The thread on the Beolab 5000 and Beomaster 5000 made me think about my B&O collection and how I started. It also made me think about the triumphs and mistakes I have made over the years.

For those starting out in the quest to build up a collection I thought I would put together some of my thoughts and see what the other collectors amongst us think.

My first thought is of the many items I have bought which turned out to be dogs. The Beocord 1500 cassette player (it was cheap!) the Beogram 6002 (actually really very good but not the one to have) a variety of Beograms that had faults (just noticed that the pictures we have of these are mine - clearly the only person to still have them!!)  and a Beocenter 1800 spring to mind. The lesson learned here was to wait for the right one to turn up. Don't just buy something because it has B&O on it. And there will always be another one along! Even Beogram 3000 Thorens!

My next thought centres around what I have left now that I have effectively got rid of the bulk. The answer is all the best bits! And looking back, this is what I should have collected to start with. Buy the flagships, not the escorts. I now have a Beolab 5000 system - or at least will soon, a Beosystem 5500 (the best collection of inputs seen on a Beomaster and very useful with a computer), a Beosystem 4400 and indeed a Beosystem 4401(my favourite systems and in the latter case stunningly rare) a Beosystem 7000 (most flexible programming) and a Beosystem 8000 (again the flagship). I also have my modern system of Avant and surround speakers with BC2 and a black AV9000 and speakers for everyday listening and viewing. All are the best available at the time. All the 'second rate ' equipment has gone elsewhere.

The other way of collecting involves getting one of everything ( I did this - you need to be single or have a very understanding wife!)  The problem with this is that you don't use it and as I found out, B&O needs to be used.

Now is a good time to collect as the value of the older items has fallen to way below where it used to be due to the creit crunch i would guess. Beomaster 1900s used to go for £150 and now go for £50. Look for the rarities and the well kept items - don't bother buying cosmetically poor devices - the electronics can be repaired, trim parts are almost impossible to get. Research first - this forum and Beocentral are good places to start. 

I have to agree Peter,

                               I used to simply hoard pieces like a magpie collecting tinsel until I realised a lot of the stuff I had was collected for collecting sake. Great if you live in a warehouse, but no good for most folks and very very rarely did I use most of it so nowadays I simply keep the pieces that I use most days and these, like yours, are the flagship items of the day.

I must add that there are one or 2 items which I've passed on which I have since regretted simply due to the rarity value (beovox 2500 cubes (although these went to a very deserving fellow beoworlder to complete his beolab 5000 system) and a beolit 611T which ended life in Bellac) but overall I am more than happy with what I have retained.

Chris.

Thank you Peter for adding the item links in your original post, I wish more people would do it. It makes it so much easier.

Am I a collector?

Looking around yes. Thinking about it the answer is no. I'm very biased by living in Denmark and if any B&O wishes come up they can most likely be arranged without to much trouble.

As for ownership of Beolab 8000 and white edition 6000 system it was matter of wanting to try the first one and the other one came up for grabs. I do have a few bits left ower but I guess they are going to be serviced and sold on.

B&O needs to run. A good example is my 2 Beomaster 6000's. They have both been nonused for some months due to lack of the right speakers or the Beomaster 8000 being finished. Anyway I knew the palisander version had a little trouble but when plugged in for a few hours it seems to be 100% ok for whatever reason. The white version 6000's volume control got a bit stuck but with power it performs like it should. Just the other day I put power to my Beogram 1202 that had not been used for years. It still works but benefits from being plugged in.

I do my best to keep both system used. The 6000 is a great alarm clock first and foremost so I get up in time. Vinyl depends but it's sometimes the 6006 or the 8002. I try to keep it 50-50. Cdx is connected to 8000 and 9000 is the only fully functional Beocord at present.

As for repairs I've learned that B&O that has 20 odd years on them needs qualified service. The less complicated the easier for a dealer to fix. My 2000 system were quickly up and running solid. Beosystems 6000 and 8000? I'm glad I learned about Dillen through this forum as I properly would not have been this far with both systems in 95% running condition. No matter how dead those units seemed to be Dillen cured them so perfectly. It's also very nice to know that the life of the units has been extened for I guess at least a decade or two.

 

 

Peter :

My next thought centres around what I have left now that I have effectively got rid of the bulk. The answer is all the best bits! And looking back, this is what I should have collected to start with. Buy the flagships, not the escorts. I now have a Beolab 5000 system - or at least will soon, a Beosystem 5500 (the best collection of inputs seen on a Beomaster and very useful with a computer

Far be it from me to quibble with possibly the most knoweledgable of Beoworld members but, I think the attraction of the BM5500 is the fact that is has speaker link (for active speakers) and it responds to "modern" codes from remote controls. I think the daddy for general connection capababilities (including non-B&O stuff) although sadly it lacks the mentioned features of the BM5500, would have to be the BM5000. Some say it has a better amplifier too, for passive speakers.

 

I agree about the 5000 but the lack of Beolink codes is a big disadvantage. The ideal would be the 5500 with Powerlink sockets as well as I find Speakerlink of little use. No use with Beolab 3s or 4000s. The pre-amp on the 5000 is in my view quite a bit better than the 5500 and the display is also superior. The drop down panel is also something I miss. I think it is generally better built too. However the thought of using another set of controllers puts me off! I did have a 5000 system when they first came out and loved it. The MCP however is large and the small remote is poor compared to a Beolink 1000. The connections on the 5500 and 5000 both involve DIN and RCA connections unlike the 6500 and 7000 which have just DIN sockets.

I bought my first piece of B&O back in 2004, and I've now got quite a collection going. I'd like to think of myself as a collector who wants to have a collection where every piece is usable, therefore I set about replacing every piece of AV equipment in my house with B&O stuff, and added a few portable radios in the mix to boot. From the mint Beomaster 900 and Beovox 1000 speakers I bought on a whim on eBay, I now have:

Kitchen - BM900 & BV1000 + Beolit 600 (70s). All for listening to Radio 5.

Living room - RF Avant/Beo4 + BM8000 & BG4002 & BG CDX & BV Pentas/Terminal 3000 + Jet Present 607 + Beolit 600 (60s)

Bathroom - Beolit 609

Bedroom - Beosystem 5000 + CX50s + BV Cona/MCP5000/Terminal 5000 + MX1500/Beolink 1000 + Beolit 800

Spare room - Beosytem 6000 + BG CDX2/Beolab Terminal

I've got a Beomaster 6000 quad that needs repair for my home office, and I think I'm going to stop collecting there! In the space of 4 years, I've gone from one old radio to that lot above, but every piece is cherished and is used several times a week. 

Peter :

The other way of collecting involves getting one of everything ( I did this - you need to be single or have a very understanding wife!)  The problem with this is that you don't use it and as I found out, B&O needs to be used.

 

Whoops! I obviously haven't evolved yet, I'm still where you were years ago.

Dear Peter,

 I inherited a beautiful B&O  Beogram 4002 turntable from my parents.  It is in

beautiful, working condition, but I really do not know much about the value of turntables.   

Do you have any advice?  Is it worth anything?

 Penelope

Hi Penelope

Welcome to Beoworld!

Yes, your Beogram is certainly worth something! Re the value, condition is everything and the condition of the stylus is also important.

One sold on ebay recently for £155

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180274856332&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=008

Cheers

Nigel   

h1npw:

Hi Penelope

Welcome to Beoworld!

Yes, your Beogram is certainly worth something! Re the value, condition is everything and the condition of the stylus is also important.

One sold on ebay recently for £155

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180274856332&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=008

Cheers

Nigel   

That's about what I paid for mine a year ago, so seems fair enough. Like Nigel says, the condition of the cartridge is important as new ones are not cheap! 

Penelope:

Dear Peter,

 I inherited a beautiful B&O  Beogram 4002 turntable from my parents.  It is in

beautiful, working condition, but I really do not know much about the value of turntables.   

Do you have any advice?  Is it worth anything?

 Penelope

Agree with above. The Beogram 4002 is one of the flagship models that will always have some value. Much better made than any modern turntable and is still completely serviceable electronically. The most important part of these decks is the cosmetics as getting trim parts will mean cannibalising another one. If it has a working cartridge, so much the better. 

If you plan to sell it, do so on eBay with good pictures. If you have the original box, that will add to the price as will the user manual. 

I will be selling one (not Penelope's!) myself on ebay shortly - It's also in lovely condition, just been serviced and new belts fitted, sounds sublime. I'll be dissapointed if it doesn't fetch the said sum.

Cheers

Nigel 

Cool thread! I have a few bits and pieces, new and old, my favourite being a complete 6000 system complete with a BG6002 and Pentas. I use it daily and its immense!

I am desperately after a white 8000 system with matching MS150s as this is may favourite B&O stereo ever. If anyone can help me out with this I will pay very well! ;-) I am also craving some beolab 3000/4500/5000 panel speakers, p series panel speakers, av9000, and a bg4000/4002 w/bm6000 (quad) to use in my loft.

I use all my Bang & Olufsen equipment and wish to eventually have a flagship system from every era in each room!  

 

To get the thread back on track (Don't take that the wrong way, Penelope) I don't really collect B&O, it just passes through my hands

I use a BM6500 with a BG6500 CD + CX100 + Cona in my bedroom and that's about it! I love this system & much prefer the polished alu look of the 6500 and 7000 systems to the matt alu look of the 5500 systems.  I also have a Beolit 600 (70's) that is awaiting a donor speaker.... I will at some stage hook up a pair of CX50s in the shower-room to the bedroom system.

At the moment I have about 20 items of 5000/5500 components, several pairs of CX50 + CX100 all awaiting me to re-foam them, Beovox 3800 and Beovox 5700 and a Beolab+Beomaster 5000 which I did think about putting in my office at work, but have decided it probably wouldn't go down well with my boss. Oh, and 3 Beograms... Apart from the CXs, most have been serviced and are in the long queue to go on ebay.... 

Things that I regret selling and not keeping are a Beocenter 9500 and a pair of Beolab 8000s, both of which my wife said she really liked........after I sold them  

Cheers

Nigel

The problem behind my collecting is that I don't know anyone else that has any B&O equipment, so to satisfy my curiosity on a particular model, I have to go and buy one

At some point I did plan to buy broken stuff, fix them up and sell on, but the local supply is so limited that it doesn't work. I still buy broken units from abroad partly to keep up a nice hobby, and partly because I'm just plain cheap. So far, I have even managed to let go of one piece of kit I fixed up (a BC2800)... almost all of the stuff I have sees more or less regular use at my place, some is on loan with the family, some is waiting for spare parts (or spare time) to come up, but none are just collecting dust.

Apart from eBay, where does one source older items? I am in Belgium and I am not aware of any (local) market for vintage B&O products?

 

Hi all,

Great thread and something I am constantly thinking about (as you'll see).

At least in my case, I believe there are fine lines in "collecting." From finding something that interests you (a hobby) / to starting to pick up pieces of interest and defining what your collection is going to be / to (in my case) slipping into hoarding.

I have done this several times in my life with various different "collectibles," and it has seemingly always ended in the same result: "COLLECTING EXHAUSTION."

Some examples:

I have always fancied auto replicas and amassed about ~1,000 1/43 scale bits. They were in a beautiful full wall lit glass display. After a while, the whole deal just turned into a rather expensive couch... I ended up selling the entire collection turnkey to a friend.

Then I started into Apple products, same story... though I still use their products daily at home.

Then along came B&O and my fond remembrances of their product as a child. So, rewind: started picking up a few pieces that I always wanted. Then as it becomes a "hobby" you can't help pick up this piece or that piece (heck -let's get one of everything!). I think that is where a decline can start. All of a sudden -you find yourself surrounded, stifled by what was supposed to be fun! (how in the world did I end up w/ seven BM2400's?!?!?). "Oh, I have to save them ALL!" yadda, yadda, yadda!

I now have piles of boxes that I literally only opened to see that I wasn't sent rocks!

Ok, so now... I can put a complete system in every room of the house, and still have a den full of display items, OR... wait a minute... I could leave everything in the den and build a link setup! OH! wait a minute! I could build three different link setups! YEAH! a MCL82, a MCL, and a ML! WOOHOO!

Then it hits you... this is not fun anymore! I am spending way too much time w/ scenarios, and "what if I had this piece or that piece... everything would be "that much better!"

Frankly, as you may be able to tell already -I think I may have hit the "wall."

I will certainly not "turnkey" my goods... and I may not even sell them. I think I will, however, start pairing pieces off in exchange for other items. Perhaps someone in the states may be interested? I would be interested in trading older items for some new stuff, perhaps BL2, BL4000, or maybe BL3, or???


I just started back into film cameras recently and I vow not to repeat the above! -yeah right!

Were do I locate old second hand B&O?

No Ebay in Denmark so the most common thing is:

Lauritz.com. I got my Beovision LX5500 with L2800 stand + link boxes and cables and my white edition Beosystem 6000 without speakers.

Qxl.dk second auction site. My Beovox M150, Beogram 8002/Palisander BM6000/BC8000 came from them.

Dba.dk Danish AD site and now auctions too. Used to be a weekly paper. Still is but its now online that's happening. I found my white edition S80.2 + S120, BM8000/CDX and VX7000 on their site. As I recall I think got my Attyca II contact there too but I'm not 100% sure.

Beogram 1202 came from my parents. Most likely Dba weekly paper.

Beocord 1900 secondhand store.

 

I should sell my BS2 and Beotalk 1100 shouldn't I

 

I have collected only two pieces of vintage B&O; A mint Beocenter 9500 - the stuff of my schoolboy dreams and a mint Beogram 8002.

Having played with the 9500, I somehow despite my nostalgia prefer (dare I say it) the Beocenter 2.  I for one think the new machines (some of them) are actually better than the old stuff.  

I would like a mint Beosystem 8000 (hint; this months 3^rd prize draw) but the ones I have seen are never mint and always look dirty to me (even after cleaning). I will patiently keep looking.

I don't think I will ever get vintage loudspeakers as the new gear is way beyond what ever was available back 20 years ago.

Other than that, that is me as far as buying vintage B&O goes. My third prize Beogram 2402 however be cherished and loved for what it is - a pristine museum piece.

 

10%

 

js:

Apart from eBay, where does one source older items? I am in Belgium and I am not aware of any (local) market for vintage B&O products?

From over there, I'd take the ferry over to YouKay  That and Denmark seem to be the only places left where you can expect to find bargains.

I've found a couple of pieces at local flea markets (like my first Beomaster 900K, that got me into this), but B&O has always been an extremely marginal seller in Finland, so there's not much to be found. All others are from eBay or a local auction service. In regular "for sale" listings the prices that people expect to get are completely out of this world.

I've only been at this for little more than a year, but I have a hunch that the interest in vintage and generally pre-owned B&O has been on the rise all this time. It's really hard to win bargains anymore. I've given up trying to buy here and there, I pick the items I really want or need and bid enough to have a real chance (not insanely, though...).

All the parts of my collection are mint or nearly mint, and therein lies the problem. If you are into B&O you probably have an eye for detail and would want your 40 year old Beolit to look like new. Unfortunately there are few of these around, so you have to be patient: keep an eye open for something you want; be prepared to take a punt on something you don't want now, but might never get the chance to buy again, and; be prepared to buy a piece in good condition that might require the time, effort and inevitable cost to get repaired.

You can't expect these things to come to you - you've got to go get them yourself!

What's a fair price for a pair of Beolab 3000 flat-panel speakers? Been thinking of acquiring them ...

I have a Beolab/Beomaster 5000, a Beogram 4000, and a Beosystem 6500 -- all in excellent condition.
Been mulling whether I should get the "proper" speakers for the 5000s - will mull some more. Was very close to getting two Continental DM70 speakers instead, but decided that if I do go the vintage route I should go with the Beovox 5000/2500 combination. Still looking!

The Beogram I use almost every day. Wonderful deck - found it through dba.dk, and drove down to pick it up. Put a new stylus in it, though the older one was working - got the stylus from Soundsmiths.

The Beosystem 6500 was one of those "can't believe it!" stories. Found it through Lauritz.com, fair price and as I wanted one to combine with a BeoVision 8 I went for it. Won the bid, and when I drove down for the pickup I couldn't believe my luck - whatever dents or scratches are on the complete Beosystem and MCP6500 are my doing. Perfect working order and condition, and no problems since new.

Also have a Beomaster 7000, which is in storage. Will definitely put it to good use soon. (Actually, the Beomaster 7000  came with the other 6500 units, and then I came across a mint condition 6500 Beomaster, which made it possible to put together a proper 6500).

Anyone thinking about selling a good Beogram deck should wait a bit - the vinyl market is exploding, and people are hunting for good, vintage decks. I see the quotes rising regularly.

The Beolab 3000s, what's a good price, and what should I watch out for?

As far as what is going to going up in price are the old B&O that actually works as few know how or where to get a mint nice looking B&O unit fixed.

My Beogram 8002 and Beomaster 8000 + Cdx aint the best looking but will provide a better value as it's been serviced corectly.

Whenever buying go to the seller and see it in person before buying. I have done unseen and had ups and downs but I'm not that unhappy with the stuff that is less nice.

My white edition 6000 is the "mint" and so is the Beovoxes. As mentioned in other threads I got my white edition Beovox S120 unseen and when I got them home after being rebuild I was surpriced to find them more "mint" than the S80.2.

The new stuff sounds better?

I guess you have never heard the old systems.