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
Having become a member of B&O owners club and acquiring a beocenter 5500 from around 1987, I'm hoping to get a better knowledge of suitable speakers and their pros and cons.
I currently own a set of RL 60.2 speakers but I find them too big and not really the "look" I'm after. I was looking at a set of Beolab 6000's but from what I gather they require a bit of work to get them working with my older set-up - are they worth the hassle?!?!
I have also looked at something like the CX100's (which look a much more traditional set of speakers) but know little about them, Are they compatible with my set-up straight out the box without any messing around? Is the sound quality good (and better than the RL's that I currently own)?
Are there any other options that you can think of that I should look at? Would greatly appreciate your thoughts and opinions - thanks :-)
Hi Sparkycurtis,
Please don't worry, you can easily use ANY speakers with your Beomaster 5500! These can be either earlier passive Beovox speakers, any newer active Beolab speakers, or either powered or unpowered non-B&O speakers if you prefer.
CX100 or RL passive speakers will simply connect to the Speaker 1 terminals on the Beomaster. Beolab 6000 speakers can easily connect via the Pre-Amp Out RCA sockets on the back of the Beomaster with these cables:-
http://soundsheavenly.com/line-in-connection/6-av-processor-pre-amp-sonos-to-beolab-rca-line-in.html
Or how about even newer Beolab 9 or 18 speakers, or maybe adding a Beolab 2 or 11 subwoofer? Anything is possible......
In terms of sound quality, CX100s and Beolab 6000s are good for acoustic music, as both of these speakers have a clear mid and treble but quite light bass output. RL60.2 speaker are quite warm sounding, with plenty of deep bass but a slightly hidden midrange. Beolab 8000s would be a good option (these use the same cables as for the 6000s, above) or maybe the larger RL140 speakers which I think are amongst the best passive speakers B&O ever made.
Please let us know which speakers you choose and I will be pleased to advise the best way to get them connected for you.
Kind regards, Steve.
Steve.
www.soundsheavenly.com
Founder of Sounds Heavenly Cables and Brand Ambassador for Bang & Olufsen
Sounds Heavenly are proud to sponsor BeoWorld!
Please check out my YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/soundsheavenlycables
"You think we can slap some oak on this thing?"
leogoeswild:Pentas
B&O's best "real world" speaker ever?
(listening to a pair of Penta mk.3s whilst typing this).......
thanks guys for the responses.
I'm pleased that the Beolab 6000's are still an option just by using the cable you suggest Steve so I'm likely to go for those (although I'm still unsure what the "pre-amp" is and what it means?!?! - I'll google it!).
I've never looked at the pentas.....so that has thrown a little spanner in the works!
I would certainly recommend listening to a good pair of Pentas!
This old Beoworld thread discusses the Pre-Out sockets on the 5500 and shows a (very small) image of the sockets with their "U" links fitted:-
http://archivedforum2.beoworld.org/forums/p/8871/78039.aspx
thanks again!
The pentas look a little big for me so I think I@m going to prioritise a purchase of the beolab 6000's.....I'll let you know how I get on!!
Right Steve, got myself a set of beolab 6000's sorted but just need to get them set-up now. The cable you sent me the link to; is that my best option in your opinion or do you do other cables that are better? The cable lengths you offer - I'm assuming the cable "splits" into two for each speaker so if my speakers are are approximately 1m to the left of my system and 1m to the right of the system, do I go for the 3m option? Thanks for your helps :-)
Yes, this cable comes as a pair to connect two speakers, it easily splits apart so that the speakers can be placed as far apart as required. A 3m cable is a good option, as this will give you plenty of spare cable if you need to move the speakers, each speaker has an alcove underneath with is great for hiding any excess cable length.
I also make a high-er specification bespoke cable in a choice of 9 colours, which you can see here (these are made individually, so you would use one cable for each speaker with these cables):-
http://soundsheavenly.com/line-in-connection/93--rca-rca-super-.html