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
When I moved home a couple of years ago and acquired a sitting room that could really do a high-end system justice (being 42 feet x 18) I decided to create the B&O system of my dreams. I wanted to incorporate the best available B&O speakers and to be able to play almost any kind of source, from quadraphonic vinyl to DVD-A, from cassette to SACD, from reel-to-reel to HDCD.
The final system, pictured here, uses the following components:
TV: BeoVision 4-103 with BeoLab 10 centre speaker
Front speakers: BeoLab 90
Rear speakers: BeoLab 50
Turntable: Beogram 6000 (quadraphonic) with MMC6000 cartridge
Amplifier: Beomaster 6000 (quadraphonic)
CD player: Beocord CD 5500 (I also have a BeoSound 9000 in the system, partly for its stunning looks and partly because it makes it easy to compare masterings on different versions of a CD, but the 5500 is my main CD player due to its superior sound quality)
Cassette deck: Beocord 5500 (I tried a 1970s Beocord 5000, which matched my turntable and amplifier and offered superior sound quality, but lived up to its reputation for mangling tapes)
Reel-to-reel deck: Beocord 1200
Universal disk player (Blu-ray/DVD/DVD-A/SACD/HDCD): Cambridge CXU
Video cassette recorder: Beocord V8000 (but may upgrade to a VX7000 at some point)
Remote control: Beo 5 and BeoRemote One
To make these components work, we needed some unusual wiring. The Beogram 6000 feeds into the Beomaster 6000 (which is needed to assign the correct channels for quadraphonic LPs); the signals are then attenuated back to line level and fed to the line inputs of the Lab 90s and Lab 50s.
The cassette and reel-to-reel decks also feed into the Beomaster 6000, with the latter using the AUX input.
The CD5500 is connected directly to the Lab 90s via S/PDIF, but is also connected to a Beomaster 5500 (not connected to anything else) to provide remote control.
The BeoSound 9000 connects to the Lab 90s via Masterlink, giving me a backup CD player.
Finally, the CXU and the V8000 connect directly to the BeoSystem 3 driving the TV.
My dealer, Dan Armstrong, and I have had a lot of fun putting this system together, and were earlier enjoying the quadraphonic version of Jefferson Starship's "Dragonfly" (the moment when the violin kicks in in the right-hand rear channel during "Ride The Tiger" is breathtaking) and Sly & The Family Stone's "Stand!" on reel-to-reel. I'd also like to thank my former dealer Jonathan Kinrade for his help, Mike Sparkes at B&O of Brighton and Morten Kristensen at Bremdal Radio for supplying some of the components, Steve at Sounds Heavenly for the attenuators and cabling, and Geoff Martin for his advice and support.
Together, we created something genuinely unique!
Damn, that is a MASSIVE TV!!!
Gorgeous collection of new and classic B&O gear! Your dedication to the original Quad stuff is impressive!
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
That is pretty nice I must say :D
Wow is the only term for it i guess :)
One question, have you thought about Beosystem 4? Or is it not possible with the Beovision 4?
Beovision Harmony 77" 2nd Gen, Beolab 5, Beolab 17, Beosound 1, Beoplay M3, Beoplay Portal, Beoplay Earset, Beoliving Intelligence
"You think we can slap some oak on this thing?"
leosgonewild:H-O-L-Y F***
The BeoSystem 4 can control a BeoVision 4-103, but not the automatic camera management. For that reason, it makes sense to stick with the BeoSystem 3 and add an Apple TV if I want smart TV functionality.
So cool to see classic gear next to modern and how it all fits so well together - stunning - I would love to hear the turntable playing quad - can only imagine how good it sounds as I have the BM4400 with 4002 and M100-2 and P45s as rears which sound amazing - but yours must be in another league altogether - how good is the reel to reel? I used to have a Revox B77 and am missing that as somehow CD or digital music recorded onto reel to reel sounds fuller
The reel-to-reel isn't bad at all. So far, I have only 3.75" tapes, which unfortunately was the standard for rock releases in the late sixties and early seventies. I want to acquire some 7.5" tapes, which should offer a sound at least equivalent to vinyl or CD.
Oh. My/ Goodness!
Superb!
My own setup of Beolab Penta/Beolab 3000 with a 75" projection screen just can't compete with this! Glad to have been able to support your project in a small way, the results look very impressive.
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
jowus:WOW! This’s Truly Amazingly! How does BeoLab 50 do against Lab 90? Are we talking about S500 against E400 or what? ! Christmas Party Must Be Amazingly Beo👍🏿👍!
Beolab 28s Beolab 9s Beolab 12-3s Beolab 1s Beolab 6000s 2 pairs Beolab 4000s Beovision 7-55 Beovision 10-40 Beoplay V1 32 inch Beovision Avant 32 inch Beosound 1 (CD player) Beosound 3000 Beosound 5 Core Essence MKII Beoplay M5
The Lab 90s and Lab 50s seem pretty well matched when playing surround sound music. Original quad systems required four identical speakers at equal distances, but being able to control the volume and distance of front and rear speakers independently eliminates that need.
Beolab 9 | Beolab 8000 | Beolab 6000 | Beolab 2 | Beolab 3 | Beosound 9000 | Beoplay A9 | Beomaster 8000 | Beovox M75, / S75, / S45.2
What a shear and utter delight to behold that collection and read about the setup.
The question begs itself: how easy is your system to operate, and is the experience seamless?
Howzit:Hey Politician, quick question... how come you didn’t go with a Beogram 8002 with a MMC1?
The Beogram 8002 cannot reproduce quadraphonic records. If I hadn't needed quad playback, that's probably what I would have opted for (or a Beogram 4000).
Howzit:Secondly wouldn’t it be better to run your BL90 and BL50 without the BL10 fir movie and TV viewing? 70 to 80% of audio normally comes from just the center speakers while watching regular movies. That’s such a waste of the BL90s.
Switching out the centre channel would allow me to run the BL90 and BL50 with high latency (which otherwise causes an echo effect with the BL10), but I think it makes more sense to reproduce films in the audio format that the creators intended (i.e. five-channel rather than four).
StKong: The question begs itself: how easy is your system to operate, and is the experience seamless?
On the whole, pretty easy. Quadraphonic vinyl and reel-to-reel playback (which I suspected would be the difficult part) is pretty seamless, but I'm experiencing some minor cabling issues with the Cambridge CXU and Masterlink to the BL50, which should be sorted out in the next few days.
I am about to buy Beolab 90 and I would like to know if thick carpet on a concrete floor is okay or I need to remove the carpet and install maple hardwood floor? Carpet cause absorption, hardwood cause reflection? What would be the best for quality of sound?
New: Beovision Harmony, Beolab 50's, Beolab 28's, Beolab 18's, Beolab 17's, Beosound Stage & LG, Beosound 2, Beoplay M3, Beoplay A1, Beoplay Portal, Beoplay H4 gen 2, Beoplay E8 3.0
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Old: Beosound 9000 mk3, Beolab 3's, Beovision Eclipse, Beolab 1's, Beolab 2, Beovision 10-46, Overture 2300, beolab 8000's, Beolab 4000's, Beovision avant 32" etc. etc.
Why everyone advocates for hardwood floor. Is not true that carpet absorbs high and middle range frequencies and makes room sound dead? Thanks for your prompt response