Hello all!
A few years ago I came into possession of a BeoVision 8-32 and have been using it with my Apple TV. It’s my first experience with a B&O product, and despite its age I’ve really enjoyed it!
Recently I acquired a BeoLab 3500 (MK2) that used to be part of a MasterLink system (it came with a ML cable) and hasn’t been used for about a decade. I’d love to bring this speaker back to life, and after some research it seems that the easiest way is to get a special cable that allows it to work as a stand‑alone speaker.
However, since I already have the ML cable and my BeoVision 8‑32 has a MasterLink socket, I’m wondering: could I simply connect the two and use the BeoLab 3500 as an extra speaker in my TV room?
Maybe it’s a silly idea, again I’m not very experienced with B&O products, which is why I’m turning to the experts here. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!
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BeoVision 8-32 + BeoLab 3500?
7 replies
Location: Denmark
Thank you for the swift reply! I read through that post, and it seems to me that the BeoLink Converter 1611 is the way to go. I did some tests today just out of curiosity by connecting the BeoLab 3500 (set to Option 4) directly to my BeoVision 8 (set to Option 2), and the result was that no audio reached the speaker. The MasterLink connection is definitely active, I confirmed this by pressing MENU MENU 0 2 GO, and the BeoLab displayed ML OK.
So I tried asking Copilot what could be causing the problem, and according to the AI, the HDMI input is the reason it isn’t working. The HDMI audio signal is entirely digital, while the ML audio signal is analog, and there is no internal component that converts between the two. It referenced this service manual as a source:
http://www.abo-center.dk/Abo_center_2/reptips/diagrammer/Beovision/Beovision%208%2032%20Type%209550.pdf However, the manual is in Danish, which is not my strongest language, so I can’t really confirm whether the AI is correct. If anyone has experience with this setup or can confirm whether the HDMI/ML limitation is correct, I’d really appreciate your insight. It is correct that there are some limitations with digital sources going to Masterlink. I think it has to do with delays being introduced in the conversion from digital audio to analog audio (which is used in Masterlink). But try to see if you can get something out by the method described above.Location: Denmark
Hello again, so after trying multiple option settings without any success, I decided to use an HDMI audio extractor and route the audio signal to the AV3 port with an RCA cable. And it worked! I can finally hear sound from the BeoLab 3500, and it’s actually very pleasant on its own.
There is a slight delay between the built‑in speaker on the BeoVision 8 and the BeoLab 3500, which creates a bit of an echo effect. Because of that, I won’t be using them together in the same room, but I am really happy to have confirmed that the speaker is working properly.
So now I just need the BeoLink Converter 1611 and this special cable:
https://soundsheavenly.com/products/5-pin-din-to-4-x-rca-input-and-output-cable-for-b-o-naim-quad#/2-length-1m plus an audio source of course and then I should be good to go, right? That should be what you need yesLocation: Denmark
Thanks a lot for your help Madskp, I really appreciate it! 😊
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