Bang & Olufsen RL45 speakers - any use?

[RobinBanks]

My dad has just told me that he has a pair of these speakers in his garage and he's doing a clearout and asked if I want them.

Are they any use? What can I connect them to? Is there any chance of a 3.5mm jack to plug into my laptop/MP3?

Specs and info is here:

http://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=656

[GoodDoc]

RobinBanks said:

My dad has just told me that he has a pair of these speakers in his garage and he's doing a clearout and asked if I want them.

Are they any use? What can I connect them to? Is there any chance of a 3.5mm jack to plug into my laptop/MP3?

Specs and info is here:

http://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=656

They are stand alone passive speakers so you'll need a amp, but a quick look at the specs suggest you should be okay to drive them from a standard stereo amp (45W RMS @ 8Ω) which will be more than happy with a 3.5mm line level input.

Just bare in mind that they could be up to 30 years old and with paper cones the drivers may not be in great condition, especially after being sat unused in a garage. They're not particularly special but they are rather stylish so I'd definitely want to get them hooked up to something and see what they sound like.

[RobinBanks]

I remember him using them when I was a kid and I've always thought they were really cool so I'll give it a go to get them up running!
I have this which I never use but can take a 3.5mm connection from my laptop:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-CMT-BX70DBi-Micro-Sys...

would that be able to drive the speakers? I've already worked out a spot for them in my house. Of course, if it turns out the sound is awful then I will probably bin them.

[GoodDoc]

RobinBanks said:

I remember him using them when I was a kid and I've always thought they were really cool so I'll give it a go to get them up running!
I have this which I never use but can take a 3.5mm connection from my laptop:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-CMT-BX70DBi-Micro-Sys...

would that be able to drive the speakers? I've already worked out a spot for them in my house. Of course, if it turns out the sound is awful then I will probably bin them.

It looks like that Sony can deliver 25W RMS @ 6Ω so it should be okay, and fine to work out if the speakers are actually working, maybe keep the volume down though.

If they aren't working it should be possible to get replacement drivers. Probably not the same as the original drivers but there was some cleverness in the design of the RL45's enclosure so if you like them you could probably resurrect them.

[eliot]

Aren't these supposed to bring old speakers into the modern age:
http://www.thevamp.co.uk

[GoodDoc]

eliot said:

Aren't these supposed to bring old speakers into the modern age:
http://www.thevamp.co.uk

Yes, but it's mono only and only supports a bluetooth connection. Also, I can't find specs for the amp, and it's £50!

I use one of these to power some old Mission 731 speakers;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LHB3KYE

It uses a wired input rather than bluetooth, but it's stereo and it sounds surprisingly good, and a hell of a lot better than it's £20 price might suggest.

[RobinBanks]

Thanks for the replies, very helpful!

I know absolutely nothing about this stuff.

I'll dig the Sony out and see if there is sound and if it's any good

[ecotec]

GoodDoc said:

Yes, but it's mono only and only supports a bluetooth connection. Also, I can't find specs for the amp, and it's £50!

I use one of these to power some old Mission 731 speakers;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LHB3KYE

It uses a wired input rather than bluetooth, but it's stereo and it sounds surprisingly good, and a hell of a lot better than it's £20 price might suggest.

i've got one of these lepai amps and they are great for the price, I upgraded the dodgy psu though

[GoodDoc]

ecotec said:

i've got one of these lepai amps and they are great for the price, I upgraded the dodgy psu though

The PSU does feel like an after thought, like they just bunged any old 12V 2A DC power supply in the box. Mine does work but had US plug on the end and an adapter. What did you replace yours with? I didn't have a suitable PSU to hand and didn't want to spend £5-£10 for a new PSU on a £20 amp.

[RobinBanks]

I'll get the speakers tested with the Sony and then if that all goes ok, I will probably get that amp which I will bolt to the inside of the drawer in my desk.

Hopefully this weekend or next I can give them a go.

[RobinBanks]

Right....

He has just called me to say that after all he has decided to get a new system entirely, so what I can have instead is a pair of Bang & Olufsen Beovox CX100 speakers:
http://beophile.com/?page_id=1472


They're just like the tall black ones but in aluminium plain finish instead.

These are the ones he bought to replace the Redline 45s about 15 years ago.

I can see that these are supposed to be 100 watt speakers. Can anyone recommend a cheap amp?
I know that these ones work fine because he was using them a few weeks ago when I was there - he's still using them until he gets his new set.

I just need a reasonably cheap (but not awful) amp to sit out of the way that I can plug into my laptop.
I'd choose something myself but I'd probably blow them up

[GoodDoc]

RobinBanks said:

I can see that these are supposed to be 100 watt speakers. Can anyone recommend a cheap amp?
I know that these ones work fine because he was using them a few weeks ago when I was there - he's still using them until he gets his new set.

I just need a reasonably cheap (but not awful) amp to sit out of the way that I can plug into my laptop.
I'd choose something myself but I'd probably blow them up

What amp is your Dad using the CX100s at the moment?

The CX100s are rated at 100W peak, so the nominal rating will be less. I use that cheap Lepy linked above with Mission 731 speakers. The amp is rated at 20 watt continuous (so it can "peak" higher) and the speakers are rated at 25-75 watts and it works fine (but I don't crank it up to fill the room), so for minimal investments I'd start there and see how well it works.

Edited by GoodDoc on Wednesday 5th August 02:30

[RobinBanks]

GoodDoc said:

What amp is your Dad using the CX100s at the moment?

The CX100s are rated at 100W peak, so the nominal rating will be less. I use that cheap Lepy linked above with Mission 731 speakers. The amp is rated at 20 watt continuous (so it can "peak" higher) and the speakers are rated at 25-75 watts and it works fine (but I don't crank it up to fill the room), so for minimal investments I'd start there and see how well it works.

Edited by GoodDoc on Wednesday 5th August 02:30

Thanks, that's what I was checking. I don't know how to match them at all. I'm not a big music person but I would like it to sound nice enough. It won't be loud drum and bass - I listen to pretty relaxed stuff and the odd film.

At the moment I think he's just using a Panasonic AM/FM/cassette/LP/CD enormous box thing that he's had since about 1984. He bought the first set of speakers because when I was about 2 I kicked a hole through one of the original Panasonic ones

In the same incident I also broke one of the equalizer sliders by pushing a 2p coin in. You can still see the coin.

[GoodDoc]

RobinBanks said:

It won't be loud drum and bass - I listen to pretty relaxed stuff and the odd film.

That's fortunate as the reviews of the CX100s suggest they weren't the greatest speakers for bass aficionados, but are decent bookshelf speakers.

RobinBanks said:

At the moment I think he's just using a Panasonic AM/FM/cassette/LP/CD enormous box thing that he's had since about 1984.

A model number would be great but I suspect that cheap Lepy amp will be a good starting point for driving the CX100s.

[RobinBanks]

GoodDoc said:

A model number would be great but I suspect that cheap Lepy amp will be a good starting point for driving the CX100s.

I would've thought the Panasonic is below, but this'll probably be the first time they've played digital media. He really only uses cassettes, LPs, AM and FM.

And I'm not a hard user, they're unlikely to even be used more than once a week for a bit of online radio and the occasional MP3 or film. The amp you suggested should be fine, I just wanted to make sure it would drive them (I saw 25w on the amp and 100w on the speakers and I wasn't sure if they'd be suitable together)

[ManFromDelmonte]

This is about the best bang for buck amp that will sound decent.

If those speakers don't work then you'll havea huge range of others that will sounds great.

http://www.richersounds.com/product/amplifiers-rec...

[RobinBanks]

That does look pretty good.

For the time being I will probably stick with the Sony thing I have and see how it sounds and how I get on with it for the time being

[GoodDoc]

RobinBanks said:

And I'm not a hard user, they're unlikely to even be used more than once a week for a bit of online radio and the occasional MP3 or film. The amp you suggested should be fine, I just wanted to make sure it would drive them (I saw 25w on the amp and 100w on the speakers and I wasn't sure if they'd be suitable together)

Not all watts are created equal, and the same amp will have very different peak and continuous wattage ratings. That Lepy amp can deliver a continuous 20w all day long, but as music will have quite and loud moments the amp will happily deliver less or more power when required. The danger is running a low power amp and high power speakers at high volume, the amp will struggle and unpleasantness can occur.

For 'normal' listening I suspect the 20w amp will be fine with the speakers' "Long Time Power Output per Channel 100 Watts" (which is a term I hadn't heard before, I can't decide if that's a nominal or peak rating). That Lepy amp probably shouldn't form the basis of a sound system for a party but for casual listening with traditional bookshelf speakers I'm sure it will be fine. That's exactly what I use mine for.

[GoodDoc]

ManFromDelmonte said:

This is about the best bang for buck amp that will sound decent.

If those speakers don't work then you'll havea huge range of others that will sounds great.

http://www.richersounds.com/product/amplifiers-rec...

For comparison, both the £20 Lepy and the £80 Cambridge have a claimed 20w @ 8Ω. Of course the Cambridge will have a much better power supply, has multiple inputs and looks a hell of a lot nicer, but if you only need a single source I think the cheap amp is hard to beat.

[ManFromDelmonte]

GoodDoc said:

ManFromDelmonte said:

This is about the best bang for buck amp that will sound decent.

If those speakers don't work then you'll havea huge range of others that will sounds great.

http://www.richersounds.com/product/amplifiers-rec...

For comparison, both the £20 Lepy and the £80 Cambridge have a claimed 20w @ 8?. Of course the Cambridge will have a much better power supply, has multiple inputs and looks a hell of a lot nicer, but if you only need a single source I think the cheap amp is hard to beat.

Fair enough.

In reality I think I would be looking at eBay for something similar second hand.