Can I use Beolab 2500 speakers easily with an older B&O amp and turntable?

Hi, I know someone in LA who sold me some of his older B&O equipment, a 2400-2 Beomaster and a pair of Beovox S80.2's a while back. He recently put up for sale a pair of Beolab 2500 speakers, and when I contacted him, he said I couldn't use them because they're "not advanced enough" to work independently of the beosystem they were designed for. I was wondering if this was true? Or if there was an easy way to get them to work with my Beogram 4004 and Beomaster 2400.2? 

Hi and welcome to Beoworld.

In short, the answer to your question is 'no, not really'. The Beolab 2500s are Active loudspeakers - the power amplifiers are built into the speakers with a separate amplifier for both the bass/midrange and high frequency units. In fact they were B&O's first truly active loudspeaker. You would need to find a way to disconnect the power amplifier in the 2400.2 and somehow connect the pre-amp to the 2500s as I don't think the 2400.2 was designed with the facility to separate the pre and power amps.

I'm not really sure why you would want to use them with your 2400.2 instead of the S80s. I have the 2500s as part of the 2500 system which I have owned from new since 1991 so I know them very well. I have owned a 2400.2 and know the capabilities of a well sorted pair of S80s. What you have should sound a lot better than any system with the 2500s at the end of it.

Cleve