I may be about to express a view that could have me banned. I’m not so sure the blessed Jensen is that good a ‘designer’!
I am a huge admirer of many of his products and have owned or own a BG 4000, BG4004, BG 1001, BG 1700 BM 2400, BC 1600, BC 4000, BL 1700, Beocord 5000, Beocord 1900 and a number of Beovoxes. But I think what we are admiring more is the ‘styling’ of the product rather than the total ‘design’.
Design should also include how good the thing is at doing what it is supposed to do and the overall ergonomics of the product. I’m not so sure that in some cases, his products meet all 3 criteria.
I admire the styling of the BM 2400, but trying to plug the cables in can be a real pain, particularly an FM aerial. The 3000/4000 series Beomasters are great tuner amplifiers, particularly the 4400, but setting the FM presets is incredibly fiddly. The Beocord 5000 is the most beautiful cassette deck I have owned, but the thing is extraordinarily unreliable.
To answer the question, then. In terms of the total package –styling, how good the thing is at doing what it is designed to do and the ergonomics – it has to be the BG 4000. Beautiful to look at, outstanding performance and so simple to use, particularly in comparison to other top end turntables of the period.
Cleve