I am thinking of spending a not inconsiderable amount on some B&O equipment. I would like it to last for quite a few years yet, which from the reputation it will but accidents happen and part wear out before they are supposed to. Is the support from B&O good on what is considered vintage equipment ? It is one of the things which puts me off a few other companies ( oh, that's 5 years old. Yes I know but I spent 12 grand on it so I'd like to get the odd spare part and a modicum of help. Well you could buy our xyz1000 which is new and does exactly what you want and at the price of a house in Sheffield it is a bargain.) I suppose what I am asking is does a purchase now mean that you will receive support and help 10-15-20 years down the line without a promise to buy the next best thing ? 

B&O support products for 10 years following their discontinuation. They will help following this but the trim parts will probably not be available.

There are still people around who will repair much older B&O kit even after B&O themselves step aside, for example soundsmith in the US still make B&O compatible cartridges and a number of people here will help out with advice repairs  although there may be more 'make do and mend' than you would expect from new kit.

 

Simon

well i suppose it depends on what you consider "vintage?"
how far do you want to go back?

for instance, a recent thread had listed how long some current products have been around, surprisingly some dating back into the early 90's.

i have found that many of the older say 70 - 80's equipment so well made that they have little to no issues. though always buy the best example you can find unless you are a hobbyist and enjoy cleaning and repairing when you get a deal you can't pass up!

i have had luck both ways...

e.g.

i have several bm2400's. in one example, i got a deal, sourced nos parts, and a cap and light kit from dillen -it is now literally showroom. in another case, i paid a bit more and got a very nice, clean example. i pulled it out, plugged it in -and that was it! it needs two lamps replaced, but functions flawlessly! (listening to it right now)!

have fun! and let us know about what era(s) you are considering. certainly, there is no better place than right here for vintage assistance, imho!

B&O products generally last's long but when the hit 20 odd years in age be prepaired that the more comply cated the unit is build the more troublesome they can be. As B&O owners want something for the money paid they keep their B&O for the longest time for the most part. This means units run untill they needs to be serviced. When that time comes it's more likely a decade or two since it was new meaning most B&O dealers would prefer not to fix it.

In 2003 I got a complete '80s Beosystem 2000. The master and Beocord needed repairs so I brought it to my then B&O repair guy to have it done. It took a few weeks but it still worked flawless 3 years later when I sold it.

I then started to get a Beolab 8000 system together and I got a great deal of experience with how most of those units are working in general. The repair guy could not fix my Beogram 8000, Beogram 8002 or my Beomaster 6000 so I had to find another way which means Dillen here got the job. He has done alot of my B&O and the units will last untill the next problem will come mostly due to age. Just because it's fixed does not mean that something new can't come up.

My CDX is a good example. I have had it since february and it needed to have the left hinge done + some electronic looked after. It got done but a new fault has come in the output of the right channel but the work done a few months ago still works.

The best thing to do is having a qualified repair man on hand just in case. Go for a faultless unit if you can.

 

Hi Alex,

I have restored (as in completely rebuilt) about 15 B&O units, all from the 1970's. Mostly Turntables and Receivers. I love working on them.

All have had a complete electrical rebuild, and some cosmetic and mechanical repairs/upgrades. A couple were absolute junkyard pieces before I started work on them. (I got 2 from a German radio shop for free, who had given up on them, and was happy for me to take them off his hands, before he tossed them)

If you are patient, and inquisitively creative, you will not have a problem keeping your restored unit operating for (dare I say it) another 30 years.

Do not expect much in the way of real factory support. You will probably enlist the very competent help of other forum members in solving problems.

The Pre-1990's B&O equipment is (with a few notable exceptions) incredibly well-designed and strongly built, so it lends itself naturally to restoration and longevity.

If that sounds like a challenge (instead of a pain), then go for it. Otherwise, have someone competent do the work for you.

Menahem

My CDX is faultless again. It might have been the cd but it plays well.10 days on standby was all.

Anyway how long will it last? Depends on the repair. With age on B&O being 15-20 years before something needs service. A Beocord is a good example. What is typically wrong is the belts have melted or snapped. The 250 fuse is not aviable every where but can be found. Nothing else really as the electronic is yet too prove faulty in most of the units before 1986 exept the LED lights. A B&O dealer can't repair that either.

Pre 1986 is where it's important to at least try before you buy if you can. This goes for audio and video.

Let's take my CDX again. It had the natural age trouble with the left hinge broken and some electronic repairs. The hinge is not a sparepart. A fellow Beoworld member had a solution which is posted in another place here. Dillen did the rest and it works great. If done correctly the age faults will most likely take a decade or two before having trouble again. Replace a cap will last just as long if it's 100% correct and the soldering is right. Soldering is very important. It can cause many faults in units.

Earlier this year I went on the hunt for a Beomaster 8000 and 4-5 offers were aviable. The first one was at the Lauritz.com auction and since it was nearby I went to have a look. It was dirty, smelling and with power on (no speakers aviable) stuck in one place electronic wise. Clearly a repair mans delight?

The 3rd one was a nice working one but the price was naturally higher. The selller collected offers and got sold to someone else without seller contacting me for a higher bid. Now a working unit is great but a complicated B&O unit is more of a repairs and who did if any and when? It does come up at some point if you don't have answers to these questions.

The second one was for sale in february. Ruins fuses! A CDX with faults came with it. As I knew Dillen he got it to fix. It was full of former atempts of trying to do qualified service and loose connections. With all faults done and a new net transformer it was cured and plays wonderfully today.

Speakers mostly have foamrot. S80 and S120 may look good on the outsite in an ad and person when picked up but be prepared to have something fixed. I got a pair of each this month in white with stands but foamrot. When done they will last another 15 years at least.

Been unlucky here? Pre 1986 B&O is more hit and miss in the B&O world. I don't care if it works that much as long as they look good on the outside and most of it does, the bottom line is it can mostly be fixed. Be it Beograms, Beomasters, Beocords and so on. Just have a good repair man on hand.

Thank you for everyones responses, it assure me that the equipment of the previous generation can stand up to regular use ad still be repaired. What about the current stuff? Is it expected to still follow the same background or now me have a few surface mounted components and a more complicated digital signal path is the previous reputation for serviceability less favorable?  

I will say that it's expected to last at least a decade or maybe 2. B&O has very high build standards and we know all about their torture chamber. The products are mainly module build so if something goes wrong it's either software or change a module. I hardly think repairmen touches a soldering iron anymore. For the price given for new B&O we get quality for a longe time and that really has not changed through the years if you look back on how the older products survive.