Hi guys,

I've spent the past couple of evenings scouring the Beoworld forums and I've been sucked in by the passion for B&O equipment from the people on the boards.

I want to make my first B&O purchase and have been checking out the listings on ebay. I'm looking for a vintage system preferably with turntable and CD.

Does anyone have any advice on what a good first purchase would be? What should one look out for? What should one avoid?

Many thanks

Kevin

Welcome to BeoWorld!

With your requirements... the first place I would look -the "stack" systems.

5000 -or - 5500/6500/7000

These are available as separates and you can piece the kit together as you like.

The 5000 gear is very nice, but limited to older control code and runs passive speakers.

People seem to really like the 6500.

SPK: Redline series or Pentas

Another route... if you like the "flat" systems: 4500.

SPK: Beovox or Beolab panels... if you can find them!

Or, you can go w/ the "bent" systems like the 6000/8000 and add a CDX CD player -a particular favorite.

SPK: Any of the BIG Beovox passives... MC120.2 / MS150

Enjoy! Finding the stuff is half the fun!

Hi burantek,

Thank you for the quick reply. I love the look of the 5000 et al.

Do you think I'd be better watching for component parts on ebay or going somewhere like LifeStyle AV (where I suspect prices will be slightly higher but the quality is too)?

The 7000 on there looks stunning but I'm not sure I can justify that expense on my first system (and meagre wages)

Well, you have already passed the first phase!

You know you like the "looks" of the "stack" systems -so concentrate on them.

As much as I like the 5000... the later ones offer much more future proofing w/ Powerlink sockets for active speakers.

On a budget... you can certainly piece this together, though it may be initially cheaper to source a turnkey system.

These tend to be fairly robust, but eBay can always be a crapshoot. If a set was coming from LifeStyle or any other third party you could certainly expect a fair review of the gear advertised and rest assured that it is not something that "was sitting in grandad's attic and I am not sure if it works" type of descriptions.

You are interested in a turntable... keep in mind that money/ounce... the MOST expensive B&o item will be the cartridge.

The 7000 system at Lifestyle is actually mine and is the one that is always pictured when systems are sold on eBay!! It has however never appeared before. It has a TDA1541A DAC (not all do!) and is a beauty.

However as an entry model I would consider a Beomaster 4400 and S45-2 speakers with a Begram 4002 turntable and a CDX CD player. This will sound superb - probably better than any modern system you will get. Bass will be light but detailed and if you want more bass, just get bigger speakers. It is not remote control though if that is important.

Hi Peter,

I bet you'll be sad to see the 7000 go. I'm not sure I could have parted with it.

Remote is not a problem for me, I'm fairly healthy. Bass too is not so much of an issue as I have a first floor flat and don't like to send too much bass down to my neighbours.

Is the 4002 going to be more challenging to find than, say, a Beogram 5500?

Probably easier if the truth be known. It will need servicing though - they all do - but it is much better made and you will love it. I have 3 400X type decks and love them all!

I am selling the 7000 as it was just sitting in its boxes and quite frankly the money would be useful. I have a 5500 system which I use every day and is slightly more useful to me because of the connectivity. The 7000 is in better condition though.

Take a look at the 7000 series music centres, they are rather under rated. A 7700 with the Master Control Panel is a really good sounding bit of kit and is normally cheaper to buy than a stack system. Any of the 7000 range will sound good and will look nicely "retro". Add a decent pair of uniphase speakers and you will have a great system.

http://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=407

You will have to have a seperate cd player like a cdx but they are a great match and will sound terrific.

I sold a stunning 7700 with MCP and all its boxes and paperwork for not alot of money a few years ago.  I regret it now!

Good point - very cheap now and excellent sound. the 7700 is the one to get of course. If I could only have one system and it had to serve the whole house and be approved by the wife, the Beocenter 9500 would be my choice though. Not such a good amplifier but works with everything and very versatile. 

Kevin,

Could I support Peter's suggestion (see below)

'However as an entry model I would consider a Beomaster 4400 and S45-2 speakers with a Begram 4002 turntable and a CDX CD player. This will sound superb - probably better than any modern system you will get. Bass will be light but detailed and if you want more bass, just get bigger speakers. It is not remote control though if that is important.'

This is one of my systems (apart from having a BG 4004 rather tha a 4002) and it is still the most musically accurate set up I have.  In fact the 4400 was a gift from Peter and I fully understand his enthusiasm. 

Cleve    

beaker:

I sold a stunning 7700 with MCP and all its boxes and paperwork for not alot of money a few years ago.  I regret it now!

Me too! £93 with a perfect MMC4 cartridge. If money had been my motivation for selling I'd have split the MCP/cartridge & system on seperate auctions (ebay) but my nostalgia circuits cut in so I decided to sell it as complete working system to plug & play for the winning bidder as I thought it deserved to be sold as such The winning bidder sent me emails for quite some time afterwards gushing about it.

I agree completely with Beaker - stick a CDX on & you'll have a sound system which is very hard to beat (no remote control with the CDX but well worth walking a couple of yards for the sound it produces). Speakers should be MC120.2's/S120's which are probably the best balanced passive speakers ever made by B&O but the bass drivers will probably require refoaming & recap the crossovers while you have them apart - absolutely sublime!

Chris.

Why not try to put together a Beosystem 6000 or 8000? A 6000 amp is widely recognised as being one of the best ever made by B&O, and you could add a nice Beogram 6000 or 8000 series turntable, with a CDX to boot. All have LEDs so have a common thread running through their lineage, and you could pick and choose some passive speakers to suit room size. Should you want a bigger banger you could trade up to a Beomaster 8000, and then you've got the biggest sausage in town!

Hi Kevin,

I'm with John, I think the 6000 system is a excellent introduction.... This was my first piece of vintage B&O and I love it....

Also I made this decision after much research and consideration... Living half way around the world away from most of the vintage B&O I wanted to make the right decision...

My first thought was to get the big, powerful flagship the 8000 w MS150 speakers but as space was a consideration at that time, i started to look at its little brother the 6000... eventually after much additional research i realised that its very well regarded... often said to be sweeter sounding than the 8000, and the amp largely based on what is considered the 'audiophile 4400' (as you can see Peter and Cleve love it).. it also has remote control, smaller footprint, the great big LED and the powerful looks of the 8000..... so for me it represents an excellent all rounder when all things are taken into consideration. 

Pair it with some S/MC120 as chris recommends and I think you'll have an excellent system that will give you many years of enjoyment. Mine is my main system our living room, I just added a beautiful BG8002 and am extremely happy...

Good luck with the search...

Laurence.

Laurence made a good point about space considerations, which I think can be partially offset by choosing smaller speakers and then potentially upgrading to bigger speakers if your living space is likely to increase over the coming years. I would also add that for many of us collectors, old B&O gear makes up only a part of our ecclectic interior design tastes, and that your own preferences in this regard will shape what you want to buy. For me, the Beolab 8000 system that I have looks great in my open-plan living space, with high ceilings and subtle wall colouring. If I was to take it to my parents' house, with their fussy fleur-de-lys wallpaper and patterned carpets, it would look awful! System building is therefore more than just choosing what you like the look of, but also what will grow with you, and what will look (and of course sound) best right now. In that respect the possibilites are almost endless if you're prepared to cherry-pick items from across the years/ranges :)

Have to agree with Peter about the Beocenter 9500. This series have always been my personal favourite. If you are intersted in one of these let me know. At the moment I have both a 9000 and 9300 for sale.

Craig

Hi guys.

Thought I'd post a quick message to say I'm trying to digest all of the helpful - and friendly - advice after a weekend away.

I've no doubt it will raise more questions so I'll be back soon. For now my priority is dinner!

Kevin

Space is a consideration, not so much in terms of size of the system but its output.

I'm in a flat at the moment so I'm not looking for something with a huge amount of power. I'm more concerned about the quality of the output than the level

kb1981:

Space is a consideration, not so much in terms of size of the system but its output.

I'm in a flat at the moment so I'm not looking for something with a huge amount of power. I'm more concerned about the quality of the output than the level

What about the industrial design? What do you prefer: a Beomaster 4400 or a Beomaster 6000? Inside there's not much difference, but the exteriors are poles apart.

Hi Kevin.  Might I suggest you get hold of a copy of the Jarman's book.

A wealth of knowledge, and charts that explain which amps work with which turntables/CD players etc.
That way, when a Beomaster, Beocenter or Beosound turns up on eBay in your price range, you can instantly see if it is suitable.
Good luck, and rest assured that we will be here if you need us.

Andy T.

Very good advice from Andy. Tim and Nick's book is superb and shows a good number of systems with excellent summaries. The only problem is you will want more than one. I wouldn't worry about the power output - most music will be listened to at about 1W. Bass output is what annoys neighbours - for passive speakers, the MS150/M100 will produce lots of bass but the smaller speakers like the S45-2 will only cause annoyance if really blasted! And you can do this with a 25W amplifier!

I will definitely get the book. I saw it on Amazon on Friday and thought about it.

I actually got ahead of myself and bid on a beogram 5000 that just ended on ebay but lost out. Not sure if that's a good or a bad outcome at the moment!

Book is on order from Amazon.

I would get the book first - a browse through the Beocentral site is not a bad thing to do either.

This is a really tough decision....

... we started with a Beosound 3000 (which we still have in the living room / actually it was an Ouverture but swapped to a Beosound 3000).

But then after the Beovirus took over:

- Beocenter 9300 + Beolab 4500 in the home office (plus original stand)
- Beosystem 5500 + Beovox RL 2000 in the bedroom (plus original stand)
- Beocenter 9500 in the dining room (I will sell this one - on of a kind is enough)

Right now I am looking for a Beomaster 3000-2, I will pick-up nice Cubes and Beovox 3000 tonight. Maybe a Beomaster 4000/4400. This system will be appr. be my age ;-) Might not be able to put it in the dining room, so a second system in the small home office....

I wanted a Beolab 5000 system but with all the very old systems, you need somebody to do a little tecnical restoration (?) and since I am not capable I would have to pay extra for this. Or go for the Classic Audio system, but this costs appr. 1.500 GBP as I remember.

The book suggested (and bought) is really great, got mine some time ago and find myself reading it over and over, trying to justify why you need to get this certain item ;-)

Ralf

If you go for a Beolab 5000 system, it is a false economy to do anything but get one from Classic Audio. I have been there and the performance from a Frede special is simply better by far than a mildly restored one. The finish will also be of another class. £1500 is not that much when compared to a modern system and this system will certainly outperform most modern systems and will last for ever! Because it is all at component level, it should be able to be repaired for the forseeable future as well.