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This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Hi,
I have a Beomaster 1900-2 which is working allright for radio listening. I wanted to use it to listen to music from my iPhone but when I connected the headphone out of my phone to the din5 tape input, the volume is considerably lower than the radio, even with iphone volume almost turned up to the max.
Is this normal? Did the tape output produce a stronger signal than a headphone out nowadays? Does someone have a similar setup? Can I fix it with a small preamp or is it a problem with the beomaster itself and do I need to look into fixing that?
I tried the phono input as well, that is more sensitive (higher volume) but the sound is not good, like higher frequencies are filtered out.
Many thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice.
Wouter
Hi Wouter
I have a Beomaster 1900 and I have observed the same thing with respect to the volume on the tape input. At first I was concerned and now I have come to believe its not that the tape input is low, it is that the FM tuner input is higher than tape and phono. I think different countries broadcast FM at different volumes (for want of a better term).
I would avoid running anything into the Phono input except for a turntable as the Phono input adjusts the signal based on the RIAA standard (extending bass and reducing treble) which is why your iPod sounds strange plugged into the Phono input
Drew
Actually it most likely the oposit. Its the volume of what comes out of the radio that is very high.Since the 90this when digitally broadcast compressors took place in radio stations, the level of radio is redicously higher today then when when these machines where designed.
I have the same thing here in Sweden, radiostations compete with levelLuckly , and smartly, many of the B&O products have adjustments for the radiolevel, somtimes for the user through small pots.The consequence of pumping up radio level to the roof at the radio stations is that transits and natural dynamic of the music is cut off - destroyed. Music through radio sound horrible today compared to some 10-20 years ago.
My re-capped M75 are my precious diamonds.
So , no, dont fiddle around wit pre-amps. There is, most likel, nothing wrong with your Beomaster.The level from a mobile device such as a Iphone, is in the range that the Beomaster is designed for, if you start using pre-amps, or connecting it to the phono stage, you will force level beyound what the circuits is designed for and result will be distorsionBlame radio stations
Christian Christensen:The consequence of pumping up radio level to the roof at the radio stations is that transits and natural dynamic of the music is cut off - destroyed. Music through radio sound horrible today compared to some 10-20 years ago.
Indeed.
Also, it is quite normal that you will need to crank the iPod (or any similar device with a headphone output) to the maximum level. They are designed to drive a low-impedance device (the headphones) to a certain power level. Typically that means that their output voltage level (more of interest to a high-impedance input such as the tape input of a Beomaster) may remain relatively low.
Furthermore, even the headphone outputs may not be as high level as they used to be, because the maximum allowable sound pressure levels are regulated nowadays so that you won't have to yell to your kids later
--mika
Mika Agree, there is a misadapt between the a mobile modern device and a tape machine, but the pumped up level on the radiochannels is far far more the biggest factor of level, at least here in Sweden.
When I connect my mobile phone to my beocenter, yes the level is a bit lower then the turntable, but not a big prolem, problem is when i switch to radio, I risk blowing my speakers
The only radio channel we have that has reasonable level and kept dynamic is the municipal channel 2 that broadcast classical music, the rest is unfortnually crap sound quailty.
It all started here when commercial radio channels were allowed, then they started to compete in level and unfornually it spread as a virus even to the muncipal channels., and it became way way worse when the digitally mastering compressors entered the radio broadcast market.
Christian Christensen:The only radio channel we have that has reasonable level and kept dynamic is the municipal channel 2 that broadcast classical music, the rest is unfortnually crap sound quailty.
I know, same here. There are two reasonable radio channels over here, they are the "serious" and "old geezer" channels of the national broadcaster. Fortunately they carry most of the radio programming I'm interested in The rest are either so-so or completely unlistenable on a decent hifi system.
(And the classical channel which is only broadcast via DVB. Apparently they don't use sound compression at all)
...which reminded me to adjust the radiolevel myself on my Beocenter 7700. I just turned the potentiometers almost down to minium to match the turntable and the tape input...its that bad here
Which takes the question back to Beomaster 1900
I dont have any user manual, but took a very quick look I did at the schematics between the tuner and preamp amp I can´t find any separate adjustment for the radio on this mahineWill look better later when I have more time, anyone else with more info about the 1900 ?
Thanks to all for the good info. I did find another link in the archive from 2007 that mentions it could be due to wrong wiring in my cable?
http://archivedarchivedforum2.beoworld.org/forums/t/7920.aspx
there is very little that can go wrong in suchcable
most likely you should think, an input idiot have crammed too much radio into my beomaster
I quickly browsed through the service manual and found only mention of tape input adjustment to a well-specified level, but not for the radio.
In that case, you are most likely suffering the enormous level of todays radio.Not much today then just use the volume.When the beautiful Bang & Olufsens vintage equipment were designed, it was designed with the general level of radio at the timeAnother classic example is webbrowsed music deliviery services like spotify, wimp grooveshark that has free accounts with advertising. If you listen to old music, with old mastering for dynamic ,the advertising will explode in level.I dont know how it is in the netherlands regarding TV broadcast, but here, same thing, commercial break explode in level so you have to jump to the remote and turn down the level.Same thing. new treatment of distributed material vs old . Result is the same .Its commercial agendas behind this war of levels.
Christian Christensen:Its commercial agendas behind this war of levels.
Same sh1t over here, FM high volume levels, and the commercials blaring even more with incredible distortion. I hate it.
Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.
In regards to that.....
once upon in a time when both radio broadcast and music on vinyl were released with some levels of dynamic spectrum. it was easy to design the average level of a radio unit inside of a reciver/amplifier.Consumers were used to difference in levels of distributed materialBut today all commercial channels that broadcast pop and rock music , music that already have been pumped up levelwise to the roof ,of commecial agendas, is broadcasted through radiochannels that try to squeeze up the level even more to compete with other radio channels . the result i 0 dB dynamic, everything all they way up in the top.But then when a few national broadcasters broadcast classical music that has around 80 dB of natural dynamic ,with very little compression, the avergae level is sometimes 40 dB down.With that in regards, I have a huge empathy for designers of home audio equipment today when they are in decission, of what internal level they should put the tuner unit.......very tricky decission .
Its either way, eaither you you have to turn up the volume incredible much or the oposit, you have to turn down a channel immensly .
Different agenda, different treatment of music, War of levels.
Søren, it appears to me that it is more or less the same everywhere.
I wonder if not Canada have regulated levels of tv commercials, as those jumps seems. less worse then here, the numerous times I have visited British Columbia