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This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Ive just been listening to some music, and turned up the volume to 70 for 10 seconds, which is excessive and very loud but i got the orange light virtually straight away.
Question: They aren't going to do this every time i play them loud are they?
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Chris Townsend:You're not my wife are you. She's been on about this since that light appeared. Trying to buy a house
Trying to buy a house
If my wife sanctioned/suggested or offerred a pair of BL5's the order would be made within seconds - just in case she changed her mind!
Dave.
Chris Townsend:But being a woman she wants matching pairs[:\'(]
That was my second option. BL9's are so cheap (relatively) at the moment, why not get another pair? Dilute the sound between 4 speakers to avoid overload!
Chris Townsend:Our new house
bramble:Are all there speaker range fitted with this type of cut off , or just to there high-end range.
I think all of their active speakers have had some form of protection, but as time has progressed it's gotten more and more sophisticated. Early units may or may not have had thermal overload protection but seemed to have some kind or peak limiting to keep the amps from clipping and the level from damaging drivers. The Beolab 9 and similar units have more advanced thermal protection, and the ones using DSP have even more parameters that can be monitored.
Of course, the "real" audiophile eschews any and all such devices because, well, they just have to color the sound you know! So their first indication of massive overload is when the tweeters pass by each ear on their way to being embedded in the back wall. I remember getting a pair of Cerwin Vega speakers in for repair that had been hooked up to a Harman Kardon Citation 16 power amp, set very loud, when the guy dropped the tone arm of his turntable onto the record from on high. Big subsonic thump, no roll off on the amp, direct coupled. The dust caps on the woofers were missing and the voice coils were blown out of the drivers and looked like little Slinky's, cracked the phenolic dome tweeter, and blew up ever cap in the crossover network. Truly an amazing sight.
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
Beolab 50, Beolab 8000 x 2, Beolab 4000 x 2, BeoSound Core, BeoSound 9000, BeoSound Century, BeoLit 15, BeoPlay A1, BeoPlay P2, BeoPlay H9 3rd Gen, BeoPlay H6, EarSet 3i, BeoVision Eclipse Gen 2 55", BeoPlay V1-40, BeoCom 6000 and so much else :)
The volume on my pair is usually between 35 and 45. On the higher end of that when watching television programs from my TiVO, on the lower end of that range when listening to music through AppleTV or streaming through HomeMedia. I can't imagine how loud they'd sound at 60 let alone 70 or 90! WOW!
Is this "problem" something I should be concerned about, or look into "fixing?" Or are the speakers going orange just doing their jobs to protect themselves?
Volume levels:
If you give volume levels, what are the references?
When I play something I turn up my BeoVision 8 to 50 for not too loud listening to 60 when I know that there is no neighbour being bothered to 70 for showing off with loud music etc (not more than 3 minutes). The top level ist 90 (only turned up without source - I need my eardrums and some other ear-ly innards a few years longer). I recommend a dB-meter for comparing sound levels. But you have to keep in mind that the sources offer very different peak levels that for modestly loud listening I have levels between 48 and 65.
I don't know from across the pond, but here in the States, it is annoying in that volume levels differ from television show to show, channel to channel and even from television commercial to commercial. I certainly wish there was a standard used out there.
I agree Sal but it's like putting on a BluRay and the adverts before the film and the intro are deafening, then the film comes on and I have to turn up the volume! I have different CD's that I have to adjust the volume for but then some digital versions I have are much louder than others - the 'loudness' debate could kick off again!
Yes i agree Dave. Can someone please explain to me why DVDs and Blu-Rays are so quiet volume wise? I noticed this when I changed from Hi-Fi Stereo VHS to DVD years ago. I think it sucks and it's another thing that put me off the disc format. Anyone remember how amazing HiFi Stereo VHS was as an audio recording method?
From the B&O Technical Sound Guide, there's a setting called "Dynamics Control [ON/OFF]"
The manual states the following:
"The Dynamics Control can be used to reduce the dynamic range of audio signals. This will reduce the difference in level between the quietest and loudest portions of the music -- in other words, it makes quiet sounds louder and loud sounds quieter. Consequently, it is designed primarily for a 'night listening' situation where it is desirable to reduct peaks in the signal to avoid waking family members, while still allowing you to hear the quiet moments in the music or movie. This setting can also be used for a 'party' setting where it is desirable to play music at a more constantly loud level."
Has anyone tried turning this setting ON? I'll try to change the setting in the BV11 when I get home.
Hi Sal,
I had this feature on a SONY player many years ago but it seemed to compress all of the sound and it was very noticeable and not a nice experience. Apple have it on the iPhone called Sound Check and that seems to work well on most tracks so maybe B&O have done a good job of it :)
I would recommend that setting ONLY for the described purpose - 'night listening'.
This way you can avoid the loud peaks, that would disturb neighbours/wifes/sleeping kids.
Reducing the dynamic range of music isn't quite, what we should want - we should rather look for having more dynamic range in the music....at least when we want to listen more actively to, what is playing
However, if you are just using music for background listening, it might be used.
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
Paul W & MM, many thanks for your replies. I haven't had a chance to play around with the settings yet, so nothing to report, but I think both of you may be right in that the experience with the dynamic setting set to ON may not be nice. Then again, it would save my wife and I from having to man the volume button on our remotes whenever we watch our favorite television shows. We may live with the sacrifice of a good experience for television, but turn the setting OFF for movies and similar extended uninterrupted listening / viewing.
My BeoLab 9 with orange light might get better tomorrow as my dealer is sending out their technician to replace parts in my BeoLab 9. Hope for the best.
Sal: Paul W & MM, many thanks for your replies. I haven't had a chance to play around with the settings yet, so nothing to report, but I think both of you may be right in that the experience with the dynamic setting set to ON may not be nice. Then again, it would save my wife and I from having to man the volume button on our remotes whenever we watch our favorite television shows. We may live with the sacrifice of a good experience for television, but turn the setting OFF for movies and similar extended uninterrupted listening / viewing.
As you have the BV11, simply make two similar speakers groups.
One with the 'normal' settings and one with the 'reduced dynamic' settings.
Should be fairly easy to pick the right one for the right occasion - set the one, you use most, as the default one for the given source.
Jeff: bramble:Are all there speaker range fitted with this type of cut off , or just to there high-end range. I think all of their active speakers have had some form of protection, but as time has progressed it's gotten more and more sophisticated. Early units may or may not have had thermal overload protection but seemed to have some kind or peak limiting to keep the amps from clipping and the level from damaging drivers. The Beolab 9 and similar units have more advanced thermal protection, and the ones using DSP have even more parameters that can be monitored. Of course, the "real" audiophile eschews any and all such devices because, well, they just have to color the sound you know! So their first indication of massive overload is when the tweeters pass by each ear on their way to being embedded in the back wall. I remember getting a pair of Cerwin Vega speakers in for repair that had been hooked up to a Harman Kardon Citation 16 power amp, set very loud, when the guy dropped the tone arm of his turntable onto the record from on high. Big subsonic thump, no roll off on the amp, direct coupled. The dust caps on the woofers were missing and the voice coils were blown out of the drivers and looked like little Slinky's, cracked the phenolic dome tweeter, and blew up ever cap in the crossover network. Truly an amazing sight.
I once turned on a previous pair of Beolab 5 I had and was testing to see if the digital output on a preamp I had was variable or fixed in terms of volume. Well let me tell you. It was not variable at all... So I got a FULL STRENGTH UN-ATTENUATED signal coming through my Lab 5s which were already turned way up for some reason and it nearly knocked me off my feet. Never have any doubt about the Lab 5s, they could EASILY be used to entertain at a block party and likely for hours at a time. I was astonished for the few moments before I was able to cut the sound off at how un-distorted it was even at this insane volume level!
Those boots were made for walking ;-))
Yes, the BL5 is a beast!
Michael: My BeoLab 9 with orange light might get better tomorrow as my dealer is sending out their technician to replace parts in my BeoLab 9. Hope for the best.
yay
Playdrv4me, thanks for the memory! That scene, first time I saw it, immediately brought those old CV speakers back into my thoughts.
Turn it up to 11.