Hello everyone, i am new to the forum and indeed to B&O systems and would be greatfull for any info you can give me.

I got my first view of B&O products in 1969-70 and when i was about 9 or 10 and even at that age i was amazed with the design, everything else was mundane in comparison. I vowed to myself then that one day i would own such a system. So, 40 years on, i would like to know what do i buy, what system is the best for a novice and what should i be paying, any help would be most apprieciated. Thanks Gaz.

Hi Gaz

Welcome to BeoWorld.

I suggest a trip to  your nearest B&O dealer, have a good look round, read through the brochure, check out some threads here on BeoWorld and if you buy new, take up the option of a free home demonstration before you agree to buy. It's not so easy if you are buying second hand.

There are deals to be had from dealers at the moment and the warranty on new product has just increased from two to three years.

The best system depends on your budget.

Opman

Welcome to the forum.

What to buy?

God that is a big question. Novice yes but most B&O after 1978 are mostly one touch for any change so very simple to use.

The best answer would to be go with the one you like the best. What do you look for? Jacob Jensen area? David Lewis?

What do you need? Beomaster, Beocenter, Beogram, Beogram CD, Beocord? Room for Ipod?

Thanks for your replies, i would think the one limiting factor for me would be space i just don`t have the room for a lot of seperate items so a trip to a dealer as suggested will be my first move to see what fits the bill. Thanks once again, Gaz.

My welcome to you too

It was in the sixties when I was probably 16 going on 17 when I saw one at a friend's house and I then peered through the windows, (although I may have seen a machine earlier than that but I don't remember it).

I loved Scandinavian design but I ended up going down the "hi-fi" rabbit hole and so it was 1975 before I bought my first B&O which sadly rests-in-peace in my museum.

The real determents of your choice will be:

- "shelf" space ... how big a central unit can you take

- "room" volume ... how big the speakers have to be to fill the room with sound

- "wallet" hole ... sad but true

I bought a BeoSound 4 in 2006 but now wish I had bought the iconic BeoSound 3200 (I did not want its hard drive) or a second hand BeoSound 3000.

If I were to buy today I would think very hard about what media I wanted to support.

Back in 2006 the BS4 was attractive because of its CD, FM, DAB (but not DAB+), SD card, and MasterLink support. (Note that this year I did a market survey for B&O in which I was asked to vote on a product that seemed to be the successor to the BS4, but who knows how far out that is!)

Today I would be thinking very hard about abandoning physical media and going pure digital - in which case there is the beautiful BeoSound 5/BeoMaster 5 combination, but at top dollar.  A factor here would be the size of CD collection you would have to capture, my 400+ CDs took around 2 weeks of capture at 4 to 6 hours every day.

You should also project your future needs.  Will you want a television? 

In which case you might even consider a television with a music connection, these days I spend a lot (several hours per day) of my time listening to iTunes coming through my BeoLab 3s attached to my BeoVision 8.

What is sure is that you will be spoilt for choice ! But don't let that dishearten you, come back to the fora and you will get lots of positive advice and support.

If you don't have the money to buy a new system I suggest you look for a vintage system.

Why not an old Beomaster 2400-2, 3300 or 4500? Then you can add a CD-player, record player or an iPod. These receivers have amplifiers built in so you can use any speakers you want. 

If you want a CD-player built in I suggest you look for a Beocenter 9000, 9500 or a 9300.

I you want something older than that I suggest a receiver like the Beomaster 3000 or a music center like the Beocenter 4600 och 7700. The Beocenters also have a record player and a tape deck built in.

WOW i think spoilt for choice is the understatement of all time

This is going to take some serious grey matter power and probably several beers.

I like the idea of a music centre setup purely from a spacesaving angle but i`v also taken a shine to the beocentre 9500. Is the 9500 or indeed any of the other beocentres wall mountable?

No, but you can mount a shelf. For wall mounting, the Beosystem 4500 is the way forward - it is actually a Beocenter 9500 reduced to the essential bits! Nice but make sure you check the glass panel is well attached!

If you pick the full 4500 system it will take alot of space even on a wall.

I think i`ll stick to plan  "A" and see the different systems  at a dealers then i can see the dimentions of what i may be buying and take things from there

You need to be clear in your mind whether you want a new system or a vintage one, as they're going to be poles apart in terms of how much you will have to pay to purchase the units, and whether any remedial work will be needed for vintage items. In my opinion the current audio product line completely lacks charisma and style, whereas older systems can be purchased for relatively little outlay, yet look superb set against contemporary interiors. My Beolab 8000 system wows people when they visit, and no one can ever believe that it is approximately 25 years old. Same can be said for my recently acquired Beomaster 2000 plus some 'mix and match' Beovox CX50s, more details of which I will be posting on a thread over the coming weekend....

Thats a good point, the WOW factor is what i was drawn to all those years ago and my renewed interest was spaked by seeing a vintage turntable on Ebay so i believe that the vintage route is the one i`m going to take. Are there any dealers who specialise in vintage systems or is it down to the classifieds and places like Ebay?

Depends on where you are living. In England, Denmark and Sweden you can find dealers that specialize in vintage B&O systems. Maybe in other countries too...

gaz10:

Thats a good point, the WOW factor is what i was drawn to all those years ago and my renewed interest was spaked by seeing a vintage turntable on Ebay so i believe that the vintage route is the one i`m going to take. Are there any dealers who specialise in vintage systems or is it down to the classifieds and places like Ebay?

For my part, I have mostly gone down the eBay route, purchasing what I have wanted and then sending it out for repair if necessary. What I have also found over time is that things have come my way, either responding to ads to pick items up for free, or simply generous people offering to give me items that are no longer required. Most of my stuff has required repair, and only a handful of items that I have purchased were in full working order when I got them. My advice would be to find whatever it is you're looking for in the best possible cosmetic condition, then look to have it repaired by one of the experts that are known to people on this forum. Everything I have is 100% cosmetically and functionally, and I think this is important given the emphasis placed on design when the products were first created, and the relatively high technical specifications of most of the products compared with their rivals when new.

My expanding collection was driven in part by my obsessing over the products section on this site, and the very excellent www.beocentral.com site. I cannot recommend enough Tim and Nick Jarman's book available here, for the aspiring collector. If you're interested, drop me a PM and I will point you in the right direction of a couple of trusted eBay sellers, and experts who can repair any equipment that requires it :)

Have fun - and don't forget that you'll soon run out of space!

As for taking less space any 5000, 5500, 6500 or 7000 system would be ideal. The later are more link and beolab friendly.

Whatever unit you ad to one of the above systems they can be stacked. This is a huge space saver!

Like John Barker I also got the full Beolab 8000 system. The wow factor of a Beosystem 6000('80s) in white made me owner of one. These 2 systems takes space so when the Beosystem 6500 came up earlier this year I was happy with the less space it takes. Now I got an Attyca II stand to get rid of. The Beogram 8002 was being serviced and the 6000 came up for sale. The Beomaster 8000 came up a few months later.

Now I don't know what medium you prefer but if its just radio and cd + maybe Ipod then maybe an Ouverture is the one to go for? The more post 1988 the unit the more link friendly it is. Also the newer the unit the more you need active speakers as they don't take passive. You can go with an extra converter to do it but that's an extra expense.

Most of my stuff has also needed the obligatory 25 years + ?? service which comes with nearly every unit for sale when they are that old. Most of the time people use them until they need to be serviced. Beocords get negleted these days which is sad as drivebelts is the thing to change most of the time and they actually sound great with good tapes.

Main reason for growing? When serviced right it sounds and look great so why get rid of it? Then you get a Beovision LX and a Beolink 1000. Hmm. You can do alot with this if you get into beolink. Besystem 6000/8000 is a tad to difficult to find link parts too these days and the Beosystem 6500 handles that perfectly.

Finding it is easy but I'm biased living in Denmark. Sites such as lauritz.com, dba.dk and qxl.dk was how I located my collection. I have been using Ebay.co.uk, Ebay.com and Ebay.de for Beolink X'tra speakerkits/tvkit which I found 4 never used of. Works great! Dillen has done most of the service.

 These days the main music format is hard disc based and though we can still get cd's who knows how long. The new B&O is based on that and if it fits in with your lifestyle when it comes to listning to music then it would be an idea. Can you be happy with a Beosound 9000 or a Beosound 4/5? I grew up on vinyl, cassete and cd's so I still stick with that as long as I can. I may ad a Beomedia to the link system to try it at some point.

Sorry macus i forgot to mention i live in south yorksire england.

I mainly listen to radio and CD but i was brought up in the vinyl era and i have recently re-discovered how good this sounds so a turntable would be a must. I`m not looking to link up all the rooms in the house so i suppose that would simplify my choice

Gaz,

Welcome to BeoWorld!

Radio & CD + Vinyl...

I'd recommend the BM8000 and a CDX from the 80's! For vinyl, add a 70's BG400x or 80's 8002!

Look for some S120, MC120.2, or MS150 speakers.

I am not good with your geography, but LOOK HERE

Very desirable pieces to get you started for what seems to be a good price if you are handy!

Radio & Cd + Vinyl

I can also vote for the Beomaster 8000, Beogram 80002 and CDX. I'm using the smaller Beovox M150 but its a really wonderfull sounding system and a very good introduction to B&O.

The Beomaster 8000 is a bit longer than must Beomasteres and weigh about 21kg on its own. That's the cons I've found besides any service.

The Beogram 8002 is a great player. Only con is the price of MMC pickups. It takes the MMC1-5 and 2 is what is recommended from factory.

The CDX is strong. The lazer is nearly bulletproof. Cons: Left hinge can break and some resoldering might be needed. There is someone here who can fix the left hinge and its not Dillen. I bought mine after reading recommendations here on Beoworld and when Beomaster 8000 came up for sale the CDX was with it so I got it.

The S120/MC120.2 are really great well balanced speakers. Only con is foam rot which can be fixed and last the next 25 years.

Gaz,

I'm in Sheffield and you're welcome to pop over if you want to have a look at some older B&O products. I have some classic pieces that would be good in any collection :)

Hi Gaz,

           I'm in Leeds and have a couple of the stacking systems (5500 & 7000) with penta's and MC120.2's and you are also welcome to come and listen to mine. As mentioned by other Beoworlders it is all horses for courses and your final choice will depend on budget v's space.

Personally I wouldn't swap either of my systems for any in the current line up.

Chris.

The 8000 system is very big and very complex. I would go for something simpler but equally good looking. A 2400 system - Beomaster 2400-2 and a Beogram 4004 or a 2402 if you are looking for a more budget system. That and a pair of S75 speakers would make an excellent system and probably for less than £200 if you opt for the 2402. Lovely sound, modern looking and even remote control.

The stacking systems are another excellent choice - I have the same as Chris, and rate them highly.

Why not have the best, and go for the 8000 system? Given that anything 20+ years old is likely to need some remedial attention, a Beomaster 8000 that is fully fettled can not be beaten, so I'd say if that's what butters your sprouts then go for one and have no fear!!!

Best is very subjective! I have at present the following systems up and running:

Beolab 8000 including MS150s

Beosystem 4401 with M100s

Beolab 5000 with Beovox 5000 and 2500s

Beosystem 5500 with a Beogram 4004 and Beolab 3s

Becenter 2 and surround system.

I think the best sounding is my 4401, the one I am most fond of is the Beolab 5000 and the best looking, the 2400. The most used is the Beocenter 2 as it wakes me up every morning. I almost never use the 8000 - too big, not that convenient to use and not the same build quality as any of the other systems - 2400 included. It is very good to listen to, but so are the others - therefore choose what you like. It is interesting that most of the collectors I know have 8000 systems and almost all use something else as their regular system!

If I was asked to say which was the 'best' system made by B&O, I would probably say, as is said here, the 8000 system for sound and the 7000 for convenience. But I don't really use the 8000 and my 7000 system is sitting fully boxed in the guest room!

Good point about Beolab 8000 system owners.

We all have our reasons I guess.

I can blame the horrible Beovirus that comes with owning one or come up with practical/logical answers.

I'm more in "office" where the Beosystem 6500 has taken ower and my Beogram 8002 are waiting for the next MMC pickup.

The Beocenter 9*** has been mentioned and with a suitable 9500 style Beogram the lenght would fit an Attyca II stand + speakers. The Beomaster 8000 is 67 cm wide which can be troublesome to fit in if you plan to have something next to it on any B&O stand other than SC80 which is rare.

I would say Beomaster 4400 or 4000 to go with Beogram 4004. Another cheap but rather under rated on Beoworld is the Beosystem 6000. A smaller version of the Beomaster 8000 but sounds just as good and got more power than any of the later Beosystems. You can use the Beogram , 6006, 8000/6002, 8002 as you like and a CDX which sounds great together.

The stacking systems are the most convient but go with 6500 or 7000 as you don't know what happends with your B&O planing in the future. A 5000/5500 and finding that hey linking is difficult and the 5000 serie does not respond to Beolink 1000. Neither of them has powerlink sockets so you can only use Beovox.

Friedmett I tend to agree with you that the 6000 tends to be overlooked... I think it gets lost wedged between the 'audiophile' (tim jarmans words ) 4400 which Peter loves and the top of the line, flagship 8000 which John loves ... but you know it might just be the good all rounder, all things considered.. dare I say?....

Now while I have not been fortunate to hear the other 2, my assumptions are based on what many of our esteemed members report and my limited research. The 6000 basic electronics and amp stages were carried directly across from the 4400 which would mean it has the sweet sounds of the 4400 and it has just enough power, 75w @ 8ohm compared 50w@8ohm for the 4400 and 100w@8ohm for the 8000.. with the good looks of the 8000 in a more compact package ......... All in all a good choice, I have not regretted getting mine...

That said, I would also agree with Peters recommendation of the 2400, sheer beauty and pure B&O classic.

Lastly, lets face it, none of these vintage 'flats' will be economical on space, in fact that is their beauty IMO as they make a statement! Laid out in a long horizontal line ...... totally vintage B&O ...

Laurence.