Re: My B&O by - joeyboygolf

wirralsimon — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:13:00 GMT

Thanks Graham

Simon

Re: My B&O by - joeyboygolf

nobby — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:34:17 GMT

Re: My B&O by - joeyboygolf

Medogsfat — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 13:58:40 GMT

That's a great read Graham, I'm actually starting to warm to you now I know you've been a honorory Yorkshire bloke for a while

Chris.

Re: My B&O by - joeyboygolf

Alfie — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:40:34 GMT

Great story Grahame,

As a young married man in the UK I worked with a chap who had a complete B&O studio setup with recorders multiple players and wondefull speakers. It often accompanied him on his shopping trips and envied his ability to purchase any and all equipment he desired. I managed on much lesser equipment - even building some Heathkit amps etc.

Well now I am retired and living in N.America and finally I have my B&O equipment. It is a 1900 Beomaster and a B&O cd player. I am delighted with my toys and enjoy showing them off to my friends who are not B&O savvy. They are all suitably impressed with the design and quality of finish and of course the sound.

Re: My B&O by - joeyboygolf

Craig — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:00:29 GMT

Thanks Graham for sharing your B&O story with us, it was a great read.

Craig

Re: My B&O by - joeyboygolf

Jandyt — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:16:47 GMT

Thanks Graham for taking the time to tell us your story.
I envy you, living amongst the cream, and having new B&O to play with every few days.

Andy T.

Re: My B&O by - joeyboygolf

beocool — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:40:14 GMT

Had a good time reading your story, Graham. Thanks for sharing.

Re: My B&O by - joeyboygolf

Stars — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:01:27 GMT

Thanks for your story Graham, was a very interesting and personal read. Now I know it's you whose listings I often come across on eBay!

Re: My B&O by - joeyboygolf

Tom — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:55:24 GMT

Great story, Graham. Very interesting how a hobby can turn into a job sometimes.

Re: My B&O by - joeyboygolf

camshaft — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:55:24 GMT

Awesome Graham, thanks! As I'm only 22, and wasn't conscious yet when many of the older products were new, I only get to see them now as older pieces, and I try to imagine what it would have been like to see them new and in a store.

My B&O by - joeyboygolf

joeyboygolf — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:50:50 GMT

This tale starts around 1974, back when Noah was a lad and probably before most of our members were even a twinkle!

I was not long married, had moved to Yorkshire with my job and young Brett was a babe in arms. All this, together with a hefty mortgage, meant that we always seemed to be desperately short of money. Despite this, my wife and I found that our favoured shopping destination was Sheffield and her favourite shop was a branch of the John Lewis Partnership known as Cole Brothers. She used to wander around the house-wares departments or even worse, the ladies clothes department. Now, I had always had an interest in hi-fi and as luck would have it, Cole Brothers had a hi-fi department. Guess what? They were B&O dealers!!

Our music system at the time was a cobbled together home made affair with some speakers that I had made myself from scrap plywood and block-board with some cheap 13x8 elliptical drivers that cost about £1. From a financial point of view there certainly was no chance of replacing it but none the less I drooled over the beautiful B&O stuff whenever she would allow ( I was newly married, and you know how it is!).

This went on for about 2 years. It was 1976, we were expecting our second child and we had a neighbour who was well into the "B&O is all show" and "I prefer a boring box like a Sugden" type of argument. The more he argued, the more determined I was to get my hands on a Beocenter.

Now, B&O had just launched the Beomaster 1900 with "Touch" controls, not a button to be seen. What a turn on!! Those buttons that it did have were hidden under a machined aluminium slab whose movement was so smoooooth that I just had to have one. Deal said the salesman in Cole Brothers! You write me six cheques dated for the first day of the next six months and it’s yours. I could not wait to get it home, only hesitating slightly to take one more sideways glance at the "S" series speakers, which would be next!

Over the next 12 to 18 months I added a cassette deck, a Beogram 1902 and S45 speakers and my system was as good, as it was ever going to be. I was fulfilled!

During the next few years we lived happy and eventful lives. The kids grew up, as they do, and went to school. We bought a plot of land and lived in a caravan for 12 months while we built our own mansion and I progressed through the ranks with my employers, who then decided that we should all be on a new bonus scheme. The sales targets were duly set. I’m not sure how it happened, but in 1985/6, the targets were blown wide open and everybody received a substantial bonus payment. To celebrate, the sales teams were all invited to an all expenses paid weekend in London, evening at a show, fancy hotel, wives and girlfriends included, you get the picture?

It just so happened that 1986 was the launch of Beocenter 9000. Woooow!! Had to have one, no stopping me but wait………nobody had one yet. After many phone calls to B&O dealers I located one. Yes mate, said the voice, we only have one. It’s in white. White!!!! How sexy was that. I’ll have it, I said. Where are you? Tottenham Court Road, said the voice. Where were we going for the weekend? Yes, you guessed it. London. I’ll be with you at 2pm, don’t sell it. Do you take Amex?

The parcel was tied up with string for handles and we got a taxi back to the hotel where I resisted the temptation to open the box until we were safely back home in Yorkshire. Not long afterwards the RL140 speakers were added. I sold the Beomaster 1900 system for good money and lived happily ever after?…………’fraid not!

Time moved on to 1989. I was promoted to a head office job in Cambridge so reluctantly sold up in Yorkshire and moved "darn sarf" (Down South, for those not from these shores). Disaster struck, got made redundant after 17 years and set up my own business building horse transporter bodies on lorries. Doing well, bought another plot of land to self build again until……2002 and the foot and mouth outbreak in the UK stops ALL livestock movements including horses, despite the fact that equines are not affected by foot and mouth. Nobody buys horse transporters if they can’t move their horses. Almost went bust but managed to sell part of my garden as a building plot which got me out of the brown smelly stuff and paid all the business debts.

What to do? Well, I decided to leave the rat race and semi-retire to a job as a school caretaker. Now I needed a hobby………..decided to improve on the faithful Beocenter 9000 so sold it for £500. Got involved with eBay and couldn’t stop!!!

Along with my son Brett, I now run an eBay business called beo4life, buying and selling quality B&O audio and video equipment. Business has grown and grown to the point where 3 or 4 years ago we incorporated beo4life into a limited company that we own called Stemma Ltd.

We still operate from home so I have as much B&O gear to play with as I could possibly handle. It’s just like being the cat in the dairy. What shall I have today, cream or cream? Oh what the hell!!!

My personal Beo stuff now is as follows. In the day room is a Beocenter 8500 with a mint pair of Beolab 5000’s together with an Avant 32. In the kitchen we have a Beovision MX6000 on motor stand. In the bedroom we have a MX4000 on motorised wall bracket.

In the lounge, which doubles as the showroom there is an Avant 28 CTV and an Avant 32RF DVD, Beosound 9000, a couple of Ouvertures. Mint examples of the Beocenter 9500 and 9300, Lab 6000’s, Lab 8000’s, another pair of Lab 5000’s and others too numerous to mention although this stuff changes on a weekly basis.

I have met some very charming people during my time selling B&O, including many closet BeoWorlders. I do of course encourage them all to join and support the site.

My B&O by - joeyboygolf

Kevin — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:40:56 GMT

Here we are again and I´m pleased to say a stalwart of Beoworld and Technical advisor has written his B&O story.

Now many have said they will write their stories so lets get them written and sent please.

cheers,

Kevin

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