I was cruising the ebay, and thought this was a good deal.   They are both working.   Is this a good deal or not?

Well, it depends... there are different levels of "working". If the Beomaster, although "working", needs service as so many of eBay finds end up needing, you may have to invest another $150 for that unless you can do it yourself.

The MCP usually works or it doesn't, but either way, it isn't worth much. Which is a bit silly, since it is the only remote that can operate this receiver, apart from Terminal 5000 which is seldom seen. If the hinges are broken, pass it - they can't be fixed and there will be good ones for sale later.

In the end it is an old receiver with no fixed value. Everything depends on the condition, where it is located and whether somebody else happens to want one at the same time. Just ask yourself how much it would be worth to you...

tournedos:

Well, it depends... there are different levels of "working". If the Beomaster, although "working", needs service as so many of eBay finds end up needing, ....

Indeed.  The seller claims that it's in excellent working condition, and MCP communicates with it.   He's got 100% approval rating.  I think its tuner is actually better than the vaunted BM 8000.

tournedos:

....you may have to invest another $150 for that unless you can do it yourself.

Only $150!   I can live with that.    I found out all these vintage receivers have capacitor issues, so if the caps need to be replaced, I'll just consider it an opportunity to make it better than NOS.

tournedos:

The MCP usually works or it doesn't, but either way, it isn't worth much. 

I've seen MCP fetching pretty steep price, especially when it's working.

tournedos:

In the end it is an old receiver with no fixed value. Everything depends on the condition, where it is located....

Pretty close to where I live, $168 includes the shipping as well.

tournedos:

.... and whether somebody else happens to want one at the same time.

It just got listed, so I was the only one.   I triggered it.  I am the owner now.

tournedos:

Just ask yourself how much it would be worth to you...

Better tuner, better integration, better remote than BM 8000, 55wpc, I think it's definitely worth it.    This is also a way for me to test the sound quality of BM receiver, for not much money.

Even if I hated the sound, not much loss for me.  BM 5000 is more compact and stackable.  I live in an one bedroom apartment, so perhaps too powerful amps may not be ideal for me.  This is also a good way to test the ideal upper range amp for my current situation and extrapolate for future when I move to bigger room.

PS.  You wouldn't believe how many "audiophiles" despise BM, I wonder how many of them actually listend to it, especially one up to specs.

At 168$ the beomaster with a working mcp panel is a fair deal. I payed 200$can for mine.

However the 5000 series is getting on in years and obviously needs some TLC (caps replacement and some other expert fine tuning) to really bring out it's best. I have a full system which I am slowly restoring (I am not a tech person, so it takes a lot of research and help and favours from friends to get it done....) but once up to spec I can confirm the amp's sound is nice, clean, detailed, even at lower volumes. Also pairing them with the right spec'd speakers helps the overall experience imo. 

Try to find the small remote on ebay if you can... a little more handy in daily use. (I got mine for $25)

cooldude:

 ....but once up to spec I can confirm the amp's sound is nice, clean, detailed, even at lower volumes. Also pairing them with the right spec'd speakers helps the overall experience imo. 

 

Hey, cooldude, thank for your detailed answer.     What do you think of BM8000 relative to BM5000?    I am thinking of eventually upgrading, but getting BM8000 up to spec would cost me at least a grand including shipping.   Quite a bit more than BM5000, would it be worth the price differential?

RedGrant:

cooldude:

 ....but once up to spec I can confirm the amp's sound is nice, clean, detailed, even at lower volumes. Also pairing them with the right spec'd speakers helps the overall experience imo. 

 

 

Hey, cooldude, thank for your detailed answer.     What do you think of BM8000 relative to BM5000?    I am thinking of eventually upgrading, but getting BM8000 up to spec would cost me at least a grand including shipping.   Quite a bit more than BM5000, would it be worth the price differential?

 

 

 

Hi RedGrant,

I never owned a BM8000 so I can't advise you on it's benefits/drawbacks. 
Like all vintage gear, it's pretty much dependant on what you think sounds right. Pairing with some good quality speakers goes a long way.

For me the 5000 is more than capable enough and fairly easy to maintain and repair is anything goes wrong.
I had them paired with some RL 60.2's and RL 140's which were fantastic. Now the beomaster serves in my study, paired with some CX100's. Even these small speakers (if in top condition) are very well paired with the beomaster .

The 8000 is more powerful and sounds good (I did get a chance to hear one recently). Like with all vintage gear, I guess it depends on what model you like and how much power you want it to deliver.

cooldude:

 

 

 

I had them paired with some RL 60.2's and RL 140's which were fantastic. 

 

 

I'm surprised it matched with RL 140, I thought it would need BM8000 to work properly.

RedGrant:

cooldude:

I had them paired with some RL 60.2's and RL 140's which were fantastic. 

I'm surprised it matched with RL 140, I thought it would need BM8000 to work properly.

The RL60.2 are indeed a better match powerwise, however the beomaser/RL140's sounded very balanced in my space (industrial loft).
Again power isn't everything.... the quality of the source material and acoustics play a role as well.
Sold them because they took up a bit too much space (according to my wife ....)