multicare, Author at Beoworld

Posted on August 27, 2024August 27, 2024 by multicare

BeoGram Cartridge Tracking Weights

B&O cartridges all seem to have different tracking weights so we have compiled a list of them for you. Remember that these are a guide only – on the whole, a little extra weight is better than too little. Too little weight will cause mistracking, distortion and record and stylus wear.

The SP range.

SP6/7 2g
SP8/9 1.2g
SP10 1.2g
SP12 1.2g
SP14 2.0g
SP15 1.0g

The MMCX000/MMC20X ranges

MMC3000 1.2g
MMC4000 1.0g
MMC5000 1.5g
MMC6000 1.0g
MMC10E 1.5g
MMC20S 1.5g
MMC20E 1.5g
MMC20EN 1.2g
MMC20CL 1.0g

The MMC1-5 range

MMC5 1.5g
MMC4 1.2g
MMC3 1.2g
MMC2 1.0g
MMC1 1.0g

Soundsmith cartridges

SMMC4 1.2g

SMMC3 1.2g

SMMC2 1.0g

SMMC1 1.0g

SMMC20E 1.2g

SMMC20EN 1.2g

SMMC20CL 1.0g

SMMC20CL+ 1.0g

The Voice 1.0g (except when specified as medium compliance, when 1.3g)

Posted on August 27, 2024August 27, 2024 by multicare

Dolby Noise Reduction

Dolby Noise Reduction: A brief history of the Compact Cassette

When the cassette tape was first introduced in the early 1960s it did not pretend to be a high-quality format. It was actually developed as a convenient format for voice recording, especially for secretarial work.

In 1970, the arrival of noise reduction for cassettes changed the course of the medium. Dolby B-type both reduced tape hiss significantly and spurred many basic improvements in cassette transports, electronics and tape formulations. Soon the cassette was sounding as good as the LP records of the day and it went on to become an extremely popular and widespread medium for recorded music — one which, even today, continues to provide an unmatched combination of affordable costs, portability, playback versatility and recording capability.

As listeners’ expectations for high-quality playback grew, various improvements on the original Dolby B-type system arose to the challenge. Dolby C-type and S-type noise reduction systems apply the same principles to even more dramatically reduce tape hiss and enhancements like Dolby HX Pro headroom extension improve the quality still further.

Dolby B-type Noise Reduction

Dolby B-type noise reduction is the original Dolby system designed for consumer tape recorders. It is included in all but the least expensive cassette machines today and is used in the preparation of the vast majority of pre-recorded cassettes. It is also incorporated in many stereo VHS videocassette recorded to improve their (mono) linear audio tracks and, in a modified form, in Dolby Surround decoders. Dolby B-type provides 10 dB of noise reduction at the higher frequencies where tape hiss predominates.

Dolby C-type Noise Reduction

Dolby C-type noise reduction was developed to improve the cassette medium still further by providing twice the tape hiss reduction (20 dB) of Dolby B-type. It is offered along with Dolby B-type in a variety of mid-range and premium cassette decks and players. Dolby C-type is also used in many professional VCRs.

Dolby S-type Noise Reduction

Introduced in 1990, Dolby S-type is based upon the principles of the professional Dolby SR (Spectral Recording) process. It not only provides still more tape hiss reduction (24 dB), but also reduces low-frequency noise by 10 dB. Thus, it permits recording high-level signals at the frequency extremes more accurately and cleanly. In listening tests it compares very favourably with CD recordings, with most listeners judging the quality of Dolby S-type encoded tapes as comparable with or in some cases superior to the playback quality of the CD. Dolby S-type is still steadily gaining momentum and is being incorporated first in state-of-the-art decks for the most discerning listeners.

Dolby HX Pro

Not a noise reduction system, Dolby HX Pro makes it possible to record loud musical passages with fewer high-frequency losses and less distortion. It is available in better cassette decks and is also widely used by the recording industry to improve the quality of pre-recorded cassettes through its process of reducing the effects of tape saturation. As no encoding of the signal takes place, no playback decoding circuitry is required to realize the benefits of Dolby HX Pro.

Dolby Headphone Stereo is a new, powerful, digital signal processing system that was developed in 2002 to recreate the sound from each audio channel as if it were being played back from a speaker placed in an acoustically-designed room. In effect, Dolby Headphone Stereo creates virtual loudspeakers in a virtual room. The result is much more dynamic, listening experience: a more natural way of listening to music. Dolby Headphone has the technology to offer three impressive ‘Listening rooms’ which are controlled from the main unit or the in-line remote control they offer. These are:

The Studio: replicates the music played in a small acoustically-damped room, giving perfect sound

Live: recreates a more open live sound as if you were listening to your favourite band on tour

Dome: gives the impression of hearing music in a Large concert hall. Without having to be there

Dolby Headphone FAQs:

1. What is Dolby Headphone?

Dolby Headphone is a signal-processing system that enables ordinary stereo headphones to portray the sound of a five-speaker surround playback system. It does this by virtualising the sound of up to five speakers properly set in a good listening room. It can also be used to simulate a two-speaker stereo system

2. Do I need to use any particular type of headphone?

No, Dolby Headphone works well with all types of headphones, from the inexpensive headsets the airlines provide to high-end electrostatics. However, as with speakers, the better the headphones the better the overall sound

3. Is the “.1” channel on 5.1-channel material reproduced by Dolby Headphone?

Yes. During playback of 5.1 material, the low-frequency effects “.1” channel is mixed into the left and right channels prior to Dolby Headphone processing

4. Does Dolby Headphone require any special adjustments to my system?

No. Dolby Headphone works well for all listeners with normal hearing without the need for any individual adjustments or fine-tuning. This is a significant advantage over previous attempts at virtualising the sound of speakers in a room over headphones where the effect could be quite different from person to person. You will, however, need a system capable of processing audio with Dolby Headphone

5. Can Dolby Headphone be used with DVD-Audio?

Yes. Dolby Headphone can be used with any multi-channel format after it has been decoded back to PCM, including multi-channel music programmes encoded with MLP Lossless on DVD-Audio discs. This means that music lovers will be able to enjoy one of the most exciting features of DVD-Audio on the road as well as at home. For this reason, Dolby Headphone could well give added impetus to broader acceptance of this new super-high-fidelity format

6. What is Dolby Headphone Stereo?

Two-channel stereo products such as CD, MiniDisc, and MP3 and AAC players will feature a two-channel-only version of Dolby Headphone, indicated by the Dolby Headphone Stereo logo. On stereo material, just like multi-channel material, Dolby Headphone gives you a much more natural and less fatiguing listening experience, equivalent to a good two-speaker playback system in a room with good acoustics

7. Does Dolby Headphone create “surround” from stereo programmes?

No, Dolby Headphone does not synthesise quasi-surround from conventional stereo programmes. Think of Dolby Headphone simply as the virtual equivalent of a five-speaker system for multi-channel programmes and as a two-speaker system for stereo material. Just as with your actual speakers, what you hear depends upon how the material was recorded and what kind of surround decoding your playback system incorporates (if any)

8. Does Dolby Headphone work with processors that do create a surround effect?

Yes. Just like a multi-channel speaker system, Dolby Headphone can be used in conjunction with processors that are intended to give a surround effect on stereo material. For example, Dolby Surround Pro Logic II, the latest Dolby multi-channel matrix decoder, provides a wider, more enveloping sound field on many conventional stereo recordings, which Dolby Headphone (in its five-channel mode) will reproduce to great effect

9. I’ve heard that some airlines are showing movies with soundtracks that are pre-encoded with Dolby Headphone. Will I be able to get these movies for playback at home?

Some international airlines offer the benefits of Dolby Headphone to their passengers by showing films with soundtracks that have been specially pre-encoded with the Dolby Headphone process. This eliminates the need to add playback processors to their in-flight entertainment systems. However, there are no plans at this time to offer films with Dolby Headphone pre-encoded tracks to consumers

About Dolby Noise Reduction

While they differ in the details of their operation and the degree of noise reduction they provide, all three Dolby noise reduction systems answer the same question: how can noise be reduced without harming the music?

Unlike simple noise filters, Dolby Noise Reduction systems make no attempt to remove noise once it has been mixed in with the music. Rather, it prevents noise from being added to the music as it is recorded in the first place.

This two-step process first encodes the music when it is recorded and then decodes it when the tape is played back. This is why the Dolby noise reduction system in a cassette recorder should be switched on both when you record a cassette and when you play it back.

In recording, the Dolby NR circuit makes the quiet parts of the music (which are most susceptible to noise), louder than normal. When the encoded tape is played back, the Dolby NR circuit is switched around to in turn lower the previously boosted parts of the music.

This automatically lowers any noise added to the music by the recording process and it restores the music to its original form so that nothing is changed or lost but the noise.

As simple as it sounds in theory, highly sophisticated technology is used in all Dolby NR systems to ensure their unique combination of effective noise reduction and freedom from side effects.

Posted on August 27, 2024August 27, 2024 by multicare

Auto Dolby

The Dolby noise reduction system was invented to reduce tape noise in professional systems and called the ‘Dolby A’ system.

A later system to reduce noise in domestic cassette recorders was known as ‘Dolby B’. Later, to improve performance in cassette recorders, the improved Dolby C noise reduction system was introduced. For cassette recorders it meant that a tape could be recorded either without noise reduction: with either Dolby B or Dolby C noise reduction systems.

For the consumer it meant that the noise reduction system used during recording needed to be noted in some way for later playback, utilising the same noise reduction system. However, if a tape was recorded with two different noise reduction systems on different parts of the tape, identification became even more complex for replay.

To make things easier for the user, Bang & Olufsen developed and introduced a system to automatically set the noise reduction type on replay, without any user intervention. The system was named ‘Auto Dolby’. Any tape recorded on a recorder equipped with the Auto Dolby system would playback correctly on any other recorder with Auto Dolby system, even if the tape contained recordings using different noise reduction on different parts of the tape.

The system worked by superimposing subsonic tones within the signal to be recorded, with different tones used for Dolby C and for Dolby B. Being subsonic, these tones had no influence on the recorded signal during playback. However, the electronics built into the Auto Dolby circuit detected these signals and switched to the correct noise reduction setting. If no noise reduction was used, no tones were recorded and no noise reduction circuit was set on playback.

This simple system relieved the user from the chore of noting the noise reduction system used for each recording and switching to the correct system during playback, or alternatively, of listening to the recording using an incorrect noise reduction setting.

Posted on August 27, 2024August 27, 2024 by multicare

Dolby HX-Pro

When tape recording was in its infancy, the signal to be recorded was fed directly to the recording amplifiers and then on to tape. But it was soon discovered that distortion could be reduced by adding a ‘bias’ to the signal – at first in the form of a DC signal added to the signal to be recorded and then later a high frequency AC signal. The frequency of the bias signal is always substantially higher than the highest frequency to be recorded and thus does not interfere with the audible signal.

It was also found that the level of the bias signal is critical to the recording of high frequencies and therefore to the frequency response of the recording. Traditionally, the bias signal level was set at the factory before the tape deck is shipped and remained fixed in use. The level chosen is a compromise for different kinds of music in the judgement of the manufacturer and is different for each brand; and often different for each model within a single brand. The optimum bias level had been the subject of debate between experts for a long time.

Engineers at Dolby Laboratories suspected that the high frequency content of the music itself had an influence on the frequency response of the recording and launched a system called HX (headroom extension). This was a complex feed forward system that measured the frequency content of the music, calculated the bias required and added this level of bias to the input signal. While the system functioned better than a fixed bias system, it was not the optimal solution.

Jørgen Selmer Jensen of Bang & Olufsen also had his suspicions about the nature of the bias and its influence on frequency response. But he took a different approach to correcting the problem and in the process got a bonus in performance. He deduced that the high frequencies of the music being recorded were in fact acting as additional bias for the music itself and thus degrading performance. Experimenting with various kinds of music, he devised an algorithm for the bias equivalent added by the high frequency content of the input signal. It was then a relatively simple matter to construct a feedback system that reduced the bias by precisely this amount, on a real time basis. This had the effect of making the frequency response of the recorder linear, once the static bias had been set in the factory, irrespective of the kind of music being recorded.

The system was found to give an added bonus in use. The undistorted signal level that can be recorded on tape is also dependant on the level of the bias mixed with the audio signal, and was also a part of the factory setting compromise. With HX-Pro it was found that a very much higher level could be recorded, with low levels of distortion. In fact even when the tape was overloaded, the rise in distortion was small compared to recorders with a fixed bias level.

This system was launched with a license to Dolby Laboratories, who would market the system as Dolby HX-Pro, and has been used for many years not only in cassette recorders, but also in the professional recorder field.

Posted on August 26, 2024August 27, 2024 by multicare

Masterlink

BeoLab 3500

BeoLab 3500 is an integrated link room speaker consisting of an active speaker with Master Link (ML) connection, an IR receiver and a display. BeoLab 3500 also has Master Control Link (MCL) connection. Furthermore, BeoLab 3500 has a built-in clock. BeoLab 3500 is supplied with a mains lead, a Master Link cable and a bracket for wall mounting.

Application: BeoLab 3500 is used in link rooms where you wish to have an integrated active speaker. From BeoLab 3500 it’s possible to listen to all sources from the main room, both audio and video sources. BeoLab 3500 has built-in sound control, meaning that tone and volume can be adjusted independently of the main room. With the tone control it is possible to adjust balance, bass, treble and loudness individually.

BeoLab 3500 offers the following local operation features:

Timer on/off

PLAY / ST.BY

Beolink® Active

Beolink® Active consists of a control box, an IR receiver, a receiver cable and a mains lead. Application Beolink® Active speakers are used in link rooms where active speaker are required. All Bang & Olufsen active speaker may be connected. Beolink® Active has built-in sound control, meaning that tone and volume can be adjusted independently of the main room.

With the tone control it is possible to adjust balance, bass, treble and loudness individually. With a Beolink® Active it is possible to distribute the sound from all main room products – both the video and audio sources.

Beolink® Active offers the following local operation features:

Timer on/off

PLAY / ST.BY

Volume up and down

Beolink® Video

Beolink® Video consists of a control box, a mains lead and a Datalink cable. Apart from this you need an coaxial cable from the HF outlet of the video tape recorder in the main room. This cable is connected to the aerial input of the link room TV.

Application: Beolink® Video is used in link rooms where both sound and picture are required via a Bang & Olufsen TV set. Beolink® Video is connected to the link room TV set by means of the Datalink cable.

With Beolink® Video it is possible to use all the sources in the main room. In particular it is possible to operate SAT and V.TAPE but it is further possible to watch a decoded programme from the TV set in the main room. In addition, it is possible to operate all audio sources, thereby using the speakers in Bang & Olufsen’s TV sets for obtaining audio sound. If you want even greater sound in the room you can connect Bang & Olufsen’s active speaker to the TV set.

Beolink® Video is connected to the TV set by means of the 7-pin Datalink cable and to the main room with a Master Link cable

Beolink® Converter

Beolink® Converter consisted of a control box and a mains lead.

Application: Beolink® Converter was used when audio and video products with Master Link and Audio Aux Link (Datalink) had to be interconnected. Beolink® Converter could be used in conjunction with both a video and an audio master. Beolink® Converter featured auto configuration, meaning that it was able to detect automatically whether it was installed in a Master Link audio or in a Master Link video system. Configuration took place when it was connected to the mains.

Beolink® Converter was used in compatibility setups.

AV9000 Audio Kit

The Beosystem AV 9000 Audio Kit consisted of a control box and a mains lead.

Application: the AV 9000 Audio Kit is used to obtain compatibility between Beosystem AV 9000 and products without Master Link connection. AV 9000 Audio Kit was updated with a built-in power supply when it then featured auto configuration. The AV 9000 Audio Kit can be used in conjunction with Beovision AV 9000 only.

Note that the AV 9000 Audio Kit with switch cannot be used with the new 9-pin Master Link cable

ML/MCL Converter

ML/MCL Converter consisted of a control box and an amplifier.

Application: ML/MCL Converter was used where a conversion from Master Link (ML) to Master Control Link (MCL) was wanted. Such a conversion was required if you wanted to maintain the existing Master Control Link system although the audio system in the main room was replaced with a Master Link driver; for example a BeoSound Ouverture. ML/MCL Converter could also be used in conjunction with a Beosystem AV 9000 with an AV 9000 Master Panel.

Posted on August 26, 2024August 27, 2024 by multicare

Datalink

Getting the message through

Datalink was the first digital language developed by Bang & Olufsen and allowed various components of a music system to work in conjunction with each other. It used the addition of two extra pins to a standard 5-pin DIN plug via which a digital code was sent. It was a way whereby products could ‘talk to each other’. Datalink is the forerunner of Beolink®.

The DIN connector has two pins for control signals, one pin as an audio ‘common’, two pins for stereo ‘in’ and two more pins for stereo ‘out’. The control pins are referred to as Datalink pins and these carry signals to do the following:

* transfer program-location data to the primary component to show up on the primary unit’s console, two-way remote controls, display-equipped BeoLab speakers or Beovision TVs that are installed in other rooms and part of their Beolink ‘multi-room’ audio-video infrastructure

* ‘open up’ the audio inputs on the Beomaster or BeoCenter if the local ‘PLAY’ key is pressed on the unit

* accept control signals to control the device from either the primary unit or a remote control

The original idea was seen in a prototype system called Beosystem 6000 which comprised a stereo receiver, stereo tangential tracking turntable and an advanced auto reverse reel to reel tape recorder. This system was never put into production but styling cues from the Beomaster led to the Beomaster 6000 quad receiver, the record player became the Beogram 4000 but the Beocord was dropped after only 6 examples were made. The idea of each component being able to talk to each other was postulated but no system was put into production based on this design.

The first production model with any type of link system was the Beomaster 2400 which, when connected to a Beogram 4004, allowed remote control of the Beogram via an ultrasonic remote control. Unlike previous systems, all the major controls on the Beogram and the Beomaster were electronic and hence suitable for remote operation. The system was later to include a radial Beogram as well, the Beogram 2402. This system however was a one off and was incompatible with later versions of Datalink. The Beogram and receiver were connected via a captive 7-pin lead on the Beogram.

Datalink first was seen in its full glory in the BeoLab 8000 system in 1981. Unlike the earlier system, full remote control of all the different sources was now possible, with play, record, cueing, programme selection and volume control all possible at the press of a single button on an infra red remote control. The system also allowed one to press a start button on any of the sources which would switch on the Beomaster or vice versa. All the sources were attached to the Beomaster by 7-pin DIN leads. An important point was that the Beomaster remained the hub of the system with all commands from the remote control travelling via the infra red receiver on the Beomaster and Datalink being the messenger to the source.

The system was refined over the years and eventually allowed all functions to be controlled remotely as seen in the Beosystem 7000. These days, the system has fallen into disuse but the language continues in a different guise as MasterLink. No longer speaking between components in a single audio system, MasterLink connects systems together. Older systems can still communicate with the aid of the 1611 converter which translates Datalink to the newer codes.

Products with Datalink:

BeoMaster

2000**
4500
7000
2400 / 2400-2
5000
8000
3000
5500
3300
6000
3500
6500

BeoCord

2000
5000
6500***
8004
3300
5500 ***
7000 ***
9000
3500
6000
8000
4500
6002
8002

BeoCord VCR

VHS 91
VHS 91.2

BeoGram

1900/1902
4500
6002*
9000
2000
5000
6006
9500
3000
5005
6500
3300
5500
7000
3500
6000*
8000
4002
6000
8002

BeoGram CD

3300
5500
3500
6500
4500
7000
CD50

BeoCenter

2300
9000
2500
9300
8000
9500
8500

BeoSound

4000/Ouverture

Notes:

* Datalink communication in the Beogram 6000/6002 is one-way, which means that pressing /PLAY/ on Beogram 6000/6002 will not start the Beomaster/Beocenter

** Beomaster 2000 cannot be operated by remote control

*** Beocord 5500/6500/7000 have some special functions, for example tape counter and adjustment of recording level via remote control, which can be only operated with Beomaster 5500 and MCP5500

Posted on August 26, 2024August 27, 2024 by multicare

Struer – a Town in the Making

Struer is a market town by Limfjorden in the western part of Jutland. Struer is one of the youngest towns in Denmark (founded 1917) and currently has around 19 000 inhabitants. A Danish newspaper once named it the ‘stockbroker belt’ of western Jutland.

Its marina is the largest in Limfjorden with its industrial harbour (from 1856) being the second largest after Aalborg. The city is well known because of the Bang & Olufsen’s predominance in the town.

The city of Struer owes its growth to the railroad, which arrived in 1865 with Jutland’s first railroad line from Århus/Randers over Viborg to Skive and Struer. Before its arrival Struer was a little town, that primarily functioned as a harbour for the residents of Holstebro; but after its arrival the town grew explosively into a big city, and eventually became one of Denmark’s most important railway connection points. Although the station has been expanded several times, the central part of the well-maintained building is one of Denmark’s oldest stations.

Fact – Struer received privileged status as a merchant town in 1917.

Until the end of the 1960s Struer Station served as the headquarters for the central West Jutland administration of DSB, Danske Statsbaner (“Danish State Railways”). More than 300 DSB employees still work in Struer today.

Fact – Bang & Olufsen, Denmark’s only radio/TV manufacturer today, is the city’s most important business, and they employ almost a third of the town’s population.

Posted on August 26, 2024August 27, 2024 by multicare

Bang & Olufsen – Museum in Struer

From miniature plans to full-scale development

Bang & Olufsen Museum at Struer, Denmark

The year 2003 saw the continuation of an exciting project launched the previous year, to design and construct a museum dedicated to the technological skills of the company’s workers and its audio-video products which have now been in production in the town for over three-quarters of a century.

The new Bang & Olufsen Museum will be constructed in the centre of the town of Struer – a town synonymous with the company’s history – on Søndergade, at the side of the town’s existing museum.

Pictured – A glimpse into the proposed Bang & Olufsen Museum in Struer, where Jørgen Michaelsen already has placed the first ‘visitors’. The models here depict the company’s products throughout the years. Note the photograph on the rear ‘wall’ showing employees on the steps of the old building at Quistrup

” B&O Museum ready in miniature. Negotiations about Bang-Foundation’s gift to Struer municipality begin today, Tuesday.

When plans of the gift were revealed in April they were in the form of architect Freddy Nielsen’s drawings, but since then, the former B&O employee, architect Jørgen Michaelsen Venø, has created a miniature of the Project adding to it the latest expansion schemes. It turned out to be necessary to get more room for the museum’s workshops; expanding the lowest levels by a couple of hundred square metres has solved the problem.

The museum will be underground, only a metre of the top level and the glass roof will be visible on the lawn between the Struer Museum and Buchholtz’s house in Søndergade. The museum will be on three levels with underground connections to existing museum buildings.

The project will cost an estimated 10 million DDK, but the Board of the Kirsten and Peter Bang Foundation is willing to pay. The Board consists of Kirsten and Peter Bang’s four children, Jens, Lotte, Peter and Dorte, and they gathered on Friday to approve the expansion of the project. It is now up to the Struer municipality to play its part of the project in these times of savings. It will have to buy half of the property at Søndergade 21. The house must be demolished to make room for the museum, but the municipality already owns the other half of the property.

The municipality will also have to pay for the part of the museum that will be placed under the northern wing of Struer Museum, where the connection to the B&O Museum will be. In addition to this they will also pay for the necessary facilities in the museum and its daily operation.

There is no doubt that a B&O museum of this standard will generate profit by virtue of increased tourism – it is not everyday that the municipality is offered a gift worth 10 million DDK, thereby recouping the municipality’s original outlay.

Architect Jørgen Michaelsen was a former leader of Bang & Olufsen’s Shop Design department. Before retirement he was involved in exhibition model-making. This talent has been utilised more recently for the proposed Bang & Olufsen Museum in Struer. Shown here, Michaelson presents the result of his efforts to Lars Peter Bang, who manages the Museum Project on behalf of the Bang-foundation.

Posted on August 26, 2024August 27, 2024 by multicare

Bang & Olufsen Repair – Multicare Electronics

Bang & Olufsen Classic Service Centre

Being part of the Bang & Olufsen Classic Service Alliance, our ambition is to give new life to cherished classics. We as a Classic Service Centre have a service team of dedicated, technical specialists that are among the best and most experienced within our field. Building on a network of knowledge and expertise, we provide services to any of your classic Bang & Olufsen products, ranging from repair and restoration to system integration and individual custom solutions.

Handing in a cherished product, which may have played an important part of your life for many years, means trust, hope and expectation of a carefully selected specialist. Please be assured that we are as passionate about your beloved classic Bang & Olufsen product as you are, and we will do our utmost for it to remain a valued part of your home. Please do not hesitate to contact us for an evaluation of the services and solutions we are able to offer for your product or complete setup.

We dedicate our work to bringing new life to your cherished classic products. Our team of experienced service specialists provides product repair and restoration for products outside the regular service period, integration between legacy and new systems as well as custom solutions such as upgrade to newer technologies. Over the years, we have built a stock of spare parts for legacy products, and in close collaboration with Bang & Olufsen, we are able to source certain scarce parts even today. Our extensive expertise also allows us to develop hand-crafted, alternative repair solutions to keep your beloved classic Bang & Olufsen products alive.

Posted on August 26, 2024August 26, 2024 by multicare

Bang & Olufsen – Struer Headquarters

multicare

Creating a dialogue between technology & Nature

The new Bang & Olufsen Headquarters in Struer, Denmark are affectionately known as ‘The Farm’ and were designed by Jan Sondergaard MAA of KHR Architects in 1997. It opened for business the year later. The building covers a total area of 1121 square metres and provides a working area of 5131 square metres.

‘The Farm’ is one of the most distinctive and talked-about Danish buildings with hybrid ventilation. The building is ventilated with the help of natural airflow when possible, and supplemented mechanically with helping fans when the natural pressure from wind and convection isn’t enough.

The building has three floors with a collective height of 12 meters. The floors are fitted with a large open office and a number of directors’ offices in addition to washrooms, elevators and the like. The north façade is outfitted in clear glass. The idea behind the construction is high quality with a minimum of technical mechanisms, which to the highest degree possible are hidden.

The building is ventilated according to the principle of displacement, where lighter, cool air is brought into the lowest parts, and pushes heat and pollution upwards, where the air is sucked out or expelled into the attic. The air exits the building via two vents through the large axial fans. The fans remain stationary when the natural air pressure is sufficient, and at other times are regulated by the air quality in the building in the form of CO2 concentration. During the night, the fans can also be used for night cooling in periods of warm weather, by which the building’s solid parts are used to accumulate warmth during the daylight hours and radiate it back during the night. By this means the temperature during the day is reduced during the hot summertime, and one avoids using mechanical cooling.

Aalborg University has been involved in a number of target programs at the B&O building. The building has also been a “participant” in many Danish energy research studies and a number of international research projects.

The design of ‘The Farm’ was inspired by the solitary farmhouses typical of the area. The new main building and its courtyard form a sheltered space with an unfettered view of all activities. Like its historic models, the building makes an effort to create a dialogue between the function and technology of manmade structures and the poetic dimension of the surrounding landscape.

KHR and Jan Sondergaard have recieved many awards and accolades including First Prize in the Architechture for Humanity competition, beating entries from around the world