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
I always thoght B&O looked cool, even when I was a kid in the 80s and we would see the systems on TV. As an adult, I have become a vintage audio junkie. I find equipment at garage sales and wherever. My wife, disappointed but not suprised when I bring more equipment home. But today, today was different. I snuck the Penta MK1 speakers through the back door, wipped them down and called her in.
She was impressed.
Now I have to get this stuff working, I am a complete noob on B&O. I need some basics to get started.
When I first found the Beomaster 7000 I thought it was a preamp to something. There are no external buttons I can find. Do I have to have a remote to work this thing? If I need a remote, what one do I get? I saw on EBay so one selling the same unit and they said a Beolink 1000. I read someplace else that there was a different unit, but that was $499.
I saw a video on this site that recommended Mark Il cables. What is the up side of using them instead of RCA?
I have no idea if the Beomaster 7000 works, so I plan to hook the Pentas up to my spare 9090db. Is there a switch that I need to activate to make them work passive? I don't want to fry these things.
Any common problems I need to know about?
Thanks
PK
Hi and welcome on Beoworld
I don't know Pentas, but if you'll have to use a specific cable, I recommand contacting the guy with the blue shirt at the bottom of this page .
1: Are your Penta's with or without the amplifier at the bottom ? Does it have a power cord ?
2: If your Penta's are with a power cord, they are active Beolab's and need Powerlink MKII cable to use the built in display and amplifier.
3: if your penta's are without power cord, they are pasive Beovox, and need a standard amplified signal to work, and have no display.
4: Your Beomaster can do both, it have connections for passive speakers (Speaker 1 and 2 sockets), and powerlink outputs for active speakers (Powerlink 1 and 2)
5: The Beomaster has only 2 buttons, one in each side of the front panel. The left button is Mute, the right is power on/off and radio channel step up.
6: You can use a Beolink 1000/Beo4 as everyday remote, but Beolink 1000 is the easiest for tuning radio channels.
7: For 2-way and timer programming , you can use Beolink 5000 / Beolink 7000 / Master Control Panel 6500
/Weebyx
PK007: Thanks for helping, I have the amplified version speakers. I tried one of the Pentas last night. I tried to hook it to the passive side and send an amplified signal to it. I could not get it to work. I might not have been able to get the wires completely in the jacks, not a lot of room down there, not sure if there is a manual switch for that. I then hooked an iPhone to the RCA jack on the active side. The speaker played well. I did not hear a lot of sound coming out of the top half of the speaker. I need to inspect the speakers there. What is the proper way to get the grills off without breaking anything? I did buy a Beolink 1000 remote from EBay today. Looking into the cabling now. Thanks
Here is a video on how to remove the front grills, the bottom are quite easy, the top is a bit more difficult. The idea is to press IN on the taps that can be felt with the fingers, they will push the outside of the grill further out, and then it should be possible to get the grills off. They require more force that feels right, but dont just yank, try to get small steps free, that helps a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LCDVN5FgkM
Most likely the midtones need refoaming. They all die over time. New foam rings are available om eBay.
This is a fantastic thread about MK1 restaurations.
http://egoh.com/2012/06/01/vintage-bang-olufsen-penta-restoration-project-twins-part-1/
You need to set the input switch correct, depending on which inputs you use. Do MKI's actually have Powerlink sockets ? They are needed for the display to work.