Dear Gang,

I need some advice about what I should do with some B&O gear that I've accumulated.  I would ideally like to sell it, but as it's in various states of repair, I don't know if it's worth it to do so (i.e. the shipping costs and angst of selling might negate any profit) and that's why I'm seeking advice from the group.

To be clear, I am not trying to solicit sales here, nor would I be willing to entertain any offers here (I completely understand that this isn't the forum or proper manner to do so), I merely want to know if it's even worth the effort to try and list these items.  I did clear this with a Beoworld moderator.  If some of the items have enough value to sell, I will formally list them with Beoworld (I guess I'd need to up my status to do so) or elsewhere (like eBay).  Likewise, if they have no monetary value, I would appreciate advice about who might use this stuff (like a repair facility) as it seems like a shame to dispose of these items.

First set of items:  I have three Beomaster 5000 units, four MCP 5000 units, several S-45 speakers, and one Terminal 5000 unit.  I purchased these off of eBay at the height of my B&O addiction (about 4 or 5 years ago) as gifts for my three younger siblings.  The idea was to mate old with new - I planned on having a B&O specialist here in the USA look at them, make sure they were working, and then hook iPods to them for my siblings.  Like so many things in my life, I never got around to doing so.  The receivers light up when plugged in, but I never hooked speakers to them as I didn't have the proper cables so I don't know how well they work.  They, of course, weigh a ton.  Thoughts?

Second item:  A black Beovision MX5500 on motorized stand.  I purchased this from SoundSmith about 6 or 7 years ago when they still refurbished old B&O TVs.  I used it in my office and envisioned always having it (even in an age of flat panels).  It worked fine for about a year with very sparse use, but then the tube seemed to start acting funny.  I haven't tested it in a couple of years, but last I did, the picture intermittently came on.  It's in good shape and I paid a lot for it so it seems like a shame to simply dispose of it, but it weighs so darn much that shipping would be crazy expensive, and I don't know of any one in this region of the US that might have any insights in how to repair a B&O CRT.  Thoughts?

Last item:  My beloved BV-8 32" which had it's LCD taken out by a jump rope swung by my 3 year old.  The screen comes on and you can still see a picture, but it has an impact site with lines radiating horizontally and vertically from it.  The glass covering the LCD is fine; I think it's just the inner Samsung panel that's broken.  Again, it weighs quite a bit, but is otherwise in perfect shape.  Should I try and get this repaired or try and sell it for parts?

That's it.  Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this and for any advice rendered.

Mark

P.S.  My B&O addiction still lingers, I'm simply trying to clean and simplify my house (which B&O is generally good at).  Every new B&O item that I've purchased (except for the BV-8 that my son broke) has served me well and continues to do so.  I'm replacing my BV-8 with a BV-7.

Hi Mark, I don't know much about the US B&O market but here's my general thoughts...

The 5000's: you'll need to verify how well they work. If you try to sell them as "condition unknown" you won't be getting much. Sell the Terminal 5000 separately or pair it with the "best" Beomaster. You can of course swap covers between them as well - how about just keeping the best set with remotes?

If the picture comes and goes on the MX5500, it might simply have bad solders (I believe the US MX5500 is quite different to the European version, but the latter has often bad joints in the tube heater circuit, causing it to work normally otherwise, just no picture). If that is the problem, it would not be much work, but still might not be economical unless you really want to have & use that TV.

I'd get the BV8 fixed, I believe your diagnosis of panel damage (only) is right. There's very little market for parts of new kit like that, and anyone wanting a parts unit probably has the same problem as you! If you have no use for the TV, I'm sure it will sell easily after repairs and cut your losses to minimum.

Mika,

Thank you so much for your insights - that's valuable info.

Now I need to find a B&O knowledgable repair person in the southeast US.

Mark

Sell the terminal 5000 on its own offered on a worldwide ebay auction. Very sought after due to the size of the MCP 5000 (which isn't really for easy every day use) these are not country specific so will work with any BM5000 anywhere.

As for the rest. I would agree with Mika.

Chris.