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
Hi all.
I talked to Steve and told him that I was interested in the Hifi powerlink cables and that I was going to write about them here on BeoWorld. My system is an attempt to get the most from a B&O stereo.
This is how the setup looks.
All my music is stored in FLAC on a mac mini mid 2010 with 8GB of ram. The music plays from Decibel. I also use Dirac Room correction to minimize any room problems. The Mac is connected with a dac from Musical Fidelity (m1 dac).
B&O products.
BC2 to the BL2. BL2 to my BL3. My speakers is tuned in for the room and I tried various positions. I know my system from inside and out. So when I have the new cables it will be interesting to see if I can hear any differences.
Stay tuned and I will give you my to cents.
/K
Hi Wilderwein,
This sounds like a very good setup. I would also suggest trying the BL3's without the BL2, as in smaller rooms I actually think that the BL3's can give a good, deep bass without risking over-exciting room modes or inducing resonance as can be the case with a subwoofer/satellite speaker setup.
I have the high-end Powerlink upgrade cables ready for the Beolab 3's and I'm currently working on the best way of producing a Powerlink upgrade cable for the BL2. I have some prototype wires arriving in the next few days ready for testing, so I hope to be able to post an update for you soon.
In the meantime, I would suggest using a normal Powerlink mk.3 cable from the Beocenter 2 to the BL2 (and keeping this as short as possible), then trying the high-end upgrade cables from the BL2 to the two BL3's.
I will let you know as soon as I have the full set of upgrade cables ready for you to try out!
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
Thank you for your reply.
My opinion is that the BL2 is a great subwoofer if it is correct setup. The problem as I see it are that it is difficult to integrate a subwoofer in a system no matter what. That is why many audiophiles are recommending two subwoofers.
Correct me if I am wrong but the typical B&O owner do not spend a lot of time to fine tune their system. The result is often that the BL2 are playing to loud and stands hidden behind a sofa or in a corner. And the result is that it sounds boomy.
But as Steve said ordinary living rooms is not build for hifi, And that is why i bought the Dirac Live room correction suite. It is a fantastic program that makes a filter to reduce all over-existing room modes.
I think I will wait for the BL2 cable as it will be easier to hear a difference when I have the high end cables all the way. Or else the standard PL mk3 to the BL2 will bee the bottle neck.
Regards
Kareem
Hi Kareem,
Thanks for your patience, I am pleased to confirm that I now have a stereo version of the high-end Powerlink upgrade cable available and I will email you shortly with the details. This will work with Beolab 2, 11 and also Beolab 7-x centre speakers which need a stereo input.
My cables arrived on friday (thanks steve) and the look of them is more luxurious then S.H regular mk III cable. They are little thicker then the regular power link as well. For me it became a small problem because it is a bit tight when I installed the cable. Since I changed my stereo from BS 3000 to the BC 2 I could order a 2.5 m cable, before I had a 5 m cable between the stereo and subwoofer. I cant tell if this will make any difference on the result.
So how do they sound?
This is what Steve says is the benefits of these cable:
I cant hear if there was any crosstalk to start with so I cant say if there is an improvement in that aspect.
No my speakers hums like before. You can hear it if you lay your ear about 10 cm from the speakers. You could do this before as well.
So is this waste of time and money?
No not at all, my system has never sounded this clear and detailed before. I can play louder with out any distortion. The tonal balance feels more natural and I enjoying the music more. I feel that the biggest improvement is in the higher frequency spectra. You have to remember that the changes is not night and day, but they are definitely there. If you are a music lover that pays attentions to details this should be on your to try list. I really love the clarity and natural sound that the brings to my system. The stock PL is a bottle neck in a good B&O system which is a pity.
Wilderwein:my system has never sounded this clear and detailed before. I can play louder with out any distortion. The tonal balance feels more natural and I enjoying the music more. I feel that the biggest improvement is in the higher frequency spectra.
K
BeoNut since '75
Thanks for taking the time to add your findings to Beoworld - I'm pleased that you like the new cables!
As the humming was present using several different cables, I wonder if there could be an issue with another electrical device in your home that is causing the humming in the speakers? I have seen this happen on occasion with devices that have a high power factor, ie. air-conditioning units, low voltage lighting, light dimmers, etc. where these can cause noise on audio systems. You can check this by turning off all of the electrical circuits in the house except the B&O system to see if the hum stops. If it does, simply play some music and turn on the other circuits one at a time to see when the hum re-appears. If you need any help tracing the source of the hum, please drop me an email and I will be happy to help.
Hi Steve.
Thanks for the offer, but I think the humming is due the built in amplifier. I do not think they ever will be daed silent. You cant hear it when playing music so there is no problem actually.
Steve, I'll order some new cables from you shortly. Only a year late!
By the end of this month.
Cheers,
Too long to list....
Hi bayerische,
Don't worry, there's no rush - I will always be here, whenever you are ready for some cables!
Hi elephant,
If you can please drop me an email with some more details of how your speakers are connected together and which ones have the humming problems, I will be pleased to advise how to resolve this. The standard mk.3 Powerlink compatible cables that I produce are effectively a "universal" cable for your speakers - these should help to remove the hum if this is caused by your existing cables and these will work with all of your speakers.
My high-end upgrade cables should also prevent the humming, plus the sound qulaity should also be further improved. These are mono cables (with a stereo version for Beolab 11 also available on request) so a little planning may be needed to help you to get the best from these cables.....if they are of interest, please email me with some details of your setup and I will be happy to help.
Kind regards (from a very warm and sunny England!), Steve.
Steve, do you have a "hifi" version of the spdif coaxial?
I've tested a number of different S/PDIF cables and I've found that the best solution is to use good quality 75 Ohm co-axial cables, rather than the "ordinary phono cables" that B&O suggested in the original Beolab 5 manual. The use of the correct 75 Ohm co-axial cables is in line with the recommendations in the White Paper from Sony and Philips on their S/PDIF standards.
As an aside, I see that the updated version of the manual now states that "Bang & Olufsen approved phono cables" should be used (I like to think this is as a result of the pressure that I've put on them to correct the original version of the manual!)
So, to cut a long story short, there is no need or advantage in choosing a "high-end" cable for the digitial signals, as long as the cable meets the original Sony/Philips recommendations. My digital cables comply with these recommendations, so these will perform well without needing to spend a large amount of money on the cables. You can see full details here:- http://www.soundsheavenly.co.uk/bando-lab5.htm
Hi Steve,
When I look at the S/PDIF cable you offer at your website is says "these cables are not impedance-matched, so they are suitable for use in lengts up to 10 metres". What does this mean?
You recommend a good quality 75-ohms cable but the cables you offer is not 75 ohm impedance-matched??????
Please explain why.
RegardsMartin
NEW! Beovision Eclipse 65 2nd generation (G1) with floorstand (from STB Brackets), Beolab 50 front, Beolab 3 rear, 2 x Beoplay A6 linkrooms, 2xBeoremote one BT, Beosound 9000 Mark III (sw 3.4), Beosound 5 (for DLNA only), Philips Hue (all lights in the home), Oppo UDP-203, Apple TV 4K (2021 model). Beoremote HALO, 3xBeoplay Charging pad, Beoplay M5
Hi Martin,
Please accept my apologies, for some reason my web page was pointing to an older description of the cables which was incorrect. I have now corrected this, so if you go back to the link (http://www.soundsheavenly.co.uk/bando-lab5.htm) this now shows the correct information for these cables.
My cables are impedance matched at 75 Ohms using RG-59/U co-axial cable and metal plugs with gold contacts. The photos and description are now correct for these cables, which work perfectly with Beolab 5 speakers in digital mode to minimise signal loss.
I am sorry for the previous error on this link - thank you for bringing this to my attention. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.
Very good. If I look at your website now, there is nothing at all when I press the link to Beolab 5 digital cables. Is there something wrong with the website?
Looking at the website stats, I think that the server has been running slowly for the past few minutes. This should be back to normal again now. If you can't see the page, please let me know.
Thanks, Steve.
Thank you for your fast respons.
I have a question: I use today B&O:s own (very thin) SPDIF-cables. Do you think I will notice any progress in the soundquality if I use Yours SPDIF-cables instead? How good or bad is B&O:S own SPDIF-cable?
For your information: I use B&O:s cable between a Beosound 5 (Beomaster 5) and my Beolab 5.
Martin
The best approach is to try out the cables and see what you think. I offer all of my cables with a 60 day money-back promise, so that you can return them for a full refund up to 60 days after purchase if you are not completely happy with the results. Upgrading cables won't normally give you a dramatic improvement in sound quality, but it can help to reduce signal loss and allow your system to work at its best.
Thank You Steve,
I will order two cables this evening.
RegardsMartin S
SWEDEN