That is a young system!! My most used system dates from the 70s!

The system you have has a couple of problems. The record player is fine - do you have the radial Beogram 5000 or the tangential 5005?  Getting a new cartidge is very sensible and I would recommend a SMMC4 from Soundsmith. Better sounding than the original and available.

The Beomaster can develop a few foibles - there is a connection cable which runs from the drop down front panel to the main board and this can break. There is also the fact that some components can drift out of spec over the years and need replacing - though this is not that expensive to fix - we have the service manual on site for silver and gold members.

The Beocord is reliable and excellent - you may need new belts but Martin can get those for you if needed.

The CD-50 has a practically bullet proof laser but can need capacitors replacing and the drive belt for the opening door can fail.

The S80 speakers unfortunately tend to suffer from foam rot. This is universal in this era of B&O speakers but may have been fixed already. You can tell by taking the lower grille off and inspecting the surround of the lowest driver. If it has holes in it or is sticky to the touch, it has foam rot. Not too expensive to fix and can be done by yourself if skilled.

Sounds like a disaster area but really is not. The Beomaster 5000 is in someways the best of the  5000/5500/6500/7000 series so you have a good one. Good price too!

Best wishes,

That was exactly the kind of information I was looking for. To answer your question, I have the radial Beogram 5000. It's quite a beauty.

I just have one follow-up question. I checked the speakers and don't see - or feel - any evidence of foam rot, but I can't find any information on the web about it. Is it just a basic, inevitable deterioration of the foam or is it caused by mold or other environmetal factors?

Thanks Peter, and hopefully I can scrape some money together to upgrade my account here. It's a wonderful site!

If the speakers feel fine, great! Just use them! I cannot remember seeing a pair without rot but I am assured they do exist!

The radial 5000 is a beauty - it is the best match for the 5000 system - noe how all the lettering on the front of the units match and the quality of the light in the lid - much better than the later tangentials. Don't tell anyone, but it probably sounds better as well!  

Peter:

That is a young system!! My most used system dates from the 70s!

 Peter. I am intrigued by this. You are someone who has exposure to a large proportion of what B&O has to offer and have a 1970's system as the one you listen to most. I am a big fan of the olser systems too, but it made me woncer, what is your most used setup?

 Simon

bunchoffives:

Hello all,

I recently picked up a wonderfully cared for Beosystem 5000 with Beovox S80.2 speakers for around $300US.

wirralsimon:

Peter:

That is a young system!! My most used system dates from the 70s!

 Peter. I am intrigued by this. You are someone who has exposure to a large proportion of what B&O has to offer and have a 1970's system as the one you listen to most. I am a big fan of the olser systems too, but it made me woncer, what is your most used setup?

 Simon

Well it depends what you mean! My main system is a BC2 and Avant DVD with links throught the house. This wakes me up with Radio 4 every morning so I suppose could be counted as my most used. However to listen to music, I have a Beogram 4000, Beocord 5000 (the old one!) Beomaster 4400 and a Beogram CDX. These play through non B&O speakers - BBC LS3/5As and AB1 woofers. Superb sound.

I do also use a 5500 system with a Beogram 4400 and CX100s and Beolab 3s with my computer. There is a strange mix!!

Peter:

wirralsimon:

Peter:

That is a young system!! My most used system dates from the 70s!

 Peter. I am intrigued by this. You are someone who has exposure to a large proportion of what B&O has to offer and have a 1970's system as the one you listen to most. I am a big fan of the olser systems too, but it made me woncer, what is your most used setup?

 Simon

Well it depends what you mean! My main system is a BC2 and Avant DVD with links throught the house. This wakes me up with Radio 4 every morning so I suppose could be counted as my most used. However to listen to music, I have a Beogram 4000, Beocord 5000 (the old one!) Beomaster 4400 and a Beogram CDX. These play through non B&O speakers - BBC LS3/5As and AB1 woofers. Superb sound.

I do also use a 5500 system with a Beogram 4400 and CX100s and Beolab 3s with my computer. There is a strange mix!!

hEY i ALSO RECENTLY BOUGHT A BEOSYSTEM 5000 WITH REDLINE 60 SPEAKER.

PLAYS NICE BUT STILL WANT TO IMPROVE THE SPEAKERS.

 Q: IS IT POSSIBLE TO USE A NEW REMOTE ON THIS SYSTEM

ANY ADVICE!