My vintage B&O system - the proper B&O stuff!

SteveAndBell

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I have collected quite a bit of B&O gear over the last couple of years and not surprisingly most of it was woefully designed so that when it failed (not if, when) it's completely uneconomic to repair. I don't really like the new stuff mainly because I feel it's way over-priced for the performance but hey I totally get why people like it. It's unique, damned sexy lookin' and sounds good enough :)

I did happen to notice that most of the older gear (the pre-80s black & silver 'space-ship' looking stuff) seemed to be a lot better made. Still cutting edge for its time but utilising timber & aluminium and nice solid dials & switches instead of fancy touch-screens. I managed to rescue & restore a pair of Beovox 3800s from a council collection and the sound quality from those still surprises me now. I also managed to score a mint condition Beolab 5000 Amplifier which is pretty rare as most of them had scratched, damaged or even missing screenprinting from the sleek aluminium panel from years of use.

My wife and I have now decided to setup the Lounge as a proper space to enjoy rather than the dumping ground it has been for the last year since we moved in. We've collected a few basic pieces of Danish furniture and today I took delivery of my Beovox HT 5000s that seem to be even more 'unobtainium' than the Beovox 2500 Tweeters I managed to score a couple of years ago.

Here's the result:

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We're still pushing furniture around to see what fits where but I think this is about right. Hang some art on the wall, throw a rug on the floor, add a retro lamp and this area's done :yes:

Sound-wise they sound typically 'vintage'. I need to recap the crossovers but know they'll never cover the range of modern speakers however in saying that what they miss frequency-wise they make up for in imaging, whoa! I had my little test box connected to them earlier and walked away into another room. I turned around and the imaging had followed me, I had to beat it off with a stick! Absolutely amazing, like a flood of sound but definitely not for everyone.

I know I'll still enjoy listening to my other gear more but asthetically this gear is pretty incredible and it's so nice to now have a full system from the same era (1967) and in pretty good condition to boot :thmbsp:
 

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Beautiful gear and room!:thmbsp:

I'm totally unfamiliar with B&O equipment from that era, would you mind posting a few more pics?
 
Beautiful gear and room! I'm totally unfamiliar with B&O equipment from that era, would you mind posting a few more pics?

Cheers Vaughn. Vintage B&O is pretty nice and is based on the less-is-more minimalist principle. The newer stuff (black & silver 80s era mainly) seems to concentrate a bit too much on being sleek which made the internals over complex, prone to failure and very difficult to repair from my experience. I'm not too sure what their new stuff's like but I may be able to tell you in about 20 years when the built-in exclusivity fee has eroded from its value ;) I have heard some of the newer high-end stuff and yes it's very impressive however in my opinion not much different from some of the incredible vintage 80s gear I've managed to hunt down & piece together over the last few years.

I'll take a few more pics once it's all in place as we've already moved it since that photo was taken a few hours ago. The system consists of the Beolab 5000 Integrated Amplifier, a Beogram 1200 Turntable, a pair of Beovox HT 5000 Speakers and the pair of Beovox 2500 Tweeters on top. The Amp & Speakers were the first items designed by Jacob Jensen when B&O took him on. They were all released in 1967. I'm not sure if the 1200 Turntable was also one of his first but I do know that it features in MOMA NYC for its design. I also know that thanks to its design it really isn't an amazing turntable but luckily there are other B&O models that aren't too bad so I'll probably try to get one of those to replace it later on.

Again, B&O make some incredible stuff but unfortunately it seems they've also made some absolute junk too and the problem is that it was all marketed as premium products with premium prices so it's only after collecting a fair bit of it that you begin to learn this. Unfortunately some of the junk looks very *very* similar to the brilliant stuff so you can very easily get caught out.
 
Lovely room, enjoy that! I have a mint black Beomaster 4000 receiver that I love the look of, but it's currently out of rotation. Always makes me swear when I hook it up because the RCA jacks are so close together...only narrow plugs will work. My 1700 turntable is in use in one of the upstairs systems, what a great table it is. I live in fear of having to pay for a new MMC20 cartridge or a re-tip however, and that time will surely come...
 
Great stuff, absolutely great!

I have some 30 pieces of B&O vintage gear, amongst them the very exclusive tube amplifier "608" and the tube receiver "Grand Prix Moderne". But your system with the Beolab 5000 (look for the Beomaster 5000, but beware the inscribing of the front, it is very often partly or totally wiped off) and the (in Europe) very very expensive tweeters Beovox 2500 and the top of the line then HT 5000 speakers are simply breathtaking.

The Beolab 5000 is probably the best B&O vintage gear!
 
What a beautiful recreation of a Copenhagen flat circa late 60's. A simple Ikea floorlamp and a round rug will round it out nicely. Too cool.

This reminds me of that Beogram 3000 sitting in my closet in need of a restoration.
 
Lovely room, enjoy that! I have a mint black Beomaster 4000 receiver that I love the look of, but it's currently out of rotation. Always makes me swear when I hook it up because the RCA jacks are so close together...only narrow plugs will work. My 1700 turntable is in use in one of the upstairs systems, what a great table it is. I live in fear of having to pay for a new MMC20 cartridge or a re-tip however, and that time will surely come...

Cheers J, I'll try ;) I've seen the 4000s around but have never had the opportunity to listen to one. Bugger about the limited space for juicy RCAs though but I suppose at least it has RCAs and not some crazy proprietary connector. Love the Beogram 1700 and it's on my hitlist of models to look at replacing the 1200 with. It's all about the platter and although it looks great the small dot supports on the 1200s platter just aren't enough to ensure the LP stays as flat as possible for optimal playback. The 1700 and a few other timber boxed Beograms have a far more practical platter but I'm thinking of stepping up to a 4000 series with their linear tracking arm as it will be akin to my Yamaha PX-3 in my 'proper' listening system elsewhere in the house. I know what you mean about carts & tips though, ouch!

Great stuff, absolutely great!

I have some 30 pieces of B&O vintage gear, amongst them the very exclusive tube amplifier "608" and the tube receiver "Grand Prix Moderne". But your system with the Beolab 5000 (look for the Beomaster 5000, but beware the inscribing of the front, it is very often partly or totally wiped off) and the (in Europe) very very expensive tweeters Beovox 2500 and the top of the line then HT 5000 speakers are simply breathtaking.

The Beolab 5000 is probably the best B&O vintage gear!

Thanks but it seems as though you should change your username from HK to B&O :) I definitely don't know everything about B&O and had to look up your classic models but wow it looks like you've got some gems there, whoa! Very very nice. Do they both work? What speakers do you run with them?

I've been looking around for a Beomaster 5000 for a couple of years but they're on the rare side, especially the ones in good enough condition and if a good one can be found they're just stupidly expensive. The thing is I know it's the pigeon pair for the Beolab 5000 Amp I have however I don't really need a tuner so although I'd love one to add to the system I don't really need one so it's a fair way down the wish list. I was just blown away that I managed to find the pair of HT 5000s... and here in Australia too! So very lucky I had the funds available at the time, sheesh!

I'll be feeding the above system a line from a hidden SONOS ZonePlayer for ultimate convenience (such a tech contrast, it wont know what hit it!) but will definitely enjoy playing the occasional LP on this system too. This is the first system I've put together where the importance of audio quality takes a backseat and asthetics & collectability are the main consideration. I felt a little bit dirty planning it to be honest but it helps that it has a massive WAF :thmbsp:
 
What a beautiful recreation of a Copenhagen flat circa late 60's. A simple Ikea floorlamp and a round rug will round it out nicely. Too cool. This reminds me of that Beogram 3000 sitting in my closet in need of a restoration.

Ha yeah an IKEA lamp would be perfect however my wife and I have a self-inflicted ban on buying anything direct from IKEA for this house. We got into the habit of filling previous houses with furniture as quickly as possible and IKEA stuff ticked so many boxes however none of it lasted the test of time (obviously by design). We've instead decided to buy everything 2nd-hand from eBay or local online classifieds and although we still have areas of the house completely bare the journey has been extremely enjoyable and satisfying as we've managed to find some amazing solid pieces in incredible condition for a tenth the cost of the equivalent item in IKEA. The cabinet and the lounge suite above are perfect examples and they're genuine original 1960s pieces too! We do have some basic IKEA stuff but even that was sourced 2nd-hand and was close to free! The thrill of the chase is addictive but the satisfaction of buying quality furniture that wont fall apart in 5 years is also a plus :) Don't worry though, if I see a suitable IKEA lamp 2nd-hand in my local area I'll grab it instantly!

The Beogram 3000 is now another Turntable on my list, thanks :) Nice machine :yes:
 
Visit the website www.beocentral.com. Go to pre 1965 and see the Speakers "Type S". The speakers in this picture are mine! Now see the amplifier "608", this amplifier is mine as well. Unfortunately the shade is not very good, the blue is darker in reality, a wonderful greyish-blue that fits perfectly to the brazilian rosewood of the woodcase.

The receiver "Grand Prix Moderne" is hooked on those speakers "Type S", the amplifier "608" is hooked on XXX rare speakers "S 607", visit my album in order to take a look at those pretty big beauties.

Well - of course the Beomaster 5000 is not necessary but it would make your system complete, actually the Beolab 5000 and the Beomaster 5000 belong together.
 

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Visit the website www.beocentral.com. Go to pre 1965 and see the Speakers "Type S". The speakers in this picture are mine! Now see the amplifier "608", this amplifier is mine as well.

Oh wow :drool: Sooo nice and I'm amazed that amp is solid state, I assumed it would have valves! You are a very lucky man :yes: Great, you've now given me a new goal to strive towards and it's only been less than a week since I got the above system together :D
 
Well - the Amplifier "608" has six valves, so I assume that it is not a solid state amplifier. ;)

Ha, OK then. I just read the description in the link from your link: http://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=772 It mainly mentions PCBs and transistors but I just re-read it and noticed the valves mentioned down the bottom so I assume it's a reverse hybrid ie. transistorised 'pre' but valve 'power'?! Whatever it is I WANT ONE :)
 
Some more information on your system as a collector's item by Nick and Jim Jarman:

"Announced in 1967 and known as the Beolab 5000, the high-fidelity system comprised a number of seperate components. Most important of these were the Beolab 5000 amplifier and the Beomaster 5000 FM tuner. Both of these units were constructed to professional standarts of performance and reliabilty but were styled and finished to be acceptable in a domestic environment. Such equipment had not been produced before, and the Beolab 5000 quickly won awards for its industrial design.

The performance of the Beolab 5000 components is so perfect that they still stand the closest scrutiny today. The amplifier, rated at 60W per channel, was a big step forward in quality and power. It was many times more powerful than any other domestic equipment available at the time and offered a new musical experience for those lucky enough to be able to afford it. The tuner was alos of most up-to-date design and included ceramic IF filters and an integrated stereo decoder.

As well as making the units small enough to fit into a home interior, one key styling challenge was to arrange the complex controls so that they would be attractive to look at and easy to operate. The designer, Jacob Jensen, solved this problem by making the major controls work like slide rules. This is not only made them easy to read and use, it also conveyed a subtle message of mathematical precision that fully complemented the accurate, finely tuned sound that the system could produce. The striking appearance of the Beolab 5000 amplifier and the Beomaster 5000 tuner made them perfect as the centerpiece of a key scene in Stanley Kubrick's film A Clockwork Orange. This work was set some time in the future at the time of making , an illusion that was helped in a small way by B&O's timeless styling.

As well as the two main units, the Beolab 5000 system also included a choice of loudspeakers. The most suitable of these was the Beovox 5000, a mighty floor-standing design that used multiple drive units to cover the full frequency range.

One problem with loudspeakers of this period was that they did not disperse high-frequency sound very evenly, the listener had to position themselves carefully if they wished to hear the complete range of tones at the correct intensity. A solution of this problem was offered for Beolab 5000 owners in the form of the Beovox 2500 cube, a small treble radiator that used six smal cone loudspeakers to spread the sound in all directions. Although attractively styled, the Beovox 2500 was not the complete answer and was soon made obsolete by the improved dome tweeters that were fitted to later versions of the Beovox 5000, along with most of the other loudspeakers in the B&O range".

(I'm skipping the the sections describing the tape recorder Beocord 2000 and the record player Beogram 3000)

Sorry for typos...
 
Some more...

"A complete and correctly functioning Beolab system is one of those things that every B&O collector would like to own. (Yeah damned!!! I don't have it yet...!) The tuner and the amplifier are the most popular components, and the real purist insists on the correct loudspeakers which are very large as well. Remember that the Beovox 2500 units are designed to work together with these and are not much use on their own or with other, more modern, loudspeakers. Despite not being strictly correct, some collectors prefer to use the later Beogram 4000 turntable with their Beolab 5000. This forms a very nice system, especially when teamed with some later Beovox loudspeakers.

The printed numbers on the front panels of the Beolab components are fragile and are often found to be worn away. A professional engraver may be able to restore them, if this is found to be the case, though it is important to realize that the scale on the Beomaster tuner is not linear, so do not clean the old numbering off before noting precisely the location of each digit. Buying the tuner and the amplifier seperately can represent a considerable saving but be prepared for a long wait before you assemble a complete set, if you decide to take this approach. The woodwork may not match too well either, though not much of it is visible if the units are stacked."
 
Some more...

Cheers again HK! If you know of a minty Beomaster 5000 someone wan't to offload then let me know :thmbsp:

My wife and I had a good solid listen to the system last night while we were trawling various artwork to hang on the wall above it. We didn't end up deciding on any art however we really enjoyed the sound from the B&O system and we both agreed it got better the more we listened to it. Sounds as though it may improve with even more use so I'll be spending a few more hours with it tonight :music:

I fear the power transformer in the Beolab 5000 may have plate delamination though as it's producing quite a loud 50Hz hum. The same frequency hum is present through the speakers but only in the background and only noticable when there's no music playing so I'm not too bothered at this stage but I may have to bring the restoration forward to avoid further problems in the future. I was planning a full recap but I wasn't expecting to have to repair the transformer. Hopefully it's just an easy bolt tightening exercise and wont require a full laquer dip :scratch2:
 
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