not sure what to do with B&O speakers

ritcH · 13 Jan 2015 at 09:19

My grandad just gave me an old B&O system which comes with the Beovox 6000 RL speakers.

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They were attached to a Beocenter 8000 but it doesn't seem all that functional. It has minimal inputs, tape, CD and radio.

My question is, if I want a unit (sorry don't know the technical terms) that can run the speakers, play my TV through the speakers, allow me to connect iphones or ipads, then what should I get i.e., what type of unit am I looking for and then any recommendations are welcome.

Sorry I don't know anything about this stuff, but I'm about to move in to my own place so may as well start learning.

valve90210 · 13 Jan 2015 at 13:05

B&O use proprietary connectors iirc, so you might struggle...

ritcH · 13 Jan 2015 at 13:12

The input to the speaker is just the standard 2 wires, is that what you mean?

Benihana · 13 Jan 2015 at 13:27

Standard stereo amplifier would be OK then surely?

a1ex2001 · 13 Jan 2015 at 16:05

For your use a bog standard stereo amp will do the trick add a Bluetooth receiver if you want to do the iphone/pad wirelessly

Phate · 13 Jan 2015 at 17:57

Can you put these next to something for scale? I can't decide if these are insanely huge or not

Ben Cole · 13 Jan 2015 at 18:00

Make sure the impedance of the speakers is within tolerance for the amp and they should be fine.

mad_allan · 14 Jan 2015 at 00:04

Phate said:
Can you put these next to something for scale? I can't decide if these are insanely huge or not

Dimensions: W x H x D/Weight: 40.5 x 54 x 18cm / 8.3 kg

lucid · 14 Jan 2015 at 03:01

There's nothing complicated at all about these speakers. They're an 8 Ohm load of low-ish efficiency (86dB) the same as most sub £150 bookshelf speakers. The speaker wire connections are on spring clip terminals that accept bare wire up to 4mm diameter. Power handling is rated up to a shade over 100W.

a1ex2001's suggestion is bang on the money. You need a Hi-Fi amp or Hi-Fi receiver (amp with built-in radio tuner) to provide power to the speakers. iPad/iPhone docks will provide a physical connection if you want something that charges and offers some remote control type functionality. A Bluetooth module is the option for wireless playback.

Amp-wise, anything decent from Cambridge Audio, Teac, Denon, Pioneer, Yamaha etc will do. Power rating depends on which manufacturer is chosen. 20-30 Watts from Cambridge Audio is probably the equivalent of 30-40W from Teac. All will drive the speakers just fine. Budget £80-£200 for a new amp.

ritcH · 14 Jan 2015 at 11:18

Thanks, for the replies, things becoming clearer.

mark2410 · 14 Jan 2015 at 22:39

id say try one of those little yamaha mini hifi bass unit things. amp, cd player, bluetooth input all in one jobs and it or any similar brand should run those things just fine. a standard 3.5mm hp out from the tv to the auk input on the hifi base unit should do you.

cant say how good they will sound as B and O love to make things awkward but must be a huge jump up on your TV speakers.

ritcH · 29 Jan 2015 at 16:08

In the end I went with a Cambridge Audio Azur 651A and Arcam Miniblink Bluetooth DAC. Works well!