Hi all,

I've been going through the posts here for some time and I am impressed with how helpful and knowledgeable the cummunity is and was hoping that I might impose on all of you for some advice.

A few days ago I noticed an on-line ad for a BeoGram 3300 Turntable and since I have been looking around for a record player to help me get back into vinyl I thought it would be interesting to check out. To make a long story short I walked out with an entire Beosystem 3300 (in the process buying my first B&O and fulfilling a 1980's teenage fantasy of owning that particular system) that included the following: Beocord 3300, Becenter3300, Beogram CD 3300 and the Beogram 3300 turntable with a mmc-4 cartridge and a spare mmc-5. The purchase did not include the remote or speakers. The unit is in stunningly immaculate condition (after a light dusting) with no scratches, dents or pitting of the aluminum. The record player looks like it has never been used and all switches, sliders, etc are fully operational. Everything powers up and I was able to test everything with headphones once I got it home. Now here are my questions:

1. I paid $80 (US dollars) for everything. I am almost positive I got a great deal but would love to know what these are going for.
2. The speaker connectors on the back are not ones I am familiar with and I would love some help on how to connect the system to a set of standard speakers. I can only assume that the connector is some sort of proprietary B&O connection. They seem to be some sort of 3 pin connector with 2 small flat ones and one thicker flat one. Any help here is greatly appreciated as I would really like to hear this unit with speakers.
3. Although I consider myself to be a bit of an audiophile I must confess to ignorance in terms of turntables. Is this turntable a decent one for someone experimenting with getting into vinyl? How can I tell if it is working properly? I started reading about cartiridges and stylii and it made my head spin. I played several records and they sounded great but I really don't know what I am doing here.
4. Where could I find a manual for this unit? Are they available online in PDF format?

Thank you kindly for any help!
Krys

Hello Krys,

Basically, you should be arrested. You stole it!!

The speaker connectors are 2 pin DIN plugs and are or were fairly standard on European systems. They are available ready wired from B&O dealers or you should be able to buy the plugs on line and wire them yourself.

It's the record that spins, not your head!! The turntable is a very decent one and will give excellent sound quality. Look after the stylus/cartridge as it will cost you approx £100 to replace that alone!

The user manual for this or a similar system is available on this site if you upgrade your membership to silver or gold status.

Enjoy!!

Oh I forgot. Welcome to BeoWorld.

krysk:

1. I paid $80 (US dollars) for everything. I am almost positive I got a great deal but would love to know what these are going for.

Hello, and welcome to Beoworld! You'll find you'll be spending an increasing amount of time here... If really in flawless condition, I think five times that would've still been a good price - congratulations 

2. I believe the third pin is for link room connections? Anyway, you can ignore it and connect any pair of passive speakers (8 ohms or more) with regular 2-pin DIN plugs (it has the spade and the pin directly beside it). These should be available in any electronics parts store.

3. If the Beogram plays and you don't hear anything suspicios, you can assume it's OK. You could check the stylus weight (slider on the side of the tone arm). The recommended weight for MMC4 is 1.2 grams.

MMC5 was the low end of this cartridge series, but B&O never made a bad cartridge! MMC4 was the standard issue for your Beogram, and performs quite nicely as long as the stylus is OK. Be careful with these, as they will be expensive to replace.

4. The manuals are on this site, but you'll need to be a silver or gold member to access them. Well worth it, if you intend to collect more B&O gear.

Very interesting system, the 3300. I can be regarded as a transitional system between the 3000 and the 4500. It comes with its own remote, like that produced for the 3000, but unlike that model, the codes had been changed and it will work well with a Beolink 1000. These are a much more common remote and far superior.

The next bit of good news is that the 3300 system works with Master Control Link 2.  It was clearly at the development stages as it is not able to work using two way remotes and there are a few limitations, but essentially using a small control box, you can extend your system to work in up to four extra rooms, all of which will be able to accept remote commands. That is what the extra pin in the speaker plug is for.

In the first event, I would get a Beolink 1000 remote and simply enjoy it! Very good buy!

I can confirm that the user manual is on site.

The record player is one of the late model tangential tracking decks and hence is to all extents identical to all the others like the 5500 etc. It won't impress an audiophile as it has nothing really to play with in tweaking it. If being critical, it lacks a little in low bass and will not be as detailed as a 'super deck' but it will sound better straight out of the box as it needs nothing doing except undoing the transit screws and setting the tracking weight.

Welcome to Beoworld. 

I agree with Peter - get a remote: Beolink 1000 or a Beo4. This will enhance the joy of your system.

I have had the Beosystem 3300 (without the turntable) for about 4 years, and I have been very happy with it. I've used it with 3 link rooms, and the only limitation i found was that link rooms were left on, and wasn't deactivated by default when the system was powered up again late. That is nothing to worry about. I have later bought a BeoSound 9000 to replace the 3300, but I have kept it in another room, where I from time to time still enjoy this good piece of B&O.

If you have any other questions, please ask!..

B/R Christian

Thanks all for the welcome and the great advice. I do think that this will be the beginning of a collection for me me as I have always been an admirer of B&O. I do have one additional question in regards to the pin connectors on the back: which of the pins is negative and which is positive?

Thanks again!
Krys