ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
I use a mixture of vintage and modern B&O, withe the vintage having been refurbished to a high standard (by Martin/Dillen here on Beoworld.)
For music I currently use an Olive One, but I don't use its own amplifiers but connect it to a Beomaster tape input so that I get the benefit of tone and loudness controls plus S45 sound.
But I've got to thinking that an alternative approach would be just to have old B&O classic designs on display whilst at the same time having relatively cheap but technologically up-to-date equipment providing the sound with the boxes and speakers hidden away somewhere. In fact much equipment has now become so miniaturised that you hardly need hide it away anyway! The Olive One might just as well be driving a pair of £50 speakers from Richer Sounds according to one of my relatives!
Obviously you wouldn't have the 'Magic' of using many B&O features, but an old Beomaster such as my Beomaster 1200 or 2000 looks good whether the electricity is flowing through it or not.
Or is that vintage refurbished equipment so superior in its sound output that refurbished B&O is always preferable to the cheap modern alternatives? I guess I've partly answered my own question with my current set-up!
Graham
I would have thought that refurbished b&o should sound better than cheap modern day alternatives as it was built to a higher quality, but, mid range alternatives may sound better because of technical advances? Be interested in any opinions/experience.
Is your BM2000 the 80's aluminium one? I used to own one and sound through my S45 at the time was very nice even though it has a quite limited amplifier. The 70's BM2000 with wood is said to be a great amplifier and a top match with your S45. It will give that warm yet detailed B&O sound I imagine.
The BM1200 is getting quite old for these times, I used to own one before I got the 80's BM2000. The BM2000 was a serious upgrade to more modern sound. The 1200 really sounded like an old radio, unfortunately enough because it is a classic design. So I can imagine that if you use this someone will find it lacking.
For all the years B&O have been made, much effort has been put into their external and internal design. With a few exceptions it is like buying the audio equivalent of a Rolls Royce. When refurbished by a tech like Dillen they will perform at their as new standards. The S45 were top loudspeakers and still are.
Do the comparison. The olive amplifier might be quite good. But put those 50 pound speakers on the olive one amplifier and compare it to the B&O S45. I doubt you will enjoy it as much!
The BM2000 is the 70's model like this one (aluminium and white). The S45's are the predecessor of the S45.2.
Premiumverum: The 1200 really sounded like an old radio, unfortunately enough because it is a classic design. So I can imagine that if you use this someone will find it lacking.
The 1200 really sounded like an old radio, unfortunately enough because it is a classic design. So I can imagine that if you use this someone will find it lacking.
You are probably right about the BM1200, although in its day it was primarily a radio with maybe a 1200 series Beogram. Maybe this is a good Beomaster to have on display rather than in use!
Good question, the thing I find is if you show someone your vintage collection they want to see and hear it working as well, so
i use the beomaster 1200 for radio
the Beomaster 1500 for 7 inch singles
the beomaster 3000-2 for 12 inch vinyl
the beocenter 8500 for cassettes and CDs
trying to remember to keep everything going is sometimes difficult, my only concession is speakers because they are too big to bring here, so apart from a couple of pairs of CX50s I have to use other speakers
it is great though to have everything working as it should
I can see where you are coming from vikinger and in some way having a Playmaker connected to my Penta's is making the rest of the system redundant apart from a visual look.
To me it is deeper than perfect reproduction it is about the pleasure of interaction of the medium and audio/visual system, there might be imperfections but that adds to the joy. I also own several coffee pots and although Lidl probably sell a perfectly functioning one at a fraction of the cost it would not bring me the pleasure when pouring and I think this is where the "thought" lies.
It's that personnel pleasure connection, some may or may not have it and that is not a problem or fault with them it is just for what ever reason they have not connected, the same process could be said about someone's wife or partner, everyone may not want to marry or live with them but every now and again they will get happily connected.
Now the reason I like vintage and not just B&O vintage is that most of these products did not come via design clinics, driven by mass market research or were strangled by finance directors, they were designed with thought, passion and love and built by craftsmen and artisans and I want to experience that.
In my eyes we live in a bland homogenised world and such gems make it more pleasurable.
we tend to forget there is more to design than designing.
Interesting that in the Active Topics list this thread currently shows ajames post at 9.26 as the latest post, yet there have been four later posts.
EDIT.
1. That makes 5 posts, and the thread has now moved up!
2. Just found that the 'More' button for editing no longer works in Safari on either an iMac or iPad, but it does work in Firefox on the iMac.
Well very good question indeed I think.
To me it is what I did not have earlier on in my life and did not get into from 1988 to 2003 when Bang & Olufsen where suddenly at my disposal with a complete Beosystem 2000 and a Beocord 9000 in rosewood.
Getting into way deeper by late 2007 I had my first things going to Martin and then it got crazy.
I realised that instead of HIFI I could stick with B&O and like it 100%. Not some black or silver something cheaply made that would not last very long with boring design.
With the current 2 Beosystems being 1981 6000 and 1991 6500 I got class for sure and I love and use it pretty much every day.
As for new download/streaming it is something that I have yet to get into but I don't see the point. Don't fix when ain't broke.
Right now I am currently having one af 5 Beomaster 901 serviced by Martin and the amount of that is on the higher scale of cost. but again the alternative for its use which is to used for the sound out on my main pc. Rather that than any pc something for sound. I can recall having Creative speakers in the '90s for the pc. Logitech surround? Really?
B&O still have a use and sounds good when serviced no doubt. Sadly people don't realise that and go with new technology rather than finding Martin.
vikinger: 2. Just found that the 'More' button for editing no longer works in Safari on either an iMac or iPad, but it does work in Firefox on the iMac.
off topic - yes, I know - but....
I have noticed that too.
It still works with my iPad2, which has not gotten the latest update yet.
This really needs to be looked after!!!
Not being able to edit my posts is a no-go.
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
Millemissen: vikinger: 2. Just found that the 'More' button for editing no longer works in Safari on either an iMac or iPad, but it does work in Firefox on the iMac. off topic - yes, I know - but.... I have noticed that too. It still works with my iPad2, which has not gotten the latest update yet. This really needs to be looked after!!! Not being able to edit my posts is a no-go. MM
Just for display purposes
blah-blah and photographs as needed
vikinger: For music I currently use an Olive One
For music I currently use an Olive One
Graham,
I am just being curious: are you happy with your Olive One?
I assume sound quality is fine, but is the software responsive and fluid? And also the iOS app? Is it really convenient to browse into your music library? Does it deliver a generally satisfying user experience? If you have a hard drive version, is copying music not too much of a pain?
Thanks!
I started getting into the 70's B&O stuff recently and really love it - so at home I have a BM6500 which is now used mainly to switch sources into the other rooms and wake up to the radio - but on display and working in the sitting room - BM2402 and BG4004, in the cupboard BM1500 and BG1500 - I managed to find an ultrasonic remote on ebay for the BM and waiting for that to arrive - all of it needs servicing and I cant wait to have it all working as it did when new. I find streaming music works really well and a good use of the Tape Input. So a mixture of old and newer technologies works for me. I've also got a BC7700 and 7007 in the roof, and LX Tv still in regular use, BV8, BV6x2 and various other bits - it seems that once you start collecting you cant stop.
Inspiration has been mainly from this site and reading about everyone else's passion for collecting and using old equipment and daring to be different