General Forum

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

rayfenwick — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:57:28 GMT

j0hnbarker:

As I have a Beogram 5005 for sale currently, I'd appreciate it if B&O stayed out of the turntable sector and concentrated solely on electronic storage mediums for the foreseeable thank you very much ;)

But just think.. you could put the funds from selling your 5005 toward a nice new Beogram 9000

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

rayfenwick — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:12:07 GMT

soundproof:

Something like this?

Definitely much better than the gas platform above, but I was thinking along the lines of a Beogram 55500/6500/700 crossed with a Beosound 9000, (no, not multi disc!), so you have an assisted glass lid. A 4000's build quality, the induction drive of an 800x, Beosound 9000 type LED display for speed... possibly a clamper...

Sadly I'm not much of an artist, so I can't knock up a quick sketch of what I mean.

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

rayfenwick — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:51:31 GMT

Flappo The Grate:

some of the high end audiophile stuff makes bno seem positively laid back as well as amazing vfm

i showed my mate the vid that soundproof posted and he couldn't stop laughing

Completely true. I've been to houses with strategically places blobs of blu-tak on the walls, one screw removed from each casing, people taking off one shoe.....

How I kept a straight face I'll never know.... :D

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

rayfenwick — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:49:24 GMT

ajames:

I don't think they should as it's going back in time - It's unlikely that there would be a big enough market for TT or Reel to Reel or Cassette Decks = regardless of who makes them.

Well, a new product to capture a share of a new market, garner some publicity, and also get the faithful dipping in their pocket...

There isn't (as yet) any boom in cassette/open reel purchases. No-one is releasing new material on either of those 2 formats, but there are current new releases and re-releases on vinyl every day at the moment.

ajames:

I have a B&O turntable and love it and there are plenty of second hand ones out there. I also quite like vintage garrard decks and looking at e-bay there are some offered for sale in the states that have been restored - they look great (wouldn't work here though) and perhaps this could be a business opportunity for someone? - It would be great to be able to buy a b&O turntable that has been fully restored and in as-new condition. I can get my Revox Tape Deck fully restored and guaranteed by a few reputable companies but not a beogram.

If I were staying in England, I might have a go at that myself. I've been working on turntables for 25 years....

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

Flappo The Grate — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:45:19 GMT

some of the high end audiophile stuff makes bno seem positively laid back as well as amazing vfm

i showed my mate the vid that soundproof posted and he couldn't stop laughing

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

rayfenwick — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:43:54 GMT

wirralsimon:

All of the above companies combine modern technology with 'Retro' appeal which is a valid strategy for making money, but it isn't the market space that B&O operate in.

I can see what you mean, but I think that anything made with wood, glass & metal, with the B&O styling is very retro in its appearance, and therein lies much of its appeal.

Cheap white plastic & blue LEDs is the current trend, after all...

B&O is visually like an Eames Lounge chair... 40-odd year old interpretation of the future.

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

ajames — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:00:24 GMT

I don't think they should as it's going back in time - It's unlikely that there would be a big enough market for TT or Reel to Reel or Cassette Decks = regardless of who makes them.

I have a B&O turntable and love it and there are plenty of second hand ones out there. I also quite like vintage garrard decks and looking at e-bay there are some offered for sale in the states that have been restored - they look great (wouldn't work here though) and perhaps this could be a business opportunity for someone? - It would be great to be able to buy a b&O turntable that has been fully restored and in as-new condition. I can get my Revox Tape Deck fully restored and guaranteed by a few reputable companies but not a beogram.

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

j0hnbarker — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:08:05 GMT

As I have a Beogram 5005 for sale currently, I'd appreciate it if B&O stayed out of the turntable sector and concentrated solely on electronic storage mediums for the foreseeable thank you very much ;)

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

Dave — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:03:22 GMT

that record player is obscene!! i love it...

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

soundproof — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 03:55:00 GMT

Something like this?

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

wirralsimon — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 03:19:51 GMT

rayfenwick:

I agree with forward technologies, and indeed I have grumbled about this in the past - that B&O gets out-tech'd and out-spec'd by some stuff that costs much, much less, but... I don't see why making a turntable should prevent any of that? I'm not suggesting they stop making digital equipment:

Look at Gibson guitars - a premium brand that makes some new tech, but also produces guitars that are almost 100 years old in design... Sure they took a bashing as the market changed, but they're not doing bad at all with a mix of old and new....

or Marshall Amplifiers...

or Caterham cars...

or Aga ranges...

All of the above companies combine modern technology with 'Retro' appeal which is a valid strategy for making money, but it isn't the market space that B&O operate in.

Simon

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

rayfenwick — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:02:14 GMT

Well it has the ergonomics, size and price, so why not the looks?

Actually, some of you might remember its older brother...

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

soundproof — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:13:38 GMT

To cover the high cost, you could always get a combination oil rig and turntable!

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

rayfenwick — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:48:55 GMT

I know what you mean. I have almost never not listened to an LP in entirety

Harry1:

That being said, B&O should definately not make another TT. I think there are two ends of the TT spectrum. Those who will spend 10's of thousands or those that will maybe spend $1000. B&O would fit right in the middle of that, and those with 5k to spend on a TT will spend 10K for a far superior product and those with 1k to spend won't spend 5K.

Well I can see what you mean. But then I think that B&O's turntable qualities combined into a new machine would be able to compete with exotica that is much more expensive. B&O has always avoided the plethora of knobs/dials/switches for stuff that most people simply don't need, and eschewed the nonsense of 'cables rolled on thighs of virgins' and other such bilge that so often goes with Hi-Fi.

Some people think machines like the Cleartone are marvellous - and in some ways they are. But some people will be put off from vinyl because such a machine is an almost impenetrable faff of epic proportions.

Centre clamps, vacuums, edge rings, air pumps...manipulating an arm that is as fragile as it is unwieldy as it is expensive.... some people want to put a record on the turntable and press play. B&O can make a turntable that is simple to use, unobtrusive, and sounds very very good indeed - better than some of the stuff costing much more.

They did it in the 70's-mid 80's, and I believe they could do it again...

Re: Should B&O make a new turntable - your thoughts please.

Harry1 — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:31:11 GMT

That turntable in the video is ridiculous, but i want one.!!!

I love my vinyl and play it more than CD (but not as much as MP3). There is something interactive about putting on a record. It somehow makes you listen. I listen to full recordings when i play a record when i play CD or MP3 it's all to easy to skip over stuff i wouldn't ordinarily give a chance to. With vinyl i am forced to listen and this gives me a better insight into the artist.

That being said, B&O should definately not make another TT. I think there are two ends of the TT spectrum. Those who will spend 10's of thousands or those that will maybe spend $1000. B&O would fit right in the middle of that, and those with 5k to spend on a TT will spend 10K for a far superior product and those with 1k to spend won't spend 5K. Then of course there are those who will only spend a couple of hundred and buy a cheap plastic piece of rubbish that will probably do more harm than good to their vinyl. But that's another story.