Hi everyone, just searching for some advice.  Have found Beocentre 9500 on ebay locally (Perth, Western Australia).  Listed as 'for parts only' but contacted the seller and she suggests that the power supply is not working and door mechanism needs to be fixed other than that 'it should work fine'. Assuming this is correct - scanning the beoworld forums these seem like fairly common issues with the 9500 and possibly quite repairable.  There is not much 'expertise' in B&O locally - so I would be embarking on the repair myself.  Or trying to get the repairs done by a someone not that familiar with B&O.  How technically demanding are these repairs?  They don't come around often in WA and the Beocentre 9500 is top of my dream list...

Any suggestions? Worth a gamble?

Unfortunately it really is a gamble - somebody's idea of "power supply not working" could be anything from a blown fuse to extensive lightning damage. It might be helpful to know how the seller came to that conclusion (did somebody look at it already?), but when repairs are expected, I typically do not believe a word they are saying. I've bought stuff that "nobody had tried to repair" only to find half the cables disconnected inside.

Yes be careful I purchased a Beogram and was told it needed a new 'power distributor' (this was a real diagnoses by a technician!) and while justifying my final bid amount I thought, there is no way the transformer could be the part that has blown, surely?

Well guess what

What really gets me is that I had held on to a spare transformer for about 15 years which followed me from house to house, along with an original platter motor. I had planned to use them for a future project. I have since searched the house in vein but alas, it seems I have thrown them away, perhaps not more than a year or two ago [:'(]

So my advice, buy as if for parts like the glass panels and mirrored panels, so that anything else that works or is usable is a bonus!

What Beogram is it Olly? I may have a suitable transformer for it.

Chris.

It is a 4004 Chris. Yes I will be interested if you do have one!

If it is a bargain depends on the price. Here in the Netherlands I would pay no more than between €50,-- and €75,-- for something like this. If it can't be repaired, the financial damage is not so big and you can always use the spares which are still OK.

Thanks for the advice everyone - think I was getting (slowly) to the same opinion.  Will keep an eye on it for parts (current bid is approx. 40 euro - 2 days left) - but being realistic there are so few advertised locally (this is first I've seen in the West for the 10 yrs I've been looking) the chance of getting a second will be pretty slim.  

The Aussie dollar is pretty strong at the moment - maybe its a good time to look further afield - find a good/friendly secondhand B&O dealer?

For the record the 'parts only' Beocentre 9500 went for equivalent of just under 200 Euro.  I wasn't tempted.

Step1:

It is a 4004 Chris. Yes I will be interested if you do have one!

You have a PM Olly.

Chris.