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
Dear members,
in my search for a decent pair of Beolab 5000 I've meanwhile encountered a couple of disappointments. The last one is that a pair that I've purchased seems to have some issues with at least one amplifier.
Symptom: as soon as connected to power there is a low buzz from the amplifier of one box - even when not connected to a source. On top of that a cracking noise can be heard from one of the speakers. As soon as connected to a source this light buzz becomes really loud and the speaker is vibrating. This continues when music is playing so that the music can be heard but is drowned by the loud buzzing noise.
Is that a cabling issue, something I have done wrong connecting the speakers or simply a blown amplifier as I would suspect? If so, I would have to talk to the seller.
Thanks very much for your advice.
Rgds,
Kai
Well, if it plays music, even if under all that buzz, the amp is obviously not blown.
The problem is probably something way before the output amp. If would expect a loose internal connection somewhere or perhaps completely dead power supply caps (not too likely if the other speaker from the same pair is OK).
How are you connecting them? If via Powerlink, try both sockets and swapping the cables with the speaker that is playing fine.
--mika
Thanks very much. I've checked again and one speaker is 100% fine. It's only the other that's making the problems. No matter how I switch the buttons or cables, it's always the same as long as connected to power. It only changes whether connected to a source or not. As soon as connected to a source the low buzz becomes really loud and noisy. Additionally the display is going on and off constantly. Maybe this is a further hint that power supply is the problem?
Manbearpig:Additionally the display is going on and off constantly. Maybe this is a further hint that power supply is the problem?
That would be my first guess. The display is turned on and off by the microcontroller - not directly through some analogue circuitry - so apparently even that isn't running right, which could well be caused by unstable power supply lines.
Does this more sound like an easy or like an expensive fix to you?
Impossible to say without the unit on my desk, unfortunately.
Thanks Mika. I've paid 860 Euro for it and the speakers were described as mint. Cosmetically they are not mint but average and not working on top. But that's ebay. Annoying but what can you do. Hard to tell what's best right now. If the fix is a couple of hundred Euros, I'm out and selling as is.
Kai, a while ago I got a pair of almost destroyed and non working Beolab 5000 amps from a US member!
The labs are repaired by member ipaul and I'm working on the cosmetic part. I will join the amps soon to my Beovox flatpanels.
There is still hope..
Brengen & Ophalen
Kai, how "difficult' a problem is, that depends also on who's looking at it :).
In any case, get back on the seller (if he sold them as mint), at least you have something on paper...!
Than, assuming you'd like to keep them, have someone have a look at the amp (i don't know where you are based, if needed you could post it to me) and get an indication of the cost, and maybe the seller is willing to compensate that.
It could even be as simple as a not well positioned connector/pcb because of transport, as long as the processor and display are still working, for the rest there isn't much exotic electronics in them..
That's right and ipaul should know since he has fixed mine Check this thread!
Thanks very much. I'll write you a PM. I've contacted the seller and he's just reacted. He basically says that my expectations are too high as far as cosmetics are concerned since these are some 20 year-old speakers and scratches are to be expected at such an age. Of course me and others were asking whether there are any scratches or holes while the auction was still running and the answer was no and that the speakers were hardly ever used, mint condition, etc. pp. Additionally he said that the defect was not there the last time he used the speakers and that I made some mistake connecting them so that one speaker blew. Finally, he concludes by stating that he's not willing to hold any further correspondence with me. So, it's 860 Euro + transport (I picked them up locally 400 km away from my place) which amounts to about 1100 Euro blown in the wind. Ok, if people think they become happy treating others like that that's fine. It's not worth being annoyed. Thanks again! Kai
Correct me if i'm wrong, but if you went to pick them up yourself, you didn't look at them and tested them ?
(i assumed they were sent to you).
either way: as said if you like to use them, maybe for a few euros more they'll be ok, they're not that easy to sell (i have a pair and tried...) and certainly when they're not working so...
but...if you have them working and on a nice (hard) wall, imho they're really nice speakers, remarkably better than lab8000/6000, so that as a positive note :)..
Yes, I picked them up locally but the speakers were extensively packaged so that I trusted the seller and did not make him unpackage all of the material just to re-package them again afterwards (which would have been quite a time-consuming effort). Huge mistake that I will not make again. But then again, I'm probably just too good-natured and trusting in others.
Cosmetically, they are not that bad. No dings or dents and no damages; also only one rather tiny hole to a corner of one speaker. But they are by far worse than described. The combination of worse than expected cosmetics and a technical defect to one speaker is not very pleasing.
Manbearpig:Cosmetically, they are not that bad. No dings or dents and no damages; also only one rather tiny hole to a corner of one speaker. But they are by far worse than described. The combination of worse than expected cosmetics and a technical defect to one speaker is not very pleasing.
I fully understand. I bought mine through a listing that included one really bad picture and a five word (if that) description that didn't even say if the amps worked (the owner had apparently just tested them as passives...). After I won them - for a not too bad price - I drove 170 km to pick them up. They had scratches on the displays, some on the other metal panel, a slight dent at the top and even a plastic part missing from that corner.
Didn't think twice about still taking them, though... they were the first and so far last pair I've ever seen on sale locally. It took me over a year before I even had a wall to hang them on, and now I'm very happy with them. I don't think you'll regret it later if you have the faulty amp repaired - as said, there's still a chance it's something simple like a loose connection. It's not a big problem even if you need to ship it for repairs, the amp is easy to detach from the rest of the speaker.
Problem solved. It was a cabling issue. After three defect cables (two of these were new), I finally tested a working one. Speakers are still not what I would have expected cosmetically, but at least they are 100% working. However, most of these will probably have some more or less severe optical blemishes. What are your experiences in that respect? Anybody seen a truely mint pair? Or is this only a myth that it still exists?
Manbearpig:Problem solved. It was a cabling issue. After three defect cables (two of these were new), I finally tested a working one.
Great
I actually had a cabling problem as well when setting up mine. I had two brand new fully connected PL cables. One of them had a short inside the connector - as soon as I connected that cable, the Beomaster turned muting on. Took a while to understand what was going on...
I'm sure there is a mint pair somewhere that has been hanging on the wall for 20 years, but once they are uninstalled, it seems it is always done by somebody who just doesn't care, and the next guy is some jobber who throws them stacked in the trunk with a dirty towel between them if you're lucky.
Similar situation. I also had 2 brand new cables plus the cables that the seller added to the parcel. Surprising that only one of these cables was working.
Funny thing is that I've had two pairs, both purchased from the original owner, both only wall-mounted once but still both with one tiny hole to one corner of one fret and hairline scratches to both the plastic covers and the stainless panels. The scratches to the plastic covers seem unavoidable. I haven't seen a single pair of either these or the other panel speakers without them. But the hole to the frets and the scratches to the stainless don't seem necessary. However, 24 years of age are a word for the frets and rubbing will sooner or later cause the cloth to become thinner and thinner and at the corners where friction is the greatest a hole will be the result. I'd still always stick to the original frets. As beautiful as these speakers are, it seems awfully hard to find a really mint pair.
Manbearpig,
You make me laugh, you are a dreamer !!
You bought a pair of beolab 5000 without any dings / dents / scratches on the aluminium part and you are complaining.
It is really rare to find one pair without one scratches or dent.I have one pair (2 tiny dents on one speaker, the other is mint) and I am very happy with them.
I do think that your expectations are really too high.
4 beolab 5, beolab 9, beolab 10, beolab 5000, beolab 8000 mk2, beolab 6002, beolab 3500, beovision 7 55 mk2, 2 beovision 11 46 mk4, beotime, beosound ouverture, beosound essence, beoplay A8, beomaster 900 RG de luxe and the collection continues...
This may very well be the case. Perfectionist - unfortunately. But now since they are working, I'm happy.
To be perfectionist is a good thing ... only for the things YOU make.
The drawback of the perfectionnism is that only the result is taken into account not all the factors (secondhand product, age, transportation risks, rarity...).
I love antiques (lamps...) and I would love to buy only mint object but for eighty years old antiques it is nearly impossible, so I live with that.
Stay Zen and positv :)