Hi

I might be interested to buy Beogram 1200, 1202 or 1203

Why..... because they are beautiful and truly B&O icon, and this will be the first turntable for me.

So, I red all about them from web and Tim & Nick book.

I would like to know which is the best buy from these 4 beograms in terms of reliability and prices?

And how much they cost these days in good working conditions ?

Thanks!

Hi

I'd say that the 1202 is the best technically (and aesthetically ). All of those decks will be some 30 years old, so the technical condition will greatly depend on the previous usage. It's also reasonable to expect that some parts, such as capacitors, will be at the end of their life cycle waiting to be replaced.

Generally, it may be safer to purchase a device that's been in active duty recently, items that have been shelved for long times tend to develop weird electrical problems. It's also important to verify that stylus and needle are in ok condition.

Recently I've seen a mint 1202 going for over 150 £ at ebay. 

In the UK, many of these decks were only used on "high days and holidays" and actually had very little use as a result. The downside was that the greases and other lubricants gummed up and the decks stopped working, many being scrapped unfortunately.

Good luck with trying to find a good one. I'd say that the beogram 3000 was potentially the best of the lot as the platter gave better support to the record, with beneficial results to the sound quality. The supplied SP10 or SP12 stylus is a huge benefit over the dull-as-ditchwater SP14 in my opinion. Depending on stylus condition, Axel can rebuild to either "as new" standard, or even better, with fine-line and Shibata tips, which should further improve clarity of sound.

Do please bare in mind that standards of LP reproduction have improved dramatically in the last thirty years or so and by now, the Beograms of this era (even the 4000 series) will sound a bit bland and possibly rumbly depending on condition. I still haven't used my Beogram 3000 in anger, despite having a "new" SP12 to use with it, but I'm not expecting miracles, although years ago, a 3000 I serviced compared well with a Regar Planar, a good little UK made turntable.

Yhank you Klassiko and DSJR !

Very useful information !

My intention is to use Beogram like a separate system with BeoMaster 901 and Beovox Cx50 !