Hi, my name is Luke and I am a new member.  I was at a rummage sale yesterday and came across an older Sanyo music system model JXT 4800.  I had never seen one like it before so it got my attention.  My first impression was that it was a dang near straight ripoff of a Beocenter circa 1979, with a slighlty different tonearm and buttons.  It does has a plastic base though with no touch of wood.  Also, it was made in Japan and I think all of the B&O's were made in Europe right?

It has the headphone and mic inputs in the same place, has the oddball speaker connections in back, same basic dimensions, same tuner configuration but with the 6 or so extra tuning knobs for the presets stored in a small pull-out compartment in the base.  Also, the Sanyo has shortwave coverage and I am not sure if any of the older Beocenters did?  Anyway, it was only $10 so I picked it up.  I think it needs a new turntable belt and a bit of cleaning.

 If anyone has any interest I will upload some pics if that is possible. 

 

Luke

Hello Luke and Welcome.

Yes, there has been quite a bit of " borrowing "  of Bang and Olufsen design and innovation over the years: Receivers, Speakers, headphones, and it continues along with rather obvious copies of recent B & O  CD + DVD players. Flattery, I suppose if one is diplomatic. 

You are also correct in that many of the earlier Bang & Olufsen model receivers did have Shortwave frequency options, as previously, this was the most popular form of radio communication throughout Europe.

In fact, Bang & Olufsen manufactured Shortwave sender / receivers for the Resistance during WW II, which could be hidden in a small leather portfolio or briefcase.

Who knows you might discover a B & O component out there too. Good Hunting  !

In the mid to late 80s B&O 'produced' the BeoCenter 2100 and 2200 (along with a few other models). They were essentially Sanyo models with a custom body design and a B&O record deck (some of the models didn't even have that). They served their purpose though - giving people B&Oish design without the high price tag. Unfortunately they didn't give anywhere near the performance you'd expect from B&O, or the build quality.

I didn't realise that the Beocenters 2100,2200 and 4000 were based on Sanyos! Please send us a picture of your purchase! The 2100 etc dated from the mid 80s. The original Beocenter 2000 and 2002 were early 80s - and also based on Japanese sets.

On copies, the nicest were probably the Hitachi Opus 1 & 2 which mimicked  the Beocenter 9000 and actually had certain components in common!

I remember owning a Grundig Studio Line model that was clearly inspired by the 80's B&O style - it was black plastic, but it had the flat layout with tape decks to the left and CD to the right.  It had nothing like the finish or quality of B&O, but as a kid it was the closest I could afford.

 

I can't remember specific model numbers, but I know I bought it from Barrats of Canterbury who were also a B&O dealer.   I probably only knew it existed because I went in there to drool over a Beosystem 4500 :-) 

I remember some all in one system, Technics I think. But it was flat and you mounted on a Keyboard stand. Also had speakers built in from what I remember. Very B&O styled.

 

Craig 

Would like to see some pics of your Sanyo machine.

Martin