Hello to all. 

I became a new member in your group today.  I have been building a small house here in Western Japan for my Japanese family.  The time has come to make some decisions about a music system in the living room as I will be working on the interior of that room in January.  The room is 4 meters by 4.5 meters with a normal 2.4 meter floor to ceiling height.

I have been reading through many of the posts about amplifiers and receivers (especially interested in the vintage models) over the past week and thank you to a fine group who, without fail, have kindly assisted all who have posted here with questions.

I have recently obtained a set of beautiful RL6000 speakers (black speaker cloth, silver bands with the "grand piano black" finish on the cabinets.   I would greatly appreciate any guidance regarding the selection of an amplifier or receiver that would mate with these speakers.

In looking through the various possibilities, I am particularly attracted to some of the older styled units; for example, the Beolab 5000 or the Beomaster 1200.  If the vintage models are not a recomended match, perhaps something like the Beomaster 6000.  

In choosing a unit, I would also need to consider reliability (We are located on the end of the supply chain.) and I would be looking to obtain a unit that had been examined carefully and a unit that one would expect able to function without constant maintanence for some period of time.

Thank you again.  I look forward to any thoughts that will help steer me in the right direction.

Respectfully,

Robert

Welcome, Robert

Good choice on the speakers. RL6000's are very good all-round performers. You can run them off pretty much anything - I actually had mine connected to a Beomaster 900M for a while and it sounded surprisingly good! Not too loud, obviously... these speakers are designed for much more power. BM3000/4000/4400 would be a good choice, as the older "ironing board" BM2000. These all have DC-coupled amplifiers, more suited to louder listening on modern speakers.

The old non-computerized receivers are generally very reliable. They may have aging capacitors and such, but once these are sorted out they may well go another 20 years without much service. They can usually always be repaired as well; the microprocessor controlled receivers may contain some unobtainable parts.

I don't know how much you intend to listen to radio, but one thing to note is that for some peculiar reason the FM scale ends at 104 MHz on most '70s Beomasters (BM4400 as one exception).

Interestingly the Redline series of speakers were originally designed to match Japanese music systems and to give B&O a new market. The breakpoint crisis saw them being touted as the replacement to the traditional speaker range which were more expensive to make.

The only problem with older equipment is that it will normally be showing signs of age. It is not only components like capacitors but also the actual controls which will wear and transformers start to hum. One way around this is to get a fully restored item and the person to see about this is Frede Kristenssen at Classic Audio. He specialises in the Beolab 5000 system and is so highly thought of that he featured in a recent B&O catalogue. I have a 5000 system he restored for me and a 4401. Both are excellent and although the standard of the work and the time it takes means that this is not a cheap option, you will get a system that will definitely work and be better specified than when it left the factory. He can send around the world and items will be properly crated so you have no reason to worry about damage.A number of Beoworld members have availed themselves of Frede's services and all have nothing but praise for his work. There is a big difference between a working Beolab 5000 system and a Classic Audio 5000 system.

The problem you will have in Japan is that the FM frequency is between 76 - 90MHz. You may wish to discuss a solution to this with Frede.

Dear Mika,

Thank you kindly for your thoughts and ideas.  We received a load of Finland Pine two weeks ago for ceilings, some of the floors and walls in the house that I am making!

Perhaps I have read somewhere that playing high watt speakers loudly with a low watt amplifier will actually harm the speakers themselves.  Is this what you are refering to?

In thinking the choice of an amplifier/receiver through, styling, reliability and a proper sized unit for the RL6000 speakers would seem to be the most important issues for me.  I will study up on the BM 3000/4000/4400 units.

Radio is another issue...NHK radio in Japan broadcasts on 84.5 MHz.

Thank you again for your thoughts.

Respectfully,

Robert

Dear Peter,

Thank you for your insights and for assisting me in my search for a suitable receiver. 

Using an older Bang & Olufsen receiver in Japan presents some special challenges including those that you refered to.  99.9% reliability coupled with vintage style, 100 volts AC here and the FM frequency might suggest that my only option would be Mr. Kristenssen at Classic Audio .

I will contact him to discuss the possibilities.  Thank you again for your guidance.

Respectfully,

Robert

I am sure you will not be disappointed. Frede is a wonderful chap and a true enthusiast. If anyone can help, I am sure he can.

Best wishes,