Beovision Avant

Hi everyone, new to B&O and need to help setting up a 5.1 in the living room.

Inherited a BeoVision Avant 55 (2014 model i believe) as part of a flat purchase and was wondering if it is possible to connect the TV to a normal AV receiver using HDMI so i can then use my existing 5.1 speakers (B&W MT series).  Tried reading up but could not find anything on the topic unfortunately...

If not possible, are there cheaper alternatives to 5.1 other than buying a complete set of BeoLabs (which are beyond my budget to be honest)?  Was thinking of going the wireless route with Wisa speakers but the current selection is rather slim.  I like the new Sonos 5.1 but i dont think this would work with the Avant?

 

Thanks in advance

After much thought and research i decided to go with:

-second hand Beoplay s8 as Surround and Subwoofer

- Kef LSX as front L and R (I already own these) with cables from Steve

- Avant speakers as Centre

However I have a question on using the S8 as surround.  There was an issue i read in a previous thread which suggested that the subwoofer would be too weak in that setup.  Can i please get confirmation if this will be an issue? 

The s8 version i have does not have the connection hub and only has 2 powerlink connections under the sub for S/C and Front.  I was hoping it would be possible to use 2 rj45 cables and set the speakers and subwoofer as surround and subwoofer respectively in the tv settings?  Would this work well?

Congratulations with your purchase.

I cannot comment on your frontspeakers, not sure if you can use them in full combined with the Avant.

The BV Avant is the centerpoint for your sound/surround settings and it is very capable for the job. Play around with all possible settings and be ready to be stunned.

Regarding the S8, it is a good sub with speakers. Place the sub not to far from the BV and make sure you place it in a good bass position in your typical room. You can use CAT 7 cables to connect from powerlink on BV to powerlink to sub for both s/c and front. The satellite speakers are connected to the sub with normal speaker wires (but special connection ends on sub).

You need to install the speakers on the BV and select their role, distance, and so on.

There is no need for the connection hub.

As said I’m not sure how your front speakers can act in this setup as they need an amp. The BV sends the channel signal but has no amp as they are in the beolabs.

Maybe it is wise to have another set of beolabs to put as surround speakers. Price wise the BL6000 or BL4000 are very nice, the latter is the best choice. A bit more expensive, the BL8000 are iconic and nice.

Hope this helps

StateExpress:

After much thought and research i decided to go with:

-second hand Beoplay s8 as Surround and Subwoofer

- Kef LSX as front L and R (I already own these) with cables from Steve

- Avant speakers as Centre

However I have a question on using the S8 as surround.  There was an issue i read in a previous thread which suggested that the subwoofer would be too weak in that setup.  Can i please get confirmation if this will be an issue? 

The s8 version i have does not have the connection hub and only has 2 powerlink connections under the sub for S/C and Front.  I was hoping it would be possible to use 2 rj45 cables and set the speakers and subwoofer as surround and subwoofer respectively in the tv settings?  Would this work well?

In one of my setups I use the S8 set as sub and surround speakers.

You will have to connect this combo with 2 RJ45/PL cables and you must configure the roles etc in the Avant = the first is sub (can be either one of the outputs or just one of them) - the second is surround left and right.........you will hear the sound when you set them up.

Find the right place for the sub - this can be troublesome!

It is extra difficult due to the cabling of the set, so you will have to try out a bit where it fits best soundwise before hiding cables etc.

Start with a placement at the back, where the satelites also are....if that is good, let it stay there. Otherweise you must invest some time and efford - subs are difficult to handle depending on your room...

As for the KEF’s - I suppose that you have gotten the proper cables from Steve - it might be a bit hit-or-miss.

Since the audio processor in the Avant does not know the characteristics of these speakers, you must spend some time on finetuning the basmanagement in the Avant.

The S8 sub is rather potent sub, but - as with other subs - it must be tamed in order to blend in with the other speakers....especially because you want to use the KEFs.

P.S.

You might also try to make a Speaker Group with the Avant speakers set to front left, center and front right, the satelites as surrounds and the sub (as sub). Maybe you can use the KEF’s elsewhere in the house (as AirPlay speakers....).

Only investing some time and wanting to test things out = being curious will give you the best results........the Avant is a perfect tv for this!

 

MM

Thanks both for the feedback- very helpful.  Will settle with the s8 as surround and subwoofer and looking forward to some fine tuning... 

Regarding the fronts I will probably sell the Kef's and buy a pair of Beolab 3's or 8000 (they are both quite cheap and available on the used market here in Singapore... around SGD 1.1k and 800 respectively)

If you want to re-use passive speakers with a Beovision, you need to purchase at least one Amplifier 2 from B&O (one amplifier per pair of passive speakers) and connect the  passive speakers to this amplifier. The Powerlink output will then be connected to the Amplifier 2 . Then, in the setup menu you will have to select a B&O speaker that matches the most closely the KEF speakers. So, this is something of a hack.

Are these KEF speakers quality enough to justify buying  B&O Amplifiers 2? That up to you.

Regards,

Jean

 

Not sure if you know but you can also change the set up of the inbuilt speakers to in a speaker group

You can assign the whole speaker (there are three of them) as centre

You can also assign a group to the whole speaker that is Left, Right and Centre, therefore utilising the whole speaker as your front set up and then adding the S8 as your sub and rears.

There is also Axiim as well but i don't know what their speaker quality is like.  Being that you inherited it, maybe the first option is enough at the start to see how you go, and then go from there. 

Good luck and welcome. 

 

Thanks both- I must say i am getting much better (and quicker) feedback than with my local B&O store... i guess they have little to no interest unless i am planning to take home some serious stuff!

Jean- those speakers are actually active so was hoping to buy some cables to give them a go for a minimal investment.  If that doesnt work i will just follow Michael's advice and see how using the Avant speakers and S8 work for me first

Michael- hopefully i dont end up spending too much further down the line haha- sounds like a slippery slope!

 

Please report back here how your results are - the readers here might be inspired to test out things themselves.

MM

Please report back how your results are - the readers here might be inspired to test out things themselves.

MM

StateExpress:

Thanks both- I must say i am getting much better (and quicker) feedback than with my local B&O store... i guess they have little to no interest unless i am planning to take home some serious stuff!

Jean- those speakers are actually active so was hoping to buy some cables to give them a go for a minimal investment. If that doesnt work i will just follow Michael's advice and see how using the Avant speakers and S8 work for me first

Michael- hopefully i dont end up spending too much further down the line haha- sounds like a slippery slope!

Yep, but it’s a slope in a better direction :-)

I started with the Avant, and had my BL3’s as rears, and then later i added a BL18’s as fronts and a BL19.

Don’t waste money with other speakers, speaking from experience with me spending money on Bose, and Sony and a few others and that money i could have spent towards some B&O which i did in the end anyway.

Just go with what you can afford at the present and then wait and see how you go.

Unfortunately i ended up swapping the KEF's for a pair of beolab 17's and didn't get the chance to try the KEF's with the TV.

Would you recommend using the 17's as rears or fronts with the Avant speakers?  No other speakers (for now) and i mostly stream Netflix.  Thinking to just run a similar setup to Aussie Michael above and have the 17's at the back with the Avant speakers as left right and centre.

Thanks

Using the 17’s as front speakers would be the classical way of doing things.

However, it can be an excellent idea to use the internal speakers of the Avant as L/F, C/F, R/F and the 17’s as suround = Surround L and Surround R.

That also depends on your seating and the room in general and requires a bit testing how the sound suits you (the Calibration part)

Tip! If fitting with your seating, the placement etc you can configure a Speaker Group with the 17 as Front Left and Front Right just for (Stereo) music listening. And you can assign this group to e.g. the Netradio or to other music sources, if you have any linked from orher B&O devices.

This way it also will be easier, when you at some point would add speakers that are wired as external fronts.

MM