[ajames]

Thanks Guy, yes that answers the question – I needed a switched 5V supply.

I suppose I could use a Beolink Active with a powerlink to the Active and a splitter but that wouldn’t save me reducing the number of units in standby.

 

Thanks again.

 

[ajames]

I was surprised at how difficult or odd he found it, but I’ve been used to Beolink 1000 and then Beo4 for what must be over 30 years so I find other brands difficult to use. For example, the writing on a lot of remotes is too small to read and there are too many buttons. With the exception of DVD1 I have never had any problems using Beo4 or understanding B&O’s language.

I think he summed it up though as he loves the buttons and metres and to know that a HiFi is a HiFi. There are a great many people out there who think like that and thank goodness or it would be a very boring world.

I’ll bet now his interest has been awakened he will go onto buy more!

[ajames]

Just spotted that the rubber is detached from the surround so looks like they need refoaming

[ajames]

I mounted a pair to the wall by using the holes on the back as a template – there should be two sort of triangly things in the middle and you want to drill holes in the wall in accordance with the distance between the middle of the two – form memory you can adjust them to make the speaker level. I don’t recall any specific mounting bracket – but someone else might have more information

 

[ajames]

I don’t think it’s a problem confined to B&O. Whilst I am nowhere near a NHWI, I have noticed that just about everything seems to have bugs, you buy one thing it doesn’t do what it’s meant to do, or there is some fundamental flaw, or technology has changed and it’s outdated.

Take for example Internet Radio, you invest and the BBC expects you to move to their iPlayer app and removes their stations, Dab is replaced with DAB+, DVDs with streaming services. Mobile Phones go out of date too quickly, expensive computers, laptops, tablets etc. etc. etc. It just goes on and on.

It sounds as if the current strategy of moving to NHMWI is inline with car industry, where most are looking at producing less cars but higher value cars.

On the upside I suppose NHWI are immune to a certain extent to the downturn in economies and will continue to buy.

Thank heavens for the ordinary person there is a huge choice of decent vintage gear out there – that works.

[ajames]

I lost BBC stations from two of my Internet Radios, however, I can still hear Radio 4 on LW through a Dansette radio from the 1960’s and even older valve radios.

[ajames]

I bought the kit from Martin a couple of years ago and they transformed my M100-2’s – he boards when I had finished looked similar to the ones in the photo here and I had to double up some capacitors. I managed it with Martins instructions.

Congratulations on your speakers – I love mine, they are superb.

[ajames]

I meant to add that yes, the all vintage setup works great – I’m using mine with Beovox M100-2 and refurbished Quad 33/FM3/303.

[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!

[ajames]

Thanks Tjorven. Yes, if the 20EN was fitted as standard originally then that’s what I should go for – I hadn’t even thought of the alignment issue, which makes total sense.

Thanks again really useful and that’s set my mind at rest.

[ajames]

I don’t suppose it’s because there is no picture. I seem to remember something about no sound if there is no picture but I am probably completely wrong!

[ajames]

I read that the foam deteriorates in them and this might what’s causing you problems, coupled with the fact that the electronics are 25 years ago – i don’t know enough about the electronics in them but wonder if there are capacitors in the amps that need replacing.

I bought 8000s brand new in 97 and to start off with I didn’t think much of them compared to RL60.2. But then after a few weeks they must have broken in or I forgot what the RLs sounded like as I thought they were superb. I bought a second hair pair a couple of years ago and was really disappointed but I was comparing them to passive speakers.

Maybe yours just need refurbishing – I wish I’d known about the foam problem before I sold mine on.

[ajames]

Glad you are pleased with them – they are brilliant speakers, I’ve been very happy with mine – like I said though I think they need something powerful to drive them. I’ve used loads of different amplifiers – my favourite B&O one was the BM6000, the BM4400 I found not as full. BM2200 doesn’t have enough umps, BL Passive is very weak. Linn pre and power amp too neutral and just sounded like there was no life in it. I thought I had settled on a Quad 33/303 which was awesome but now I used a Valve amp with KT88’s – that’s the best I’ve heard them, it’s a very full sound and there’s enough power when you crank up the volume to drive them properly. The valve amp is only rated at 30 watts per channel but it’s more than enough – in fact more powerful than a Yamaha WXA-50 which is supposedly an ICE Power class-d – the Yamaha was actually the worst amplifier I used with them,

Anyway, enjoy them as they really are superb and will really show what an amp can do.

[ajames]

Yes, mine have the same finish as the ones for sale – I was slightly disappointed as I was hoping for the full-on rosewood finish. not sure if they are all like that – also I wonder if the step up from M75 to M100 would be that great? – I think some of it will depend on the size of your listening room, how loud you can play them and what you are using to drive them. Mine sound awesome when they are on loud and fill the house with my music but most of the time they are on fairly low in my music room which isn’t that big and I am sat very close to them. Another thing, I noticed that the seller said they are easy to drive – I have to say from experience they are not that easy to drive to make them sound their best, I tend to experiment with different amps and configurations – but those are just my thoughts – ideally you would get a chance to listen to them first. I don’t know if others have compared M75 with M100’s?

[ajames]

I paid £600 for my M100-2s but I then had to have one of the filler drivers repaired and I recapped them – I’ve had more listening pleasure from them than other B&O speakers I’ve owned – but I probably did pay too much, however, I had to have them and something is only worth what someone is prepared to pay

[ajames]

Merry Christmas everyone – Chartz – how do the Quads compare with the MC120-2s? I would love a pair of ESL57s to go with Quad33/303 combo (Beogram 1203 for vinyl and playmaker for streaming)

 

[ajames]

I use Beovox M100-2 every day as my main speakers in my main home with C30s in my study. In the other place, I use S45-2 in one room and P40s in another with MCX35 in my garage/workshop.

I’ve tried so many speakers over the past 30 years I started with Beovox 5700 which were my first B&O speakers, then RL60.2, then brand new BL8000 (which to start with I was disappointed with but grew to like), Beolab 1 followed, then BL8000 again, followed by BL4000 – the most disappointing but in retrospect, they were far too small for the size of the room – I lived in a flat and bought them as I had complaints from the upstairs neighbour about my music. Once she moved (!) I bought Beolab Penta’s MKII and they were fantastic – a friend of mine still has them and I wonder sometimes if I should have kept them. The Penta’s were followed by the M100-2 – I switched to these as I wanted to try different amplifiers and experiment a bit more – I got the hifi bug. These are the best speakers I’ve owned but really they should be in a larger room. I doubt I would ever sell them as I love them and will no doubt move them to a larger room at some point, plus since taking early retirement I can’t afford to replace them!

In terms of design BL8000 remain my absolute favourite, hmmm, no doubt when aesthetics prevails I will look again at getting another pair!

 

[ajames]

I think it very much depends on the price point and what’s driving the speakers.

For me, and it is subjective as everyone’s different my Beovox M100-2 are the best speakers I’ve owned. I have had BL8000, 6000 and 4000 – none of them sounded as good. In fact the turning point was when I bought some S60’s and they just sounded so good. Penta’s I loved too but I prefer the M100’s as I have a choice of amplifier. I used mine with a KT88 valve amp pushing out 30 Watts – this is more than enough. Driven by solid-state amps, something is missing they sound weaker. I have a Linn LP12 and the pickup (Rega Exact) goes through a valve phono preamp – when compared to my BG4002 and IfI Zen combo the sound again is much fuller and somehow vocals are more realistic, plus the Rega transmits less surface noise than the MMC20EN. I’ve driven them with QUAD 33/303 combo and that was good but not as good as the valve amp. I’ve tried B&O Receivers with them and my favourite was the BM6000 – that sounded and looked great but packed up. For streaming, i use a playmaker which to me sounds much better than anything else I’ve used. I also use Beovox S45-2, P45 (I think) and MCX speakers in other rooms and different setups. I was really disappointed with Beolab 3500 which i did use in my kitchen for a while hooked up to a BS3000 but was replaced with a B&O passive speaker amp and the MCXs.

However, I’m pretty sure that the newer more expensive active B&O speakers will outperform my M100-2s – which is why I haven’t been to listen to them!

So in summary from my own experience, it depends on price point and the quality of the rest of the system.

[ajames]

Thank you both – wow, I never would have had that down as an Akai, and, Dillen the Scanya’s or DUX i’d never heard of.

I might have to look out for the Akai.

 

[ajames]

In my experience B&O cartridges have a lower output than other makes which can make a direct a/b comparison show the B&O as performing below that of another make. If you compare with a Shure cartridge it will sound much better initially.

What RIAA stage are you using – try playing with the settings, I have mine on a high output MC setting rather than MM and it sounds very good

[Author]

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