Beolab 5 - spdif vs digital

Hi all,

 

I got my brand new Beolab 5s last week. Am really excited about them. I haven't really had time to listen much to them, but I will this weekend.

I have hooked them up to a sonos connect using a coax digital cable and have set the speaker to option 1. The only way I have managed to turn on the speaker is by selecting radio on my beoremote one.

But what I would really like to do is to also connect them to my samsung tv. I was thinking via the RCA out. I know that the beolab 5 has a lone input so was thinking just to connect it there.

But my question is, how do you select which one to play? Do you have the ability to change between the spdif input and the line in on the remote? I don't think so? So I guess my question is, what will happen if both the tv is on and the sonos is playing. Will you hear both sources? Or maybe just the sonos as the speaker prioritizes the digital input. And when I turn off sonos it then switches to the line in?

 

That would be ideal. Please let me know if you guys know. Will need to buy cables before I can test. 

 

Thanks so much 

Reading the user guide might help answering (some of) those questions:

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/~/mediaV3/Files/User-Guides/BeoLab5/EN-BeoLab5.pdf

MM

I have read the manual, but it does not have an answer to my question. Maybe you could be a bit more particular where to find It?

I have read the manual, but it does not have an answer to my question. Maybe you could be a bit more particular where to find It?

I have read the manual, but it does not have an answer to my question. Maybe you could be a bit more particular where to find It?

If your question is:

can I run two different sources (and if yes, how do I change between those), the answer is a NO! 

You see the ways to connect the BL5 in the user guide.

Basicly there are 3 ways of doing it.

1: run them with PL cables from a B&O source.

2: run them as above with an additional coax/spdif cable to pick up the audio bitstream from a B&O source - controlling volume etc via PL.

These are the default ways/Option 0.

3: run them from a source with a digital/spdif output in order to get the audio bitstream into the speaker.

Alternatively using the line input with a fixed/non regulated signal.

In the last case you will have to put the speakers into Option 1 as described in the guide on page 5.

And you must control the volume directly in the speaker using a Beoremote. (They have an ir-receiver built-in).

 

In your use case you must use a preamp with - at least - 2 (digital) inputs for the 2 sources and a digital/coax output for the BL5 in order to switch between both.

In case your Samsung should (?) have an analog out (with a fixed line-output), you could use the analog input of the Sonos Connect for that and skip the preamp.The spdif/digital output from the Sonos must be set to fixed (see the guide of the Connect).

And - as described in the BL5 user guide - you must use the Beoremote to turn on/off the speakers and control the volume.

 

MM

No big hero when it comes to B&O stuff, but have resently been in the same situation as OP.

As suggested by Millemissen (cool nick btw) the easiest way for you is a preamp - or a DAC - used as a hub for whatever units you want connected to your Beolabs. All set up as in a standard HiFi way, no hokus pokus there.

Perhaps understandably B&O isnt too elaborate in the manual when it comes to "foreign" units setup. 

At the moment I have an 15 year old Electrocompaniet CD player, a Sonos Bridge, a NAD M51 dac, and a 20 year old tube preamp (Thorhauge) coupled up to the Beolabs. Sound is the best I have ever heard in my room.

Everything goes really. :)

Munky123:

I got my brand new Beolab 5s last week.

But what I would really like to do is to also connect them to my samsung tv.

Hi and congrats for your BL5s !

Did you have a look at the Samsung WAM 270 "Linkmate" ?

It may be a simple and inexpensive way to achieve what you want to do, and it will replace your Sonos too...