Hi there! Really enjoying your forum

I havent bought B and O before, and have always wanted to get an 'old-school' Beosystem of separates - I have wanted one since I saw one in 1991 when I was 12!... In fact, I think it was pretty much the first CD player I ever saw...

I was writing to ask what you experts thought of this deal for a 5500 system I came across on ebay, in terms of whether £450 is a good deal, considering there are no speakers (offer runs out 24 Sept)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BANG-OLUFSEN-B-O-BEOSYSTEM-5500-INC-MCP5500-BEOGRAM-5-/280740005231?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item415d68856f#ht_630wt_1141

The other thing I wanted to ask your advice on is whether you would pay this, or the 500 pounds (ish) extra to get a 6500 system.

If you think the extra outlay isnt significantly worth it, I will go with 5500 (I could do with saving the cash, really!!)

If, however, you felt that the 6500 is a significantly better system, to the extent that the difference is notable, I would pay the extra, and buy 6500 separates as and when they come up on this forum, or on ebay

This wont be the main hifi in the house - just one for my home office, as I am mainly listening to music through my computer at the moment, and a Beosystem would sit really nicely in my private space

In terms of what Im after, in order...

1. Longevity (I want this to last for years)

2. Good turntable - mainly because I have a good CD player separates system in the house already, but nothing to play records on (despite a good collection)

3. Good CD player, as this is mainly what will be played on the system

4. Tuner and tape deck Im not too bothered about (would like the tape deck for aesthetic reasons as I think the stack looks better with 4 components)

Thanks so much for your advice, in advance 

Ian, Liverpool, UK

Very similar systems - the main difference is that the 6500 has Powerlink sockets so can easily use all newer B&O active speakers. The advantage of the 5500 is that it has many connections - very useful for attaching to computers, iPod etc. I have had both a 7000 system and a couple of 5500 systems. I still use a 5500 with my computer. The CD players are excellent - the turntable is average - I actually used a 4000 with mine - no remote but better deck. Stacking the deck on the rest is not a recipe for the best sound - with the 7000 system I ran 2 cassettes and had the system in two stacks and the turntable on a wall bracket.

All systems of this age will need servicing - budget for that!

Apart from PowerLink, the main difference is in the looks. If you go for the most common colour, the metal surfaces on 5500 will be brushed, while on 6500 they are polished. Some people prefer one and some people the other, but personally I don't like the brushed metal; the polished units look a lot more modern (and timeless at the same time) to me.

Once we are talking a full equipped stack, the 6500 will actually have more available inputs (2) left as TAPE2 and AUX are now separate, on the 5500 they share the same input.

The budgeting is a good point. Both of these systems will be old now. It's similar to buying a classic car - think of the purchase price as an entry fee, as there can always be surprises along the road. These are all still quite serviceable, just don't take them to a dealer for that.

Thank you guys - really appreciate that advice

My feeling, now, is to splash out on the 6500, but will let you know when Ive finished looking around!

Ian