General Forum

Re: Buying BeoCenter 9300/9500 classic - questions

avus17 — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 01:46:00 GMT

After long thinking I have decided not to buy BeoCenter 9500/9300 as form many difficulties that can happen with the product. I also have a BeoSound 9000 which already is a B&O classic icon and would ruther safe money and perhaps buy BeoSound 5 encore, so I have a product for the future.

Re: Buying BeoCenter 9300/9500 classic - questions

Hardwriter — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:53:45 GMT

Hi avus17,

I bought a used 9300 and pondered over pretty much the same questions before I did so you might find my comments of some use.

1. Doctor is correct that the 9500 has a more sophisticated specification but the 9300 is more recent (production stopped in 2000) and most parts are still available. So if you can get a later model - and don't care for 2-way communication - I'd recommend the 9300 simply for the likely longevity.

2. The most common problems seem to be Speaker 2 switch contact problems, flat internal battery, loose glass panels. All are pretty low cost to fix.

3. I'd suggest you get as new as possible - providing it looks like its been looked after.

4. I'm not sure there is much of a preference on the finish. I prefer the flatter finish to polished but that's personal. B&O seemed to have no great consistency in panel and cabinet finish during the model runs.

5. I bought mine via eBay but you have to be really careful. Aside from the obvious misleading descriptions and possible stolen goods, in my opinion there is quite a lot of bid fixing on high value items so you need to avoid getting sucked in. Safer - but probably more expensive - to go to a used B&O dealer. There's several to choose from in the UK - they all pop up on Google.

6. Dealers seem to be pushing good condition models at around £600. I'd say that's fair as these are without doubt classic B&O products.

7. I don't think the 9300 CD mechanism is "improved". It was a newer version but the change was made to standardise components with the Ouverture rather than for performance.

8. I think you can still get most 9300 functional parts from dealers. Some of the true experts on this site can locate items elsewhere too.

If you do decide to buy one, I hope you enjoy it.

Re: Buying BeoCenter 9300/9500 classic - questions

Doctor — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 05:05:51 GMT

You will always be taking a risk with this age of equipment - I would get a 9500 as it is more advanced. Parts will be a problem so make sure any you buy is not cosmetically challenged! The laser is going to be the worry - most simply need a capacitor replacement as documented but if the laser does go, you will need to get a replacement from another player and know what to do! Belts for the tape player are easier to get.

I would get the finish you like - the 9300 is based on the Ouverture so parts are slightly easier to obtain.

Buying BeoCenter 9300/9500 classic - questions

avus17 — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 02:47:37 GMT

What should I take care of if I would like to buy a classic B&O product such as BeoCenter 9300?

1. Which Type should I buy?

2. What should I take care of?

3. What year of production?

4. For collectors - is mirror finish more worth as alu polished one?

5. Where to buy such a system - any suggestion?

6. What price is still acceptable?

7. Ruther to buy BeoCenter 9300 or BeoCente 9500 with 2 way communication but not with such advanced CD mechanism as it has

BeoCenter 9300 ?

Thank you for any answer in advance.

6. Can spare parts still be bought somewhere for BeoCenter 9300