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
hi,
let me preface this by saying - i know very little about stereos and even less about B&O specifically - this is going to be really basic...
my wife wants a turntable for her birthday. she likes retro things and scandinavian design so i thought about buying her an older B&O system - maybe something like the 5500 system with component parts. I don't have a stereo right now so if i got an amp and a turntable for her, i could then build from there, and add the cd player, etc as i go (yes, i do still listen to the odd cd, I'm a child of the 80s and 90s - i even have some tapes).
Anyways, heres the questions:
1. if i find the 5500 amp and turntable for sale, how hard is it to pair up a set of speakers? will i need something special like a particular range of B&O speakers? any B&O speakers? i don't know much about the connection/compatibility stuff, or indeed wattage.
2. does anyone know of a way to wire the 5500 amp into apple's airplay system so i can play files off my laptop/ipad/iphone etc?clearly its an old amp so it won't have an ethernet port but is there some way of connecting it to apple tv or a airport extreme, etc?
3. lastly, am i barking up the wrong tree entirely? given what I'm trying to do here - is there a better system i should be looking at? please bear in mind that as well as my wife liking older things, I'm also not that rich to be spending thousands on this so a lot of the newer technology is out of my range (unfortunately)
thanks anyone/everyone - any input would be super helpful
NoJah
Hello, welcome!
1) Very easy, they are 2 pin din connections in a 5500 so virtually any passive speaker will work, but you will need to put some spade connectors on if you are using speakers with standard speaker wire.
2) You could use an airport express and go from the Jack into the RCAs on Aux/Tape 2, this is what I do with my 5500 System, it is very easy!
3) A 5500 system is a great system, lots of connections, decent sound. Some people prefer the earlier 5000 Beomaster but there is minimal difference in my experience. If you wanted to go for active speakers then a 6500 or 7000 would be the way to go, but the 5500 is not a bad system at all!
Hope this helps somewhat, someone else will no doubt be able to assist further!
Ben
hi ben,
thank you so much, that was actually tremendously helpful!
I'm looking at a pair of Beovox CX 100 speakers. if I'm understanding correctly that should work, right? Is there any alternative range that would you recommend?
thanks again
They will be a lovely match, I have some white CX100s connected to my white 5500 system and it sounds great.
They aren't the most powerful speakers in the world but they aren't bad at all!
If you wanted to add a bit of a extra bass later on, keep an eye out for a Beovox Cona, really adds a little to the overall sound!
If you wanted something a little more powerful, Beovox Penta speakers might be a good match!
Welcome to Beoworld,
Ben gave a comprehensive answer and has first-hand knowledge of this exact system. This is what you would be aiming for (or similar):
http://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=717
As your budget allows, you can build the system piece by piece, Beomaster first as it is the amp and tuner followed by a Beogram turntable, Beogram CD player and Beocord tape player (I too play tapes and CD's). A variety of remotes can operate the system too.
If you search the 'Main Site' then 'Products' pages, you can browse all of the B&O products of that era and read up on them to make a more informed choice. Certainly the 5500 is a good system.
Bear in mind that these systems are getting old now and respond well to some care such as cleaning, lubrication, replacement belts on tape players and turntables etc. New capacitors may be needed to improve sound quality or other operations. The cartridge on the tonearm may also need rebuilding due to failing suspension - very common and repairable from 99 € here:
http://www.schallplattennadeln.de/B-O-MMC-Reparatur-Repair/MMC-Repair-English/
The CX100 speakers are great especially if you don't have much room - they fit on a bookshelf but are powerful. Again, they may need some help such as refoaming the drivers. This is common and relatively easily done. Search the forum for posts on speaker refoaming. The Redline series are an alternative as are really any of the passive (non-amplified) speakers such as S55's or even Pentas for a striking touch.
Dave.
Hi NoJah,
with Ven's advice you can't go wrong.
Which speaker to use, depends on the size of the actual room and how you want to listen.
The CX100 are good, but small speakers.
If your room is big(ger) and you enjoy listening 'a bit louder', you might go for some of the RedLine speakers instead:
http://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=659
Browsing the 'Products' section on Beoworld, I am sure you will find the info that you need.
And maybe another Beoworlder - based on your location - could advice you where to buy those.
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
Bugger - Dave was quicker with his answer
guys
thank you all so much for your help. Yes, i live in london and space is tight, bookshelf speakers are about right for us right now and it seems like i can get a decent pair of CX100 speakers on ebay, they seem reasonably priced, including some that have been refoamed, etc.
i will look out for the Cona, thats a great tip Ben - thanks!
dave, Thanks also for the system breakdown, that was really helpful, as is the info on the maintenance. thats great.
what a very friendly forum, thanks everyone!
The Cona doea add some bass and depth but it's a passive speaker - not an active/amplified speaker so don't expect it to add 'boom' to your system if you get one. You can certainly tell it's there though.
The CX100's can be wall mounted on the B&O brackets too if you prefer.
Do let us know how you get on with your system, if you have any more questions feel free to ask. This was actually my first full B&O system and has lead to many others but it still works beautifully.
What Dave mentioned is correct, but it will make a small but noticeable difference to the bass. But try with the CXs first.
best of luck!
Dom
2x BeoSystem 3, BeoSystem 5000, BeoSystem 6500, 2x BeoMaster 7000, 2 pair of BeoLab Penta mk2, AV 7000, Beolab 4000, BeoSound 4000, Playmaker, BeoLab 2500, S-45, S-45.2, RL-140, CX-50, C-75, 3x CX-100, 3x MCL2 link rooms, 3x Beolab 2000, M3, P2, Earset, A8 earphones, A3, 2x 4001 relay, H3, H3 ANC, H6, 2014 Audi S5 with B&O sound, and ambio
thanks again everyone for your helpful advice. I ended up buying the 5500 system and its due to arrive sometime next week. Very exciting!
some further questions: the turntable i bought doesn't have a stylus so i need to source that separately. I realise this is a whole thing onto itself and I'm trying to figure out how this all works.
questions:
- does the stylus come separately from the cartridge or do i need to replace one if I'm replacing the other? from my research it looks like its all one piece but i just want to confirm this.
- i saw somewhere that i need to get what they referred to as the MMC1-5 - it looks to me as though this is a range (ie. from 1 to 5) as opposed to a specific model. is that correct? Again, does this refer to just the stylus or the stylus and the cartridge both? can anyone tell me what the differences are in the range (in very layman's terms!)?
- having done some basic research there is a guy in the US who makes new versions of the old B&O styli - http://www.sound-smith.com/cartridges/boall.html. If i were to buy it from him and have it shipped to london where i live, is it easy for me to replace myself or would i need to get a technician involved?
- should i be buying it new from sound smith or am i better off buying it second hand from somewhere? or would B&O themselves be able to replace it for me?
- anything else i should know or any other advice anyone has out there?
thanks again for all your help.
Congratz on you new Beosystem 5500.
1: The stylus is one piece and it is called the MMC 1-5 range. Earlier Beograms take the MMC20 range.
2: The MMC 1-5 range means from 1 to 5 and 1 is the finest and 5 is lowest in sound reproduction. The more highend Beograms had MMC2 as standard. Any of them will do so it is up to your budget on what you want to try first.
3: A B&O pickup is easy to install just do not touch the needle itself. Always carefully hold on the side while inserting it into the arm.
4: B&O does not care for Beograms any more and if they have an old MMC something it is old stock. Here you can be lucky that it is functional and can return it if it has a fault if it is a certified dealer or agreements in writing has been done.
The other option are looking around for a defective one which you can get retipped at axel or maybe you can be lucky to find one that works at a private sale or store.
Soundsmith does make good pickups though they do not sound like the original B&O pickups and they look a little different.
thanks thats actually really helpful. i think ill do some research to see if i can find new old stock first and then if i have no luck ill get something from soundsmith.
Greetings,
I have a 5500 system with the master control. I would too like to be able to connect my iphone to the system so that I can stream music, etc. through the great B&O speakers I own. Having said that, I am fairly clueless as to how to accomplish this. The connectors for the various B&O components and the speakers all seem to be B&O specific, so I don't see how I can connect with a iphone player that has more conventional input/output jacks. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
Thank you,
Jo
You will need a cable like this connect it to tape 1 or 2
Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.