Hmmm - the Beovox M150 speakers seem to be attached to a Beomaster, -cord, -gram of the 8000 variety.

Owner says they are willing to part with these. I'm told that the Monitor and Volume store buttons are missing on the Master, but that it works. And that the turntable needs adjusting, as it turns unevenly.

It's not been used much and looks cosmetically all right. Haven't made the trip yet - worth rescuing?

Any tips about what I should expect to do, to get the units workable again?

Worth rescuing, as if you are a fan of the Beolab 5000/Beomaster 5000 series for what it represents, then the 8000 series is its logical successor.

Unless you are extremely competent with a soldering iron, I would recommend you leave well alone and send to someone in Scandanvia such as Frede or Martin who has experience with these units.

Missing trim parts are a pain. I would buy if very cheap! The Beomaster 8000 is superb - very much of its era and ridiculously big, but a technical tour de force. The Beogram 8000 is also a technical masterpiece but not very well made. The hinge cover is very thin cheap plastic which distorts with age and if you are unlucky will shatter. The use of double sided tape is inexcusable for such an expensive deck and for those of us used to the easy access offered by the 4000 series, the dismantling required to get inside is crazy. Still I have had four of this type of deck and can forgive them quite a lot. Tim reckoned he could hear the induction coils for the platter motor in action through the cartridge but I never could.Have been busy so not tried the MS150s with the Beolab 5000 yet - I have in the past and found the 5000a bit exciting with the 150s - emphasises the treble and bass a bit too much for me - I find the 150s a little sharp for my tastes and I am less sure about the 5000s ability to control the big bass drivers as well as the BM 8000 clearly does. Could this actually be something to do with the low damping factor? For some reason M100s seem a better match to my ears.

Thanks for the solid advice, Peter.

I think I've been able to find a good owner for these units, and so my conscience is at rest - don't bother with testing the M150s with the Beolab 5000, I'll take your word for the hammock-shaped sound.

I think I'll apply myself to restoring some other vintage B&O!

Cheers.

With the BM8000 they are ruler flat - I think it is the 5000 when used with them.

Yes, I understood that - I've read nothing but excellent things about both the Beomaster 8000 and the M150s connected to them; but my post about matching Beolab 5000 to M150s was due to a worry about this not working out too well. 

I believe that Jarman describes the M150s as being absolutely flat. Consider the tremendous work B&O has put into ensuring excellent listening criteria, through the decades, and the little credit they've gotten for that work outside the cognoscenti!

Can't remember but it may have been one of my reviews of the MS150 on Beocentral! Tim agrees though - he described my MS150s as the best speakers that had been in the house when I was last there!! Having siad that, he had just fixed them!!