly not (yet) for the Essence MKII

B&O have told me they can’t update Chromecast in the M5 and Essence Mk2. This is what they said to me: “Our technical department would like to inform you that the hardware of Beoplay M5 does not support the requirements from Google and this is not a Bang & Olufsen’s decision, but part of new requirements from Google.” Their suggestion was to buy a Chromecast audio dongle and connect it to line in. I’ve just bought a Wiim Pro streamer which has a built in Alexa receiver as well as chromecast which I’ve connected to my M5’s line-in. Works well.

Thx for the heads up. You mention the M5 AND the Essence MK2, so also the Essence Mk2 does not support the requirements from Google?

Let’s see if I can connect a Chromecast to the line-in of the Essence Mk2 then (no idea if this is even possible).

[Madskp]

The MCL connector on the BL3500 MKI will accept both speaker level inputs as stated in B&O specifications, and line level inputs as shown in the use case for the MCL connector in post 3 in this thread. I have also made some tests with this connection in this post https://beoworld.dev.idslogic.net/forums/topic/beolab-3500-and-1611-converter-settings/page/17/#post-17044

and found out that signal and ground can be reversed.

Looking at the diagram in the Beomaster 5500 servicemanual I discovered that the dataline for the MCL speaker connectors are connected to pin 6 in the AUX din, so I started wondering, could this also be used for connection between the Beomaster 5500 and the Beolab 3500.

As the pinout for those connections are different I made a custom cable:

BM5500 pin 2 – > BL3500 pin 3 and 5

BM5500 pin 1 – > BL3500 pin 1

BM5500 pin 4 – > BL3500 pin 4

BM5500 pin 6 – > BL3500 pin 6

Pin 7 on the BM5500 is datalink for tape and CD, so that is not used for this.

Tested with the setting ML off in the BL3500 service menu (Menu+0+9+GO)

This was not working.

Wondering and going through diagrams and pinouts for the different connectors I noticed that the BL3500 has data shield on pin 7 connected directly to ground internally.

But where should I connect that in my custom cable? Looking at MCL pinout’s answers that question:

Ground on both speaker connectors as well as data shield is all connected which means that pin 3, 5 and 7 in the BL3500 MCL connector all has to be connected:

BM5500 pin 2 – > BL3500 pin 3, 5 and 7

BM5500 pin 1 – > BL3500 pin 1

BM5500 pin 4 – > BL3500 pin 4

BM5500 pin 6 – > BL3500 pin 6

Tested with the setting ML off in the BL3500 service menu (Menu+0+9+GO)

Success

This is working just the same as with the MCL connection 🙂

Voltage readings on the data pin (pin 6) are the same 4,68V as I registered with the MCL connection

One thing to note from this test is that the BM5500 is the only product where I have found that the data pins in the Aux connector and the MCL speaker connector are connected internally in the Beomaster, so the result of this test might not be the same with other audiomasters.

One other note that I don’t know if has any relation to this is the description of an obsolete Powerlink cable in the Beolink handbook where it is stated that pin 3 and 7 are short circuited. In my head that doesn’t make much sense in a powerlink cable where pin 3 is signal and 7 is data ground, but might make sense if it was used somehow with the BL3500??

 

[HerlufHansen]

So.

I wrote to B&O support, and they sent my a guide with a special software to recover the missing data.

 

Connecting to the product through webbrower, and uploading the software did the trick 🙂
Now the B&O app finds the product.

Don’t know if this is a common error, as the headline of the document says “How to recover ASE-TK product with serial number 00000000 (BeoSound 1/2, BeoPlay M5)”

[ajames]

Wow – your experience is very similar to mine. I listen to a lot of Jazz and 1960’s/70’s easy listening and some 80’s/90’s pop. I have a Linn LP12 and that was fitted with a Rega Exact, but the sound was never quite to my liking it sounded somehow dull. It became obvious when I acquired a Beogram 3000 with an SP14 for my workroom – suddenly the sound was full on, great stereo separation, lovely bass and good treble. That particular turntable needs some work but compared to the Linn the sound was just so much more to my taste. I have a BG4002 that I’ve had for a number of years and dug that out – the cartridge that came with it is a 20en but the suspension has failed and the tip I think is worn. I managed to get an mmc20s sometime ago and tried that in it and I found that compared to the Linn setup the soundstage is much much more open with better separation. So I tried swapping out the cartridge in the Linn with a Shure M55 – the problem was that the rega cartridge literally fell apart when I took it off the head shell – the back plate detached from the body. Anyway, The Shure sounded so much better but the BG4002 sounded much clearer but didn’t have the bass of the 20en.

So my dilemma was do I spend more money on getting a better cartridge for the Linn – bearing in mind that the exact cartridge wasn’t cheap and was line contact but I was disappointed. Or do I go back to what I know and love – I decided Beograms are so much easier and the choice was between the EN and the CL – so I will go with the EN now and I know I’ll be happy with it. I’m going to sell the Linn as too much choice is confusing and setting it up and aligning cartridges is so complicated compared to a Beogram. Also it would have been a cheaper exercise for me to just get a refurbished MMC cartridge in the first place than buying all these other ones and still not getting the sound I missed from a Beogram!

[Frans]

Hello,

Is there any possibility to get the Beoplayer working?

I have a BM5 whit BS 5 working.

Beside I have still a Beomedia 1 which I like to use stand alone.

The Beomedia 1 works whit a monitor, keyboard and headphone. Also a lot off music stations can be received and are playing.

Unfortunately when I connect speakers with a link converter they won’t work.

Also when installing the Beoplayer I got the problem.

When the player is starting it is ask for registration Beomedia 5, Beomedia 1 or none of them.

Giving in a Beomedia a message coming no internet connection.

Then only a few stations are available and the most wound work.

I tried an older XP PC, a Win7 32 PC or win 10 al give the same result.

Also I tried the REG additions like suggest in the older forum but still no success.

There shout be a way to get this working? Who can help.

[Frans]

Hello,

Besides my BM5 and BS5 is still having a Beomedia 1.

Now I tried to get the Beomedia 1 as a standalone on working.

Whit a monitor and headphone it working. But when a connect an IR receiver or Beolink converter 1511 o0r a beolink active 1616 my speakers won’t work.

Another problem is to get a PC whit Beoplayer working. The Beoplayer on the PC keeps saying –no internet connection– when starting and then it has only a very few stations. A lot of them not work.

I tried a windows XP PC, also a Win7- 32 but all whit the same result.

I search the forum and tried also the register additions.

 

Has anyone an idea how to get Beoplayer work, Is there a protocol missing or something??

 

[Evan]

Hey everyone! It’s been a long time since I’ve written a thread like this but it seems I have some time to do so and I shouldn’t keep all my delicious build photos to myself.

Here is the long (and still running!) saga of my 2022 rescue of a pair of MK2 PentaLabs.

But first some context! I kind of live in two places – San Francisco, CA and Bridgend, Wales. It’s a long story that mostly involves work. Work is speakers, and speakers are life so everything has blended into one and the same. So if some of the details in this story don’t make logical/logistical sense then that is most likely due to my frantic, time-impoverished, trying to keep everyone happy, expat lifestyle I currently find myself in.

Like many of you, I religiously browse Facebook marketplace, craigslist and eBay just looking at all the B&O gear I could buy. I found a listing for a pair of MK2 Pentas in the East Bay area and kept my eye on the listing for a few months. Definitely didn’t need them as I already have a pair of MK3’s (in a storage unit, 2500 miles away, might as well be on Mars) but then again, the bedroom in SF needs some floor-standers for movie watching and to play music from my then recently acquired BS Moment that the PrizeDrawBot himself sent my way. Turns out luck was on my side as the girlfriend and I found ourselves in the east bay at a lunch gathering. This was a group of my girlfriend’s colleagues so I was naturally, silently plotting to grab those Pentas on the way home. And snag them we did. I even planned ahead for this and made sure we took the larger of our cars in order to accommodate them and carry them home.

Naturally the confident seller stated that they were a flawless pair of Pentas that had zero foam rot. The seller was a restauranteur and used them as PA speakers for wedding receptions and that sort of thing so in hindsight they had lived a pretty tough life. We arrived at the restaurant and I shined my phone light through the fret to show him what foam rot really looked like – the surrounds were literally falling out and collecting in a neat pile behind the fret. The seller also decided to stop using the amps themselves and very inconveniently extended a pair of speaker wires through them amp (yes, he fished the wire THROUGH the amp) instead of just disconnecting the amps altogether and running wire out the back. But at any rate, they seemed savable and both made music so I made a deal.

I think in the end I paid $450 for them.

Here they are in our old bedroom connected up to the Moment for sadly what was only a very brief moment. The amp started cutting out on the right BeoLab and I realized that the tweeter wasn’t even playing. So out they went into the garage as I ordered parts and prepared for my departure to Wales.

[Tignum]

Hi again, it was M5x20 ?: https://beoworld.dev.idslogic.net/forums/search/M5+head/

Just to close the loop when people find this post!

Good luck, Johan

[Tignum]

Hello styppen, they are called

and are indeed adjustable (I took one from my 8000):

But if you cannot find the real ones, maybe you can find some short, flathead M5 bolts (called thumbscrews) and stick a rubber protector on it (one like this:)

Then you will still have the possibility to adjust the stance.

Good luck! Johan

[MichaelW]

Thank you very much Gregg! I found that to connect to the BM5 I had to use SMB:// < IP > on my system – but I can “see ” the filesystem as you mentioned. I have also installed dbpoweramp and this also works brilliantly – thank you for the detailed instructions! Now comes the tricky part. I have trialled a couple of CD’s ( each with a single artist (composer)) as I mostly listen to classical music. But the ripping program will translate the orchestra for the composer name in the resulting file. So this means I get Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra instead of Beethoven! (the Flac files and artwork are all properly copied and in the correct location on the source location (Music). I renamed the file folder as “Beethoven” because that’s where I want to store it ( and find it on the BM5). This copied OK, but I cannot find it anywhere on the BM5 display, despite it being there in the Finder window!! This thing is doing my head in!

I hope you can help or advise me what I am doing wrong – and try to understand how the BM5 file system (server) works?