Hello all,

Can anyone recommend someone in the UK to service a Beogram 5500?
Do dealers touch Beograms these days?
I also need to get a preamp which someone told me I could get from Maplins.
If anyone could point me to the exact preamp I need that would be fantastic
as I have no idea what one looks like.

I intend to connect it to my speakers via a BeoSound 9000. 

Thanks

Is there anything wrong with it? If it works, just use it! The BS9000 doesn't have datalink so use any RIAA - about £60 gets a reasonable one! You may need some cable converters from DIN to RCA - remember to connect the shell of the DIN plug to earth.

If there is something wrong, Tim Jarman at Beocentral is the usual recommendation! 

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the reply. Yes I think there is something wrong with it. Everything sounds slightly slower than on CD.
I downloaded the manual and couldn't find anything to suggest I could adjust this myself?

Regarding a preamplifier, the only one I could find that looks suitable is this one.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=28732&TabID=1&C=SO&U=strat15&doy=search

Is this suitable and any suggestion for something a bit higher spec if this one isn't that good?
 
Thanks again.

I would give that a try - the actual circuit is not that complicated! You can adjust speed - there are some variable pots - I think there is a pair of holes under the deck - I seem to remember that they are even marked 33 and 45. Not very convenient!

Hi Peter,

Just to say thanks for your input. I now have the preamp which work fine.
Your memory served you correctly and there are indeed two holes labeled 33 and 45 on the underside of the 5500. Looks like they take a Phillips screw driver, so I'll give that a go.
 

Just to say the turntable worked for a while but I guess the preamp wasn't good quality enough as I got a humming from the speakers (?) and now the turntable is not rotating at a consistent speed again and making a scraping noise which I thought had gone away.

I'll look into getting it serviced, and better preamps, but I suspect the most sensible and much cheaper option at this stage is to get a Pro-ject turntable, which is something even a B&O dealer recommended I do. Against my purist preferences but seems to be the most practical option unfortunately.

 

Tim Jarman will service the 5500 for you I am sure. He can be contacted at Beocentral. The Pro-ject is really not bad. If you wish to spend more, consider a Michell. The humming will just be an earth problem. The casing of the DIN plug needs to be attached to earth. If the platter is rubbing, the springs will need adjusting - a little gentle working should do it! Make sure it is centred. I would also leave it running for some time - pause it so the motor runs but the arm is not on the record. May just need to limber up a bit!