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This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Hello All,
I'm looking for some advice about what subwoofer I should add to a very cheap system I'm using comprising a set of Beolab 6000s (which I have refurbished) and a Yamaha WXC-50.
My first thought was a Beolab 2 but I do have a few questions:-
If I don't get a Beolab 2 does anyone have any experience of any other subwoofers connected to similar systems? I'm not looking for super powerful bass, just to tidy up the lower end.
I must say I'm mightily impressed with sound quality of the BL6000s. The whole set up cost less than £400 and is used mostly for Spotify and TV sound.
Thanks for the help.
Yes the Beolab 2 has a high pass filtered output, it will only work if it is plugged in between the WXC-50 and the Beolab 6000 in a daisy chained setup.
Yes you can use the 12V trigger to power on the BL2, and the 6000's for that matter. A suitable trigger cable can be purchased, make sure it is the correct type as the trigger on the powerlink connection is at a lower voltage. The cable has to make the necessary conversion.
Yes you can adjust the volume of the Beolab 2, one of the switches on the back can be used to match its volume to that of the Beolab 6000 (or change it to suit your taste somewhat (there are only 3 settings)). Both the BL2 and BL6000 also have the Corner, Wall and Freestanding switch which can also be used to somewhat adjust bass. Also the WXC-50 has an equalizer you can use to tailor the bass level to your liking.
If it is daisy chained between the WXC-50 and the Beolab 6000: no, though you could equalize the bass down to make it less "present". If you use the separate subwoofer output and instead do the crossover on the WXC-50 then possibly yes via its software configuration, manual is unclear if there is an on/off option but there is at least a level control.
Per the manual the WXC-50 does have a "Speaker Type" setting but it is unclear if this is also a high-pass filter (I suspect it is but at what frequency and if it also has some kind of EQ is unclear). External highpass filters are possible but seem like overkill for this application.
I would recommend using the daisy chained setup and using the equalizer to tone down the bass if you don't want it at a given time as the best compromise.
Here is my experience with BL 6000, BL 11, BL 2 and BL 8000 speakers and also experimented with a bunch of subwoofers from Cambridge Audio, Focal and REL. My final set up is as follows:
1. Source —> BS Core —>BL 11–> BL 6000 [ set Core speaker setting to BL 11]. To me this has the best audio from BL 6000s. If I switch the BL 11 with BL 2 or any other subwoofer the sound gets too boomy.
similarly, Core to BL 2 to BL 8002 is the best sound.
The BL 11 isn’t a good subwoofer on it’s own, but it is a perfect compliment to the BL 6000.
Also, in my case there is a significant difference between having and not having the Core in the system. Unfortunately the Core with Essence Remote is not the most cost effective solution. I used to just go from a regular amp to BL 6000 and a subwoofer but nothing comes as close as my current set up. I love the looks of the BL 6000 and BL 11 and would love to keep them as long as possible.
B&O in my life 😊:
Thanks for taking the time to reply Hyponx.
It seems the Beolab 2 will do all that I want using your recommended setup. There appear to be a thousand options these days so your advice is much appreciated. I'm just getting back into Hifi and plan on building a complete B&O system over the next few years and this seems like a good place to start.
Thanks Jaffrey2230. It seems you've achieved exactly what I want to using the Beolab 11, which I hadn't considered. I was also looking at Cambridge and REL T Zero so knowing the BL 11 is a step up is good info.
I did look at the Core (and the Bluesound Node 2i) but eventually went with the WXC-50 due to it's cost, versatility and the fact it gets universally good reviews. It's really interesting to hear the Core improved the sound significantly so I may have to revisit my original decision.
How would you compare the BL 11 + BL 6000 to the BL 2 + BL 8000? Is it night and day in terms of quality or a marginal step up?
Doing the research for these things is half the fun so thanks for being so informative.
There is quite a significant difference IMHO, especially for movies. The BL 2 is where the difference is and the BL 8002 has enough power to make the system sound pleasing, whereas the BL 2 completely overpowers the BL 6000.
Think I'll go for the BL 11 - just have to keep an eye out for a bargain on Ebay. Interestingly the BL 11 seems to sell for more than the BL 2.
Totally agree about the look of the BL 6000 - I think they're the best looking speakers ever made.