Vintage B&O

hi all,
i know it's not really hi-fi as such but i'm after an office system for my new house. no way i'd blow the 500+ quid for that one you wave your hand at but as all i NEED is an amp there are quite a few on e-bay that would do quite nicely in a retro chic kind of way. also it appeals to the 12 year old in me that lusted after one when i went shopping for hi-fi with my dad - hey i liked space 1999 too what can i say i'm a product of my time.
anyone know if there are any stand out models, gems, bargains, whatever - is there a 'nait 2' or pioneer a400 or nad 3020 of the b&o world. bear in mind absolute sound quality is not a priority here - source will be a squeezebox 1 with no dac so not the most revealing of sources. it has to be ok and work (and keep on working for as long as possible) but aesthetics also play a part - possibly the major one.
if there are other things / makes i should be looking at then feel free to speak up. plus points include - things that move using electrickery, honking big vu meters, flashing lights, touch sensitivity, that kind of thing. bloke stuff you know.
oh and price should be as low as possible but i have a bit of wiggle room if something good comes up - £100 is the ballpark but a bit either side is ok.

 

amstrad made a version of the B&O open sesme, for £100
maybe that might suit.....



maybe not

 

not really no - probably the wrong place to ask i guess...

 

Depends how far back you want to go. In the 60's B&O was a serious contender in the Hi-Fi market before it went down the style over substance road.

 

Julian,

I'm with you; I think there's some great visually appealing older B&O stuff to use as a basis for a 2nd/3rd system.

I keep looking for a decent B&O turntable for my bedroom system, but the prices on ebay now seem quite high, so they're obviously becoming collectable.

Have you tried PM-ing "BeoBloke" on WigWam? From the name, I'm presuming he's in the know.

 

I'm pretty sure RobHolt had a B&O vintage thing, he may know a bit about it. I seem to remember it never worked right though so reliability may be an issue here.

Personally I always liked the Bose (I know! ) Lifestyle systems. I might have a punt for this one if I were you.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BOSE-LIFESTYL...3QQihZ011QQcategoryZ39821QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Everything except display and CD player work (so you have an amp and tuner and audio inputs), just perfect for you to add a squeezebox to really?

 

Hi,

Used to have a B&O 3000mk2.... I thought it was quite good at the time... and some B&O 5702 speakers... sad innit??...

 

thanks guys,

si, i'd spotted that bose but no psu which makes me suspicious as he sways hes tried it.....

 

how about # 250082431721 on ebay?

 

yeah that ones on my watch list - there's a nice white set ending soon which i might take a snipe at. and some others too. just wondering if there were any stand out classics in the range.

 

Chea Johndle, just noticed your signature - are you involved with Vertex in some way?

 

I just spotted this, may be of interest.

http://www.gumtree.com/london/73/7980473.html

Looks like a careful owner and all boxed up. Normally sell 2nd hand for £500 so the aking price of £250 is good..

 

IIRC, Chea Johndle's real name is John Cheadle. Perhaps that's a clue.

 

Most serpently

 

Beobloke actually pops in here now and then but under a different name - that would be me then!

As to older B&O, go for it! Some of their older stuff was surprisingly good as well as being stylish, and a good starting point is the Beomaster 2400. The folks over at www.beoworld.co.uk know even more and there are comprehensive guides to most stuff B&O made under their A-Z listings.
If you fancy a 2400, things to watch for are blown bulbs (minor irritant) and leaky caps (major irritant as the unit will refuse to come out of standby). You should be able to pick a good one up for around £60-£100 depending on condition.

Stickman,
The B&O turntables are really best avoided unless you have money to burn or are really keen. They are actually quite good but will only take B&O cartridges and the only source for these now is a company called Soundsmith in the USA, who is B&O's approved remanufacturer. Prices start at $149 for an MMC4 replacement and rise to $649 for an old MMC20CL replacement.
Stylii on their own are not replaceable either, you have to do the whole cartridge.

As for Bose, they are not fit to be mentioned in the same thread as B&O IMHO..

 

Sorry for hijacking the thread Julian...

John, may I ask what function acoustic absorption has in the application of mains filtering?

 

well after being mr sensible and waiting e-bay out. i'm now the owner of a beomaster 5000, beocord 5000 and master control panel 5000.
these (aparently) are what most of b&o's 80's and 90's range of hi fi are based on so a bit of a classic system - as far as i understand anyway.
best bit - it only cost me £77 and from a b&o dealer too. pick them up today hope they sound at least half decent.

 

Any pictures?

 

not yet - need to get them set up in my bedroom and to do that i need some 2 pin din plugs for the speaker cables. i've plugged them in and checked that everything works / lights up / moves by electrickery and it all seems ok. jsut hope it plays music now.

here's a link to the auction..
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....MEWN:IT&viewitem=&item=250081770610&rd=1&rd=1

there's a pic of sorts there.

 

Nice purchase and a good price!

You're right that the later Beomaster 5500/6500/7000 were based on the 5000, but the 5000 has better build and sound quality.