General Forum

Re: what system ?

j0hnbarker — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:15:30 GMT

Friedmett:

True defender of the Beolab 8000 system I would say. What do you do with a CDX? In line as well?

I have my CDX in the right-hand side of my sideboard. I slide the door over to the left to cover the drawers up, and it exposes the CDX on a shelf plus the CD collection underneath. Looks great :)

Re: what system ?

Friedmett — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:39:14 GMT

True defender of the Beolab 8000 system I would say. What do you do with a CDX? In line as well?

Space wise this is my Beosystem 6500. Currently Bm,CD,Cord 6500 and Cord5500 with white S80.2.

For Beolink around the house and the future it beats the Beolab 8000 system. Sound is a little less but not much. Space is the winner. If it was white edition it would be a toss but it is still a toss as I like them both design wise. Otherwise I would not had bought it.

Here we have my Attyca II stand with rosewood BM6000 and Beocord 8000 wich fits like a glove. Picture was taken before I moved the Beovox and Beosystem 6500 to the "office".

Here we have my Beomaster 8000 and Beogram 8002 on my SC60 stand. The BM8000 is to wide for CDX or Beocord 9000 to be placed next to it. Ok I do need a SC80 stand but they are rare even in Denmark.

Here is the BM8000 and Beogram 8002 on the Attyca II. 3 is a crowd.

The picture was taken in february when I moved last time. I'm not a huge fan of Pink Floyd but the 180 gram version of Dark side of the moon sounded great through the Beovox M150 speakers on volume 5.0!

Dillen went through BM8000 and BG8002 so it was safe.

White Beosystem 6000. BM6000, BG6006 and BC6000 with the CDX in the front on SC60.

Yes I did have space problems but those days are gone and when I see the pictures I do wonder how I managed to have it all in that single room.

So that was a few pictures from real life of B&O and space. That was systems what about Beovox? or Beolab?

Beovox S120 in the back and S80.2 in the front. I had the option for both pairs and could not say no. I have been using them as speaker pair 1 and 2 which was a great sounding combo with the BM6000. Highly recommended. I have tried CX100's with the BM8000 as second speaker pair and that ruled as well.

Re: what system ?

j0hnbarker — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:39:42 GMT

Thanks guys :)

Laurence - correct. It's a Victorian mansion, and sadly I only have a small part of it! Nice big living space though for my 8000 system!

When you have the three components set out in a line, I'm not sure any other system can look so good.

Re: what system ?

soundchoice70 — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:10:38 GMT

Hey John,

What a lovely room, nice victorian? space and great outlook by the looks of it..... and the 8000 set up looks fantastic! Always looks best laid out like that with all 3 pieces .....

Great photo...

Laurence.

Re: what system ?

elephant — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:07:09 GMT

Looks great in your room :)

Re: what system ?

j0hnbarker — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:59:44 GMT

Having owned full Beosystems 5000, 6000 and 8000, I can see the merits in all of them. I've got to say though that setting aside the space consideration, there's nothing that can hold a candle to the 8000 set up. B&O set out to make a high performance no-limits system, and in my opinion they achieved it. The 5000 amp is nice enough, and the stacking system looks great and is no bigger footprint-wise than a 12 inch LP, so if space is your bottom line and you want passive speakers then this might be the best option. The 6000 amp sounds lovely, and the rest of the set up is similar to the 8000 in terms of record player and tape deck (plus size). Which leaves us then with the 8000 amp - which is simply the best of the bunch!

I take the points about space and the fact that most of the ones you can pick up now will need expensive repairs. There's a reason for that, and that is that owning the flagship product is a labour of love, but most owners of good 8000 systems won't part with them, so there's slim pickings for anyone who wants to join the club. Look at it this way: B&O's flagship 80s product was never going to be bought and used by people with small houses, partly because 150w p/c is too much for a tiny room, and partly because it wouldn't fit through the door. If you want one (like I did) then you should get one, and don't accept second best as nothing touches the 8000 system for performance, or more importantly in my opinion, for looks :)

Re: what system ?

Peter — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:42:52 GMT

Not that much wow though with the stacking systems though. It is a sensible choice though. Looking at what the original request was for, I would get the 9500. Plenty of wow, a CD as standard, a good radio and amplifier and as compact as any 'wow' B&O! Readily available, uses the modern remotes and even has powerlink sockets. Will also work with modern TVs.

The 8000 and 6000 systems all need quite radical servicing these days and the 6000 tends to burn out one channel in my experience. I agree it is very sweet sounding but never had a fully working one when first bought!

Re: what system ?

mediabobny — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:30:42 GMT

Since he needs at least a receiver, CD Player, and turntable, AND amount of space taken up is an important factor, I think it comes down to one of the stackable systems, whether the 5000, 5500, 6500, or 7000. They'll even include a cassette deck. There's plenty of 'wow' factors - looks, top-of-the-line performance, motorized drawers, master control panels (or Beolink 7000's), and tangential tracking turntables in most cases.

Arguably the best sounding of these systems would be the 5000. It would also be the cheapest, tho perhaps the least reliable due to its 25-year old age, unless it's been fully serviced. Depending upon budget considerations I'd recommend either the 5000 or 6500 systems (perhaps not coincidentally due to the fact I own the two). The 6500 will look more modern with its chrome and black accents but finding a complete one with the turntable would be difficult to say the least. With regard to speakers, get whatever you want - either B&O or non-B&O, as all these systems have built-in amps and therefore don't require active speakers.

Re: what system ?

soundchoice70 — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:15:00 GMT

Friedmett I tend to agree with you that the 6000 tends to be overlooked... I think it gets lost wedged between the 'audiophile' (tim jarmans words ) 4400 which Peter loves and the top of the line, flagship 8000 which John loves ... but you know it might just be the good all rounder, all things considered.. dare I say?....

Now while I have not been fortunate to hear the other 2, my assumptions are based on what many of our esteemed members report and my limited research. The 6000 basic electronics and amp stages were carried directly across from the 4400 which would mean it has the sweet sounds of the 4400 and it has just enough power, 75w @ 8ohm compared 50w@8ohm for the 4400 and 100w@8ohm for the 8000.. with the good looks of the 8000 in a more compact package ......... All in all a good choice, I have not regretted getting mine...

That said, I would also agree with Peters recommendation of the 2400, sheer beauty and pure B&O classic.

Lastly, lets face it, none of these vintage 'flats' will be economical on space, in fact that is their beauty IMO as they make a statement! Laid out in a long horizontal line ...... totally vintage B&O ...

Laurence.

Re: what system ?

Friedmett — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:12:22 GMT

Good point about Beolab 8000 system owners.

We all have our reasons I guess.

I can blame the horrible Beovirus that comes with owning one or come up with practical/logical answers.

I'm more in "office" where the Beosystem 6500 has taken ower and my Beogram 8002 are waiting for the next MMC pickup.

The Beocenter 9*** has been mentioned and with a suitable 9500 style Beogram the lenght would fit an Attyca II stand + speakers. The Beomaster 8000 is 67 cm wide which can be troublesome to fit in if you plan to have something next to it on any B&O stand other than SC80 which is rare.

I would say Beomaster 4400 or 4000 to go with Beogram 4004. Another cheap but rather under rated on Beoworld is the Beosystem 6000. A smaller version of the Beomaster 8000 but sounds just as good and got more power than any of the later Beosystems. You can use the Beogram , 6006, 8000/6002, 8002 as you like and a CDX which sounds great together.

The stacking systems are the most convient but go with 6500 or 7000 as you don't know what happends with your B&O planing in the future. A 5000/5500 and finding that hey linking is difficult and the 5000 serie does not respond to Beolink 1000. Neither of them has powerlink sockets so you can only use Beovox.

Re: what system ?

Peter — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:21:34 GMT

Best is very subjective! I have at present the following systems up and running:

Beolab 8000 including MS150s

Beosystem 4401 with M100s

Beolab 5000 with Beovox 5000 and 2500s

Beosystem 5500 with a Beogram 4004 and Beolab 3s

Becenter 2 and surround system.

I think the best sounding is my 4401, the one I am most fond of is the Beolab 5000 and the best looking, the 2400. The most used is the Beocenter 2 as it wakes me up every morning. I almost never use the 8000 - too big, not that convenient to use and not the same build quality as any of the other systems - 2400 included. It is very good to listen to, but so are the others - therefore choose what you like. It is interesting that most of the collectors I know have 8000 systems and almost all use something else as their regular system!

If I was asked to say which was the 'best' system made by B&O, I would probably say, as is said here, the 8000 system for sound and the 7000 for convenience. But I don't really use the 8000 and my 7000 system is sitting fully boxed in the guest room!

Re: what system ?

j0hnbarker — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:03:46 GMT

Why not have the best, and go for the 8000 system? Given that anything 20+ years old is likely to need some remedial attention, a Beomaster 8000 that is fully fettled can not be beaten, so I'd say if that's what butters your sprouts then go for one and have no fear!!!

Re: what system ?

Peter — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:51:08 GMT

The 8000 system is very big and very complex. I would go for something simpler but equally good looking. A 2400 system - Beomaster 2400-2 and a Beogram 4004 or a 2402 if you are looking for a more budget system. That and a pair of S75 speakers would make an excellent system and probably for less than £200 if you opt for the 2402. Lovely sound, modern looking and even remote control.

The stacking systems are another excellent choice - I have the same as Chris, and rate them highly.

Re: what system ?

Medogsfat — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:02:25 GMT

Hi Gaz,

I'm in Leeds and have a couple of the stacking systems (5500 & 7000) with penta's and MC120.2's and you are also welcome to come and listen to mine. As mentioned by other Beoworlders it is all horses for courses and your final choice will depend on budget v's space.

Personally I wouldn't swap either of my systems for any in the current line up.

Chris.

Re: what system ?

j0hnbarker — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:21:04 GMT

Gaz,

I'm in Sheffield and you're welcome to pop over if you want to have a look at some older B&O products. I have some classic pieces that would be good in any collection :)