ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
I am trying to acquire a pair of BL 9's and I will initially be using them with a PC and a DAC. I am uncertain on how to set them up. Most of the cables I see on Amazon are stereo cables. Am I able to run a stereo signal to one speaker (call it the right) and then connect that speaker to the other (left) channel? I see mono cables on ebay as well where I presume I would run separate left and right leads. I also see 5 and 7 pin cables. What would be the best setup?
I also understand that the speakers have to be put in a certain mode in order to be triggered to wake up from standby. Any input is welcome.
The Beolab 9's have a switch with three positions - LEFT, RIGHT, or LINE, and uses the same 7 pin powerlink socket regardless of the chosen option.
The powerlink output from a B&O TV or audio system carries both left and right channels, as well as a signal to turn the speakers on, so when used like this you can run a cable from the audio source to the first speaker, then another cable from that speaker to the second. You'd then switch one of these speakers to LEFT and the other to RIGHT so they know which audio channel to reproduce.
In LINE mode the speaker has no 'trigger' input, so instead it turns on whenever there is an audio signal present and in this mode the speaker does no know (or care) whether it is the left or right speaker (and if switched to one of these options, it would no longer be in LINE mode). This means you need to run one cable from the red RCA connector on your DAC to the right speaker, and another cable from the white RCA to your left speaker.
There is another option, which is to use a twin RCA to powerlink cable with 'trigger'. This cable would have both RED and WHITE RCA plugs at one end and a powerlink connector at the other. It also has a mains power supply which is used to create the 'trigger' signal for the speakers (turning this PSU on would cause the speakers to turn on, and they would return to standby when this is turned off again). This enables you to use the speakers in powerlink mode and select LEFT or RIGHT accordingly. It also means you can then simply run another powerlink cable between the two speakers rather than feeding them individually. The disadvantage is of course you now need to turn the PSU on and off as needed as you have lost the audio sensing functionality (the advantage however, is that there is no risk of either speaker unexpectedly going into standby during periods of silence).
Either solution will work. I would suggest contacting Steve @ Sounds Heavenly who will be able to offer further advise and supply the necessary cables.
Hope this helps.
Martin.
I only see the two channel solution on amazon- http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Abang+olufsen+din+to+rca&keywords=bang+olufsen+din+to+rca&ie=UTF8&qid=1445999925
Found this one on heavenly audio but no 12v trigger- http://soundsheavenly.com/powerlink-8-pin-din-connection/62-bespoke-high-end-single-rca-to-powerlink-compatible-cable-wired-for-single-channel-audio-only-ultra-high-performance.html
I'm in the US so I'd rather not order form Heavenly audio. Will the two channel cables work if I then run a powerlink between the two speakers. I'll be using the rca outs from my dac which which is variably controlled by the pc.
What does being in the US have to do with anything when ordering from Steve at Sounds Heavenly?
his prices include shipping Worldwide so you pay the price you see. His products are tailor made for B&O and they work - which often others don't due to hum, buzz or other issues of non-compatibility.
if you tell Steve what you need via an e-mail, if he hasn't a stock cable, he will make one specifically for your needs and give you a free, 60 day, no quibble full refund/return.
You won't save any time by orderibg elsewhere, especially if that cable doesn't work and you may not get a refund. Or do you just not like buying non-US made stuff?
Dave.
Hi Dave,
in the US they have 110V whereas here in Europe we get 230V.
I think that's the reason why he refrains from buying at heavenly audio.
But there are also universal voltage powersupply bricks which run from 110V- 230V
Ralph-Marcus
just order this cable from steve at sounds heavenly you can get it in left and right and in various lengths and colours. All you would need to do is connect one cable to the left lab9 and another to the right lab9 with the rca plug ends going into the left and right audio out on your dac making sure that both speakers are switched to the line setting.
Your dac if it's a pre-amp aswell will act as the volume source for the speakers it's really pretty easy and is the route i would go if i was purchasing the lab9s to use with non b&o.
http://soundsheavenly.com/powerlink-8-pin-din-connection/62-bespoke-high-end-single-rca-to-powerlink-compatible-cable-wired-for-single-channel-audio-only-ultra-high-performance.html
Beoplay A2
The only issue is time, lol. I won't know if I've won the speakers until Saturday afternoon. Amazon prime puts a cable at my front door Monday afternoon when I pick them up (plus free returns if it doesn't work). If I do get the speakers, I will eventually get a BO head unit of some sort (another wonderfully confusing purchase) so I'd rather not put out a ton of money on interconnects I'll only use a month or two.
RaMaBo: Hi Dave, in the US they have 110V whereas here in Europe we get 230V. I think that's the reason why he refrains from buying at heavenly audio. But there are also universal voltage powersupply bricks which run from 110V- 230V
Are you telling me that there is a 110V and 230V cable?
I actually did not see the trigger cable on his website. The only other solution I saw was a line level transformer that enabled you to use speaker level outputs to control them- a scary solution to me, but I'm clearly not an electronics expert.