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
Hello everyone,
My first post was actually in The Workshop section as I was trying to figure out some quirks between my Beolink 7000 and my Beosystem 2500, but I wanted to introduce myself and ask another question.
Basically, I decided to go down this journey with B&O equipment due almost solely in part to the Beolink 7000. When I was a kid I went into a HiFi store (Bjorn's in San Antonio, TX) and saw the BL7000 sitting on the stand and told myself I had to have one some day. Finally got around to remembering it and got a fairly mint one on ebay, then built my system *AROUND* the remote control.
Due to space considerations and the appeal of the system, the system I chose was the BeoSystem 2500. Of course this was largely due to the fact that this was the only one of the "all in one" systems in the states that could be reliably found with two way communication (I realize the 2300 had it, but it is incredibly hard to find with two way and it may have been Europe only based on the BeoWorld spec page type number run down). Even then, the 2500 doesn't seem to play completely perfectly with the BL7000, but that is an issue for the other thread...
Now, onto my next question. My 2500 system came in absolutely beautiful condition with the cobalt blue frets I like so much, just like in the press photos from back in the day. However, I heard a pair of old Beolab 4000s (actually, one was broken) at a friend's Mom's house and now i'm convinced I must have them and sell off my 2500s. The problem is that that old pair of 4000s is more than certainly a MkI set that has been hanging in the rafters in that basement for a decade or more. I've read on here many criticisms of the Beolab 4000 Mark 2, but I'm being offered a virtually brand new pair about 2 years old in their original boxes with very low hours and all documentation for 800 bucks here locally. These are the black, which is not my favorite color (that might be gold or blue). Every review I've ever found on the BL4k on Beoworld and elsewhere really praises them, and I already really like the way the 2500s sound too.
So my question is this... Are the BL4000 Mark 2s *STILL* a worthwhile upgrade from the BL2500s, or has the sound been so altered by the ICEpower amps that they should be avoided at all costs? Sets of unknown ages on Ebay are going for what I would be paying for these WITH the tabletop stands here locally. So I want to be sure that I don't pass up on these 4000s just from word of mouth saying they're "not that good because of the ICE amps". I really don't know how to quantify that, and no review I ever find indicates anything for the Mark 2s. I do like a CRISPER sound, so the warmness of the old 4000s is not necessarily a turn on to me.
Any help is appreciated. I know this topic has been run into the ground a bit on the old threads talking about 2500 vs. the MkI 4000s, but nothing really for the 4000 MkIIs. And if I have found any real flaw with the 2500s it's not in the bass or treble, it's really that they don't excel too terribly well in vocals and midrange.
Why not have a listen and see what you think. Sounds like a bargain to me - I heard that the ICE upgraded speakers (e.g. BL8002 vs BL8000) sound basically identical, but draw less power. So a win/win I think!
Jonathan
Hi Jonathan.
That's probably a good idea. I'll see if the gent would mind setting up a small audition in his home. I've already bombarded him with a ton of questions over the past two weeks or so, but this couldn't hurt. Even if he doesn't have the time or desire to do that, I'm probably going to pick them up regardless unless I get a serious opposition from this forum on a particular reason to avoid them. I figure worst case scenario I can turn around and re-sell them later on if they don't prove to be to my liking.
Thanks!
To me it's a no-brainer, I'd pick them up in a flash before somebody else does! If you don't end up keeping them (which I hope you do) they would be very easy to shift for at least what you paid for them.
Good luck and let us know how you get on!
It's funny, the collector bug is already biting.
I'm beginning to think about how nice it would be to keep the 2500s and since the BL7000 doesn't quite work perfectly with the BC2500 perhaps buy a Beomaster 4500 or 6500 and attach that to the 4000s as I still have enough space in my small TV center to accomodate those pieces. Then save the entire Beosystem for use somewhere else.
But that's ultimately what I love about a lot of this older B&O gear. What used to be prohibitively expensive for many can now be affordable and better than 99 percent of what's on the market these days if you're willing to wait patiently, do a little searching and be prepared for the care and feeding older equipment requires on occasion.
What I ultimately want to find is a BL7000 in its original box with all its documentation. There is, in fact one on Ebay right now, but only as part of a complete 7000 system at an exorbitant price. I tried to snag the BL and BM7000 from the guy but he won't split it up.
As You have noticed, the 4000's sound better than the 2500's.Although I haven't heard the mk II, I doubt that the ICE power amps. should make them sound worse.
Playdrv4me:all documentation for 800 bucks
For that money you could not go wrong, buy them.
Hey, I'm right there with you. I'm just double checking since I read a lot of "prefer the sound of the Mark I after the switch-over to ICE power amps", or "it should be noted that this was the Mark I I reviewed, not the Mark II", as if the mark IIs were somehow inherently flawed.
But I've decided to go through with it, and will pick them up tomorrow.
Thanks everyone.
Not noticed any real difference in the sound when I have heard Mk2s. Sound very similar - I am sure if doing a blind test, I would be unlikely to tell them apart.
Peter
Well I picked them up from the gentleman today at the mall. I am floored by the bass on these things. Bose likes to wax poetic about their "acoustic waveguide" technology and that's all well and good. But these tiny enclosures take that kind of engineering to a whole other level entirely. It's amazing that when they were sitting side by side with the 2500s I was like "what's the big deal here, all things considered these are almost the same size". I guess that's what another 7 years of engineering gets you.
A couple of notes and side notes. One, I've seen it reported here several times about a "hum" on these speakers, and I have a small amount. I don't have anything connected to the line input, but I DO have my AUX cable connected to the BeoSound 2500. I'm assuming these amps must be extremely sensitive to RF leakage and that's what is causing it. I haven't disconnected it yet to make sure because the cable is kind of tucked a ways back there, and you can't hear it when music is playing, but you do hear it a bit if nothing is playing. I'm hoping a ground loop isolator will cure this? Not sure where it would go.
Also, I may have screwed up the doors on my 2500 when I was carefully putting the speakers in their positions. I grabbed onto the side of the 2500 while the door was opening and it got stuck. So now the doors open and close fine when the system is in standby, but if its on and playing they just stay open! What did I break?!
Playdrv4me:A couple of notes and side notes. One, I've seen it reported here several times about a "hum" on these speakers, and I have a small amount. I don't have anything connected to the line input, but I DO have my AUX cable connected to the BeoSound 2500. I'm assuming these amps must be extremely sensitive to RF leakage and that's what is causing it.
Unless you already have them, the first thing to try is to switch to Mk.3 Powerlink cables for the speakers. They have better shielding than earlier types exactly for the reason that the ICEpower speakers are more sensitive to interference.
If you are using the same cables you had with the 2500, they are probably the older type. Mk.3 is identified by a small triangle on the plugs.
--mika
tournedos: Playdrv4me:A couple of notes and side notes. One, I've seen it reported here several times about a "hum" on these speakers, and I have a small amount. I don't have anything connected to the line input, but I DO have my AUX cable connected to the BeoSound 2500. I'm assuming these amps must be extremely sensitive to RF leakage and that's what is causing it. Unless you already have them, the first thing to try is to switch to Mk.3 Powerlink cables for the speakers. They have better shielding than earlier types exactly for the reason that the ICEpower speakers are more sensitive to interference. If you are using the same cables you had with the 2500, they are probably the older type. Mk.3 is identified by a small triangle on the plugs.
You got it. I have the ICE powered model and while disconnecting my pigtail for the AUX input DID eliminate the hum, I need to get the MkIII cables anyway because the Beocenter does very strange things when these speakers are connected with the original cables (doors stay open so apparently that wasn't my fault, and the two way IR communication breaks somewhat). It may be too that once I get the right cables, even having my AUX pigtail connected won't have as much interference.
I would also advise anyone considering BL4000s of any vintage not to hesitate, these are one of B&O's best creations and a well cared for pre-owned set will reward you.