The 8000 is of course an oddity as it has no normal motor, instead using a linear induction coil - therefore the rumble is minimal and the bearing is also a good one. However the point about belt drive is a good one. A lot of the figures in Hi-Fi are beyond what a normal person can distinguish and therefore are often simply about beating the competition

There is a hardware fix for this certainly. There was also a special Beo4 around which could be used - advertised on a now defunct site - we thought of buying one but, as is often the case, never quite got round to it.

Completely true - the last of the tangentials had the best figures. However if you listen to them, the story is different. The wow and flutter on the 8000 type decks is still of course far superior, though what bearing this has is debatable. As with most figures, above a certain level, the numbers are not important, but your ears are! It is like modern

The volume control has always done that - the remote works fine and the knob responds to a little rotate once in a while! Tim looked at it a couple of years ago - cannot remember why! On the whole they do better when used!

I would get Axel to make you a new one - he can do you an elliptical one like an SP8/9 which will be better than the 7 or the 14. He can probably simply retip the one you have. He did the one for my Beogram 3000 Thorens with SP2 cartridge.

Can be very stiff! Afraid you just have to pull! The cartridge body seems pretty tough! Make sure the screw is undone!

I run a Beomaster 5500 and BGCD5500 with an external Musical Fidelity X-Can v3 headphone amp. I use Grado RS1 headphones. Just had a listening session comparing the two - internal amp of 5500 and v3. To my relatively useless ears, nothing in it!

The only other thing is that it actually ran pretty cool when I had it. I wonder if a variable resistor is going - is one side hotter than the other?

I would guess a solder joint. If it my old 8000, it had a new set of capacitors and variable resistors - can't remember when but I think I sent the service invoice up with it.

It is a wonderful B&O museum - Lee and I were lucky enough to be accompanied by Frede when we went there and had a superb time. Lots of early equipment but also later products. Highlights included the system made for the royal family - just beautifully made. A disappointment (relative!) for me was seeing the Beocord 5000 reel to reel was just a