AudioCircle
Industry Circles => Sonic Craft => Topic started by: OSIB16 on 25 Aug 2021, 02:01 pm
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Ok so as some of you on here know; I am a big fan of modifying Bang & Olufsen hifi equipment ((YEARS 1999-2005)). My latest project is a dream come true for myself. I’m currently working on the largest ‘Active Speakers’ that Bang & Olufsen has ever produced to date; the Beolab 1’s. These things are huge aluminium beasts. Very imposing, standing at 6FT 2 and weighing 36KG each!! These examples from 1999 are in ‘New Condition’. Was lucky to find them.
My plan is to perform the worlds most extensive modifications to this particular model. I will now guide you through the various stages…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228856)
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Below is a list of the proposed tasks…
1) REPLACE ALL EXISTING ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITORS WITH THE BEST; ELNA SILMIC II, AUDIO NOTE KAISEI NON POLAR, NICHICON MUSE NON POLAR, MUNDORF AG.
2) UPGRADE ALL INTERNAL WIRING INCLUDING ON TRANSFORMERS; WITH NEOTECH 18AWG SOLID CORE COPPER (FOR TWEETER & MIDRANGE), SUPRA 13.5AWG STRANDED COPPER (FOR TRANSFORMER INPUT WIRES), KIMBER 19AWG STRANDED COPPER & SUPRA 13.5AWG STRANDED COPPER (FOR TRANSFORMER OUTPUT WIRES), SUPRA 11AWG STRANDED COPPER (FOR IEC INPUT) DUELUND 16AWG COTTON STRANDED COPPER (FOR WOOFERS), BARE SOLID CORE 22AWG UPOCC SILVER PLATE COPPER (FOR SHIELDED JUMPER BETWEEN PCB’s).
((WHEREVER POSSIBLE; WIRING IS STRIPPED OF EXISTING PLASTIC SLEEVING AND COVERED WITH PURE COTTON SHEATH)).
3) TREAT ALL BARE COPPER WITH DEOXIT GOLD OIL TO PREVENT ANY FUTURE BUILD UP OF CORROSION.
4) VASTLY INCREASE THE GAUGES/THICKNESS OF WIRING IN SPECIFIC LOCATIONS.
5) CREATE SEPARATE COMPARTMENTS INSIDE THE SPEAKER TO ISOLATE THE MIDRANGE & TWEETER FROM THE WOOFERS.
6) ADD BASS REFLEX PORTS TO THE WOOFER COMPARTMENTS (INCREASES POWER HANDLING).
7) MODIFY MIDRANGE UNIT (REMOVE GRILL AND REAR PLASTIC BOX).
8) ADD PROPER DAMPING MATERIAL TO INTERIOR OF SPEAKER CABINET ((OPEN CELL FOAM FOR TREBLE/MID CHAMBER. CLOSED CELL FOAM FOR WOOFER CHAMBERS)).
9) INSTALL HEAVY DISC SHAPED STEEL PLATFORMS, FOR USE UNDER SPEAKER (IMPROVES BASS, AND ALLOWS FOR THE ACCOMMODATION OF CHUNKY POWER CABLES & INTERCONNECTS).
10) INSTALL HIFI-TUNING SUPREME SILVER GOLD FUSES (Solid Silver Fuse Wire).
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After opening up the cabinets I have found that the existing internal wiring is covered with a protective foam sheath, which is disintegrating/falling to pieces and also melting onto an area of the circuit board which it is resting against. Cleaned off the foam residue with white spirits. Looks like I got there just in the nick of time, before a short circuit or fire takes place!
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228857)
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Modifications to the Midrange unit…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228858)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228859)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228860)
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Dude, you are a mad hatter and I think it's awesome. I enjoyed the last thread, even though I did not post, but I had to here.
Keep it up,
JCarney
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(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228861)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228862)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228863)
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Dude, you are a mad hatter and I think it's awesome. I enjoyed the last thread, even though I did not post, but I had to here.
Keep it up,
JCarney
Thanks. I take that as a compliment😁👍
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Very heavy Steel isolation platforms, with a layer of furniture padding fabric installed on top (prevents scratches to the underside of the speakers when sitting on them).
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228864)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228865)
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Below is image showing the original jumper cable which I covered with masking tape to stop the melting foam mess from getting onto my hands. I will replace this entirely.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228866)
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I have spoken to a guy who works for KEF AUDIO here in the UK, and he advised me how to correctly use speaker damping materials for the best effect. He explained that Open Cell Foam is ideal for use behind Midrange and Treble Units to absorb any ‘Standing Waves’. So I’m gonna use this Open Cell foam (pictured below) to line the walls of the Treble/Midrange chamber (one layer of bobbled over the top of flat sheet).
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228867)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228868)
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He also warned me that I shouldn’t use Open Cell Foam behind woofers; so as not to absorb any low frequency energy emanating from it, which will ruin the bass response. So I’m using this Closed Cell foam (shown below) which will be installed into the bass/woofer chambers of my Beolab 1’s. It should absorb any stray midrange frequencies coming off the back of the woofers.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228869)
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Just finished replacing the transformer jumper wires to 99.999% purity copper. I used Supra tinned strand on the input and some of the output to add some much needed necessary warmth to the overall sound. I also simplified the wiring design layout for the output signal by soldering together some of the connector/plug pins, which allowed me to use 4 wires instead of 8. Much simpler. Less wire clutter; to help reduce distortion.
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New leads hardwired in place of the original weedy junk wire. I snipped off the wire as close as possible to the connectors plugs, then soldered the replacement Kimber and Supra wire in place…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=231278)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=231282)
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Here is the original jumper wire for the tweeter, midrange and woofers. What a spaghetti mess!! Looks like it was put together by a team of chimpanzees. :lol:
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=229589)
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Here is the new simplified/upgraded wiring that I put together. I purposely use 18 Gauge for tweeter to help round off the edgy treble of Beolab 1…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=231607)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=231608)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=229591)
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Hi,
Great topic. I love the design of B&O.
I also take decent vintage equiptment, and take it to the next level and beyond by removing bottlenecks and improving things so the performance is up to the standards of today. Vintage gear can sound really good, if you know what you are doing.
I also took a glance at your list of capacitors, and i gave to give a word of warning here.
The silmic's would certainly NOT be my capacitor of choice, and here is why:
They color the sound in a pretty extreme way. They add a lot of highbas, lower mids, and voices start to sound dark, heavy and nasal. Also they remove all harmonic distortion in mids and highs. A distortion guitar sounds really "sweet" when you use these. Piano attacs are dead and lifeless, same for highheads, drums etc. They are terrible, remove all mids and high dynamics. Your system also looses a lot of speed. I have done lots of experiments with them up to six months, even after a extended burnin time things where not looking up. A lot of people seem to like them, and i really cannot understand why. There are different series, series 1 is somewhat less bad compared to series 2.
They do image very well, soundstage is great. But it's the only thing they are any good at.
Only suited for pa systems, which have to play very loud.
If you are looking to add some warmth in a system, try nichicon finegold.
The combination i use for voicing gear is finegold, and ukz. Also good imaging, transparant mids.
I use gold tune in power supply's when there is room for it.
I hope this helps you in any way.
Best regards,
Nico.
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Hi,
Great topic. I love the design of B&O.
I also take decent vintage equiptment, and take it to the next level and beyond by removing bottlenecks and improving things so the performance is up to the standards of today. Vintage gear can sound really good, if you know what you are doing.
I also took a glance at your list of capacitors, and i gave to give a word of warning here.
The silmic's would certainly NOT be my capacitor of choice, and here is why:
They color the sound in a pretty extreme way. They add a lot of highbas, lower mids, and voices start to sound dark, heavy and nasal. Also they remove all harmonic distortion in mids and highs. A distortion guitar sounds really "sweet" when you use these. Piano attacs are dead and lifeless, same for highheads, drums etc. They are terrible, remove all mids and high dynamics. Your system also looses a lot of speed. I have done lots of experiments with them up to six months, even after a extended burnin time things where not looking up. A lot of people seem to like them, and i really cannot understand why. There are different series, series 1 is somewhat less bad compared to series 2.
They do image very well, soundstage is great. But it's the only thing they are any good at.
Only suited for pa systems, which have to play very loud.
If you are looking to add some warmth in a system, try nichicon finegold.
The combination i use for voicing gear is finegold, and ukz. Also good imaging, transparant mids.
I use gold tune in power supply's when there is room for it.
I hope this helps you in any way.
Best regards,
Nico.
Thanks for the advice Nico, I will take it onboard. Agreed that the Elna Silmic II has some flaws. However the Beolab 1’s are notorious for ‘THINNESS’ in the upper bass/lower midrange, and they are also ‘SHRILL’ in the treble region. So I welcome the Silmic II’s added boost to the Upper Bass/Lower mids to help fix the ‘THINNESS’ issue. I also welcome the Silmic II ‘DARKNESS’ to help combat the upward tilted ‘TREBLE SHRILLNESS’ tendency of the Beolab 1’s.
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I also require the Silmic II’s lack of distortion in Mid/Treble to help fix the Beolab 1’s annoying issue of DISTORTION when they are playing music at super loud volumes.
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Hi,
If you are looking to add some warmth, please also consider experiments with Nichicon finegold.
They also add some high bass warmth, and in the kickdrum region. Almost without the nasal voice effect. They do also not have a elevated treble. They are 90% without the problems a Silmic will introduce.
A Silmic will rob a system from mids and high dynamics. That is my main problem with them. All the rest is subject to taste. Your speaker will sound dull, and very, very boring, like the sound is permanantly going through a autotune feature.
Unless that is a result you are looking for?
It seems a very serious project to me, so that is why i wrote down my personel findings with extensive capacitor experiments.
Gook luck, and please report back progress, and your findings when you are ready.
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Hi,
If you are looking to add some warmth, please also consider experiments with Nichicon finegold.
They also add some high bass warmth, and in the kickdrum region. Almost without the nasal voice effect. They do also not have a elevated treble. They are 90% without the problems a Silmic will introduce.
A Silmic will rob a system from mids and high dynamics. That is my main problem with them. All the rest is subject to taste. Your speaker will sound dull, and very, very boring, like the sound is permanantly going through a autotune feature.
Unless that is a result you are looking for?
It seems a very serious project to me, so that is why i wrote down my personel findings with extensive capacitor experiments.
Gook luck, and please report back progress, and your findings when you are ready.
Thanks again for the tips. I’ll take it on board. So far I have successfully completed modifications to Beolab 4000’s and also Beolab 6000 MK2. All using Silmic II’s. After the mods, both speakers sound wonderful to these ears (especially the 6000’s). I guess I have bad hearing then😀 I dunno, perhaps it’s just the way my ears are shaped.
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I rearranged both plastic dividers, and also added a plywood divider…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=230124)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=230125)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=230126)
I also put a thick layer of outdoor filler over the top of the sealant.
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Looking very good. Great job with the sealant. Better compared to original, no more airleaks :wink:
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Looking very good. Great job with the sealant. Better compared to original, no more airleaks :wink:
Looks a bit messy but does the job.
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I think it looks ok.
Sometimes the smallest of tweaks, staring you in the face, can give a important improvement.
Example: shielding the incoming ac supply for the masterclock supply greatly reduced the noisefloor in my cd player. Obvious? Off course. Overlooked? Ehh yes :green:
But i've corrected that now :)
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I think it looks ok.
Sometimes the smallest of tweaks, staring you in the face, can give a important improvement.
Example: shielding the incoming ac supply for the masterclock supply greatly reduced the noisefloor in my cd player. Obvious? Off course. Overlooked? Ehh yes :green:
But i've corrected that now :)
Agreed. One of the biggest problems with the unmodified Beolab 1 is that the cabinet is underdamped and also ‘without solid internal bracing’. None of the internal brackets are properly secured in place. The only thing holding them in place is the rubber seals; which is ridiculous, and also contributes to cabinet rattle at high volume levels. It is no wonder that the sound falls apart during loud music passages. By the way I have put a thick layer of Outdoor Filler over the top of the Sealant to add extra stiffness.
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Here are the DIY Bass Reflex Ports that I created from disused glue/filler tubes, which have been cut to the correct sizes…
4.5cm wide
8cm long
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=230365)
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Here are the Bass Reflex Ports that I made out of old glue/filler tubes, which have been cut into the correct lengths…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=230365)
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Fitted into holes that I cut into the speaker baffle. I also smothered a thick layer of glue around the base of each tube, to add increased strength and stability…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=230366)
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The treble/midrange chamber damping. Two layers of open cell foam…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=230384)
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(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=230385)
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With the front baffle fitted…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=230386)
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Why would you put closed cell foam in the woofer compartment?
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Why would you put closed cell foam in the woofer compartment?
Because I was advised to do so by an engineer at Kef Audio UK. So I have used a thin layer of it (4mm) inside the woofer compartments. Here is what I understood from the conversation that I had with him…
Bass waves are absorbed by ‘Open Cell Foam’ (which is a bad thing!). Instead you should use ‘Closed Cell Foam’ which does not absorb bass waves, but instead redirects them. However, even though a thin layer of Closed Cell Foam does slightly reduce the space/volume inside the cabinet, it does still have some ability to absorb/muffle any stray midrange information coming out of the rear side of the woofer.
SClark please give me your opinion.
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5mm and 2mm thick damping added to the rear and sides of the woofer basket…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=230846)
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2mm thick damping added to the interior of the woofer basket (reduces any ringing vibrations)…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=230847)
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10mm thick damping added to the rear of the midrange unit…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=230848)
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10mm thick damping added to rear of tweeter…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=230849)
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Below is my list of capacitors that I purchased to replace the originals. Basically I’m using Mundorf Mlytic AG for the the large caps, and Audio Note Kaisei/Standard for medium caps and bipolars, with Nichicon KZ. As for the small caps; I’m using mostly Elna Silmic II with Elna Cerafine.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=231654)
Total is £357
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SClark please give me your opinion.
I think I'll just steer clear of this. Honestly, I just don't think this project is worth the time, money, and effort.
Best of luck with it.
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I think I'll just steer clear of this. Honestly, I just don't think this project is worth the time, money, and effort.
Best of luck with it.
Thanks for the input. 8) I disagree. :lol:
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One look at this photo from page 1 of this thread and I'm all in it is totally worth the effort. Big dome midrange drivers are unicorns in 2021 and worth the effort to conserve and enjoy.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=228860)
B&O products are like the super model who is also a member of the mensa society. Many refuse to believe she can be that smart if shes so pretty. When I worked retail Hi-Fi our in-house repair technician's favorite brand to work on was B&O because they were designed to be repairable. Presently they are certainly on the vanguard of using DSP and wireless control behind the stunning industrial design.
The grandson of OSIB16's speaker reviewed on YouTube - The Perfect HiFi Home Audio System?? Bang and Olufsen BEOLAB 28 Review https://youtu.be/STrFEJHFqhs (https://youtu.be/STrFEJHFqhs)
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Here are my plans to create grill brackets that accept wooden slats…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=233457)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=233458)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=233460)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=233462)
LINK TO FILE http://ravstedlokalhistorie.dk/beoworld/Beolab1.stl
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Hi
Any updates to this great project
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Hi
Any updates to this great project
Just waiting for B&O service centre to get it all up and running.
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HiFi Tuning Supreme Silver Gold fuses…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240338)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240339)
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Mundorf AG, Audio Note Kaesei, Elna Silmic II caps…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240340)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240341)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240342)
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(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240344)
11 Gauge Supra Stranded wire…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240343)
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(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240345)
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I enjoy this thread. You are nuts, in a good way. :D
Jody
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I am following this with much interest. Awesome to improve things, that other's might not consider worthwhile use of their time. The issue with some of these B&O products is the miniaturization of components on their amplifier boards...making their later products obsolete due to manufacturing techniques.
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I enjoy this thread. You are nuts, in a good way. :D
Jody
and obsessive😂
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It looks like you are having fun, and you are not skimping on anything from what I can tell. Thanks for the entertaining thread. :D
JCarney
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I enjoy this thread. You are nuts, in a good way. :D
Jody
+1 :thumb:
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JCarney and SClark,
Thanks. I must have worked on more than 20 speaker projects in my time. But this one is my favourite so far. Learning so many new things now.
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Crevices and uneven areas of the front baffle have been filled with Milliput and Outdoor Filler, thus adding strength to it.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240815)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240816)
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Correct damping applied to the relevant areas. This will reduce cabinet colorations…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240817)
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Correct damping applied to the relevant areas. This will reduce cabinet colorations…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240817)
Great attention to detail and great fun to follow your progress :thumb:
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(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240833)
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Thanks NickB. I just wanted to reference/document my work on the internet, so that in the future; other people who own Beolab 1’s can gain knowledge on how to restore and improve these wonderful speakers. Especially after the internal black foam cable sheath begins to disintegrate and melt over the PCB.
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OK so I have just completed the audio modifications to this speaker. Connected them to up to my B&O Beosound 4 hifi unit. After only two hours of music playback, I have one word to say…
WWOOWW !!!
Zero cabinet coloration, crazy holographic soundstage with super width, depth, height (basically the walls of my room vanish along with the position of the speakers themselves). Pure and mellow with incredible detail retrieval. Real ‘in the room sound’ with actual instruments taking up spaces in various areas of the living room. Very reminiscent of my modded Martin Logan CLS IIz electrostats.
Unfortunately I went through Hell to get to these babies up and running. Had an undiagnosed issue which kept forcing the speakers into Standby Mode. So after sending the internal amplifiers off to a registered Bang & Olufsen repair centre; it turned out that the problem was caused by a loose connection on the long jumper wires that connect to the individual drive units. This was fixed by wrapping some PVC tape tightly around the bunch of wires at the point where they protrude out of the connector plug.
The other issue I had was that the internal settings were incorrect and off kilter. Bass and treble potentiometers were set too high, resulting in excessive brightness and slightly distorted bass. However this was sorted out after I reduced the levels
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Congratulations on the great result! Have you also tried modding the B & O electronics? I’ve always been a fan of their components. I’ve seen a number of utube channels on B & O repairs. I used to own the 4002 turntable, but sold it when the arm stopped working.
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Congratulations! I'm happy for you that results met or exceeded expectations. I must admit I'm a little disappointed since there will be no more updates.
JCarney
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NickB
Thanks. I have only modded B&O speakers. Haven’t touched the Beosound hifi units because the internals are extremely complex with multiple PCB’s all wired together. However, I am interested in doing some modifications to my Beosound 4 unit because the circuit board layout is a bit simpler. Might change the capacitors in it, if I can get inside the cabinet lol
JCarney
Thanks. I have not finished the speakers yet because I still have to build the fret covers to replace the existing front grilles. I’ll update on here when I get that done. It will look something like the image below, but with metal slats/fins instead of wood…
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(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240915)
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Here’s what I did with the midrange driver after removing the pointless grill that covered it…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240968)
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Below shows the improved/thicker screws for the woofers. To accommodate them, I had to drill the cabinet holes slightly bigger…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240970)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240971)
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Here is some acoustic wadding that I installed around the bass reflex port. This helps to guide/direct the emanating waves from the woofer through the reflex tube itself ((ESSENTIAL TO BOOST BASS RESPONSE))…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240972)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=240973)
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These are my last speakers…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=241001)
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Congrats on getting them done. How do they sound now?
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These are my last speakers…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=241001)
They look great. It seems like it’s not a heavy speaker. Was wondering if you felt the round base was appropriate/sufficient.
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Congrats on getting them done. How do they sound now?
Below is my description of the sound (copy & pasted from earlier)…
OK so I have just completed the audio modifications to this speaker. Connected them to up to my B&O Beosound 4 hifi unit. After two hours of music playback, I have one word to say…
WWOOWW !!!
Zero cabinet coloration, crazy holographic soundstage with super width, depth, height (basically the walls of my room vanish along with the position of the speakers themselves). Pure and mellow with incredible detail retrieval. Real ‘in the room sound’ with actual instruments taking up spaces in various areas of the living room. Very reminiscent of my modded Martin Logan CLS IIz electrostats.
Unfortunately I went through Hell to get to these babies up and running. Had an undiagnosed issue which kept forcing the speakers into Standby Mode. So after sending the internal amplifiers off to a registered Bang & Olufsen repair centre; it turned out that the problem was caused by a loose connection on the long jumper wires that link up to the individual drive units. This was fixed by wrapping some PVC tape tightly around the bunch of wires where they protrude out of the connector plug.
The other issue I had was that after the modifications; the internal factory settings were incorrect and off kilter. Bass and treble potentiometers were set too high, resulting in excessive brightness and slightly rough/overstrained bass. However this was sorted out after I reduced the levels.
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They look great. It seems like it’s not a heavy speaker. Was wondering if you felt the round base was appropriate/sufficient.
They are very heavy. I struggle to lift just one of them, and I’m a strong guy. The round base is large enough to keep them relatively stable, however they do not have the provision to accommodate thick power cords or interconnects. So to solve this problem I created a solid steel platform for the speaker base to sit on top of, which has a canal cut out, to fit those cables in. This platform also provides the Beolab 1 with a proper foundation which helps to solidify the bass quality.
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They are very heavy. I struggle to lift just one of them, and I’m a strong guy. The round base is large enough to keep them relatively stable, however they do not have the provision to accommodate thick power cords or interconnects. So to solve this problem I created a solid steel platform for the speaker base to sit on top of, which has a canal cut out, to fit those cables in. This platform also provides the Beolab 1 with a proper foundation which helps to solidify the bass quality.
Well, the heavy weight surprised me. A nice solution to the cables. Being very thorough and detail oriented is good!
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:D
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:(So here is an update of the sound quality after at least 200 hours of pure music playback. Every time I have a listening session with these aluminium beasts; it is a bit like going on a rollercoaster ride! There is definitely the feeling that they are taking control of the listening room. These speakers produce a very exciting, wide open soundscape.
The quality of the bass response has taken a very long time to develop to what I now believe is it’s full potential. I would now describe the bass as punchy, full and deep. However; before the speakers had reached the 200 hour mark, the lower registers were very slightly restrained and possibly a little uneven. This issue has now been eradicated, and is no longer audible. The 3D soundstage is super holographic, with superlative width and depth, that comfortably extends far beyond the side and rear walls. I can also hear instruments taking up ghostly spaces, positioned well in front of the speakers, sometimes all the way up to the sides of my ears (DEPENDING ON THE QUALITY OF THE RECORDING). The treble is very well extended right up to the very top octave, stopping just shy before sounding overexposed. The midrange is truly magical with a very addictive ‘hear though’ ability.
In my lifetime I have listened to some seriously decent high end speakers like Martin Logan, Quad electrostats, Sonus Faber, Proac, Lowther, Castle Acoustics, Kef etc etc. However, These modified Beolab 1’s are among the most exciting loudspeakers that I have ever experienced so far. They appear to combine the best qualities of electrostatics (zero cabinet colouration) with the bass punch and grip of traditional box speakers.
I am now entirely convinced that I chose the correct size of bass reflex tubes, which were successfully installed into the front baffles. OK, so after modifications were completed, my recommended settings for the built in midrange, tweeter and woofer potentiometers is displayed below.
MIDRANGE TWEETER WOOFER
6 6 4
The very best results that I achieved, was when I used these modified Beolab 1’s with a traditional B&O Beosound 4 or 3000 hifi unit, connected to an Ifi Zen Blue V2 Bluetooth music receiver. However, when I replaced those with a Beosound Core, the soundstage width definitely becomes narrower, and the excitement factor is slightly reduced. The Beosound 4 is definitely the optimal choice, with the most holographic sound quality, even far exceeding that of the Beosound 3000.
I find it best to set the bass very slightly lower than the treble, in the settings of the Beosound hi-fi unit.
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((Please Note, that the original factory settings of Beolab 1 speakers are below..))
MIDRANGE TWEETER WOOFER
5 3 2
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I replaced the old speaker grille fabric with new grey fret…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=245863)
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I replaced the old speaker grille fabric with new grey fret…
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=245863)
They look great. Congratulations on an excellent result 👍
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They look great. Congratulations on an excellent result 👍
Thanks Nick. I just wanted to make sure that in the future; Beolab 1 owners would have access to the valuable information and knowledge featured in this post, so that they themselves can successfully modify/restore this particular B&O model. However, I seriously doubt that anyone else will go to the same level of obsessive customisation that I did with my Beolab 1’s. Then again, somebody might surprise me.
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Thanks Nick. I just wanted to make sure that in the future; Beolab 1 owners would have access to the valuable information and knowledge featured in this post, so that they themselves can successfully modify/restore this particular B&O model. However, I seriously doubt that anyone else will go to the same level of obsessive customisation that I did with my Beolab 1’s. Then again, somebody might surprise me.
Obsessive customization is good when you get a great result :thumb:
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I have read with big interest your posts on modifying your Beolab 1's :-)
Can you tell the size of the port that you created? diameter and lenght?
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I have read with big interest your posts on modifying your Beolab 1's :-)
Can you tell the size of the port that you created? diameter and lenght?
Sure. There are two ports per speaker. Inner dimensions of each port are…
4.5cm wide
8cm long
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great stuff!
greetings, I'm new in here :)
am about to get a pair of Beolab 1s and this thread is just superb reference!