I've just picked up a Beocenter 4600 from Ebay. It was advertisied as having sticky buttons but otherwise OK but having got it here, it's pretty far gone. Only the right channel works, the tonearm doesn't lift enough and hits the side of the record, the cassette goes round but makes no sound and as far as I can tell, MW/LW are dead (not bothered aboutthat so much). And yes, most buttons are very sticky.

Is it worth spending much money getting it serviced/repaired? Just thought I'd ask before going back to the vendor and pointing out the ad should have mentioned all these issues! Thanks.

Tricky as you might not get back what the service costs should you ever want to part with it again. Unlike some pieces of B&O equipment, this one is relatively unloved so it doesn't command a high price. The question is, therefore, how much do you think of this item and does that outweigh the rational vocie that says it's not worth spending money on???

Well I only paid £26 for it including S35 speakers so the cost so far is fairly minor. I suppose the issue is, if I did spend the money, is a fully working 4600 worth it sound wise or is it just 'OK'. Obviously, at 30 odd years old, it's all relative but despite admiring B&O from afar for many years, this is the first actual bit of kit I've owned so I'm tryinbg to guage the cost/reward if that makes sense!

The turntable should be easy to fix, it's most probably the standard lubrication issue of the lifting pin, shared by all B&O players that have the same kind of mechanism.

Sticky keys themselves are also a simple problem of cleaning them - the hard part is getting the front panel off so you can do it, and back on. Reserve plenty of coffee/beer/smokes, and keep any minors outside hearing range...

The power amp may have a blown output transistor(s), or some other issue - but it will need real electrical work (try both speaker outputs first, it could be only a defective speaker switch).

Dunno about the cassette, I have no experience with that (only had a BC2800).

All in all, you should at least negotiate a good discount due to the unmentioned problems - which doesn't help much though if it was a bargain to begin with. From what I remember, mine was a pretty good tuner and the amplifier is a well performing design as well. So the value in use is OK, but can't really say whether paying someone to fix it will be worthwhile. You could probably get a better working unit for not much money.

It's a tough one as getting this type of stuff fixed can be a hassle, as there are so few people to do the work, and this is usually done in their spare time as a hobby so it takes time and patience to bring these things back into service. From my point of view I wouldn't bother, as there isn't much in my opinion to commend the 4600 over and above some of the other bargains you could probably pick up on eBay for under £50 that need repair.

That's my opion though, and if you really like it then you should try and get some money back from the seller and then put this towards repairs. I wouldn't have thought any repairs would break the bank - it all depends on whether you feel the balance is that you want this piece of B&O in particular, or that you want some B&O in general!

Welcome to Beoworld!

I had a very similar decision to make when I first started buying B&O, I paid £16 for  beocentre 5000 with a host of problems and some Beoox S45-2 speakers in very tatty condition.

I ended up cutting my losses on the Beocentre and buying a Beocentre 7000 and I still feel it was the right decision. Unless you have a strong prefeference to the 4600 over other Beocentres you can buy an alternative model (e.g. Beoocentre 5000/7000/7002/7007/7700)  in full working order for less than the cost of repairing the 4600. In the meantime have a listen to the speakers connected to some of your other kit ( 2-pin DIN adapters available from eBay/Maplin etc.) and consider keeping them.

I restored and recapped my S45-2's and have them  in daily use 3 years later so I still got my money's worth! You should  retain the cartridge from the 4600 if it is working  as that is worth £26 or more on it's own if it is in full working order.

Simon

The 4600 was surprisingly good. The radio tuner was the 1500 which is in may ways a shrunk down 4400 and the record player was the 1900 type of deck which is a good performer. They sell for next to nothing - as you found ! - if it came with a cartridge, you got a bargain!

Could well be one to learn how to service as you will not lose much! The only problem is that it is quite large with lots of bits! You will never get your money back on this type of B&O - even in perfect condition, not worth much.

Let's be honest - it's not one of the best looking B&O products, and as most of us know, we like the marriage of form and function that B&O gives us...

Thanks everyone for your comments. I think I'll sell off the nearly new cart and pretty good condition speakers and write the rest off. Might even try and offer the main unit for spares on Ebay - can't hurt!

One to put down to experience!