Connecting a subwoofer to a Beosystem / Beomaster 5500

I would like to know the best way (and how) to connect a powered sub to my B&O setup. I don't actually own the sub yet, so will buy one with the correct connections required.

I've read that one can connect a sub via the speaker terminals at the back, and then run speakers from the sub in the following format;

Beomaster ---> Sub ---> L / R Audio.

Will this give me a Stereo signal or will this be mono? 

This amplifier also has two sets of speaker terminals at the back, so would it be possible to have L / R audio in 'Speaker 1' and have a sub in 'Speaker 2'

Are any of these methods worth doing, will I lose any audio quality with either method (I'm not sure they are even possible!)

Apologies if i'm sounding simple, HIFI / Audio equipment is all very new to me and would really appreciate some help.

Regards,

~ Dan

spangle:

Beomaster ---> Sub ---> L / R Audio.

This is the correct way to up both b&o sub's. Once your speakers are set to left and right you will be listening to stereo.

spangle:

I would like to know the best way (and how) to connect a powered sub to my B&O setup. I don't actually own the sub yet, so will buy one with the correct connections required.

I've read that one can connect a sub via the speaker terminals at the back, and then run speakers from the sub in the following format;

Beomaster ---> Sub ---> L / R Audio.

Will this give me a Stereo signal or will this be mono? 

This amplifier also has two sets of speaker terminals at the back, so would it be possible to have L / R audio in 'Speaker 1' and have a sub in 'Speaker 2'

Are any of these methods worth doing, will I lose any audio quality with either method (I'm not sure they are even possible!)

Apologies if i'm sounding simple, HIFI / Audio equipment is all very new to me and would really appreciate some help.

Regards,

~ Dan

Hi Dan & welcome to Beoworld.

Valve1 has given you the correct answer, however I thought I would add some details to round out your understandings of B&O.

• the PowerLink cable carries both the LEFT and the RIGHT stereo audio signals
• this means that B&O speakers are equipped with small switches that enable the to be sent to L or R so as to then pick up the appropriate signal
• this also means that some B&O speakers support daisy chaining - i.e. they have input and output PowerLinks, so you can run Beomaster ---> Speaker 1 L ---> Speaker 2 R (or vice versa of course depending upon the shape of your room and positioning of components)
• there is an added capability that you can purchase a Y cable splitter (some B&O components only have a single output PowerLinks) which sometimes helps with simplifying cable runs
• this also means that the MasterLink cable (and the Wireless link signal) carry both the LEFT and RIGHT stereo signals and any "splitting" happens at the "end point" in the link room(s)

Finally, the ability for B&O to do Beomaster ---> Sub ---> Speaker 1 R ---> Speaker 2 L  (or vice versa) means that the Sub subtracts (cuts off/out) the lowest range signals from the PowerLink signal which as the advantage that the two end point speakers have less "work" to do which most forum members report as improved audio listening from speakers 1 & 2 ... the speakers often sound sweeter or clearer with more definition in the treble end

Thanks for such quick and thorough replies, though im afraid im going to throw a spanner in the works. I'm going to be using non B&O speakers to compliment my system as im not so keen on the B&O speaker aesthetics. I'm sure the same theory applies, but im just worried about getting mono audio, and the only outputs from this system are 2 sets of two DIN plugs which im currently using to power two speakers with a DIN to speaker cable interconnect. Anything else I need to know?

spangle:

as im not so keen on the B&O speaker aesthetics

I am not sure I understand what you mean

I'm personally not a fan of how B&O speakers of that era look, visually. I understand this is a B&O forum so I expect some flak! I also don't really have the room for speakers of that size.

spangle:

I'm personally not a fan of how B&O speakers of that era look, visually.

No intention to give you flak but I am now concerned that perhaps we have been talking at cross-purposes !

I just want to make sure we are giving you the best advice for your set-up.

What BeoMaster do you have ?  Does it support PowerLink outputs ? Which era are you referring to ?

(FYI, I have BL6000s, BL4s, and BL3s currently (?the metal era); and in the past I have used RL45, S55s, P30s, and CX100s (? the wooden era))

I have a Beomaster 5500, and I believe it does have PowerLink outputs. The era i'm referring to is probably 'The wooden Era' but if there are some lovely looking metal ones than I can be swayed. As I mentioned before I'm really short on space, so I have been using some tiny speakers as of late. I just need to find a way to add some bass as it currently sounds quite flat and lacking a dynamic sound.

Thanks for all your help by the way, i'm learning quite a bit.

spangle:

I have a Beomaster 5500, and I believe it does have PowerLink outputs.

uh oh - I have BeoMaster 5000 so I know that the BM 5500 was a step into the future, but not a complete step . . . . here are some specifications:

• Beomaster 5500 => http://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=354
• Beomaster 6500 => http://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=359

And in particular some details on speaker support - skim all 5 pages (including the matrix at the end in detail) to get an appreciation of the subtleties of PowerLink versus SpeakerLink versus passive speakers

• BeoTech pages => http://www.beoworld.org/beotech/mclconn1.htm

So I think we need to wait for someone who knows the Penta range to advise on whether today's PowerLink speakers (including the sub-woofer, the BeoLab 11) can be supported by the BeoMaster 5500.

Alternatively reframe the question in a new thread now that we are closer to the core issue.

And another suggestion, is to drop Steve at Sounds Heavenly (see ad at the bottom of the page) to see if he has the right set of cabling for you to use to satisfy your needs.

I am sure glad I asked what "aesthetics" and "era" meant :-) 

As far as I know Beomaster 5500 does not have powerlink outputs, only speakerlink!