Beogram 4004 Remote feature in action

I knew from the beginning that the Beogram 4004 has a remote control feature, but it has taken me 8 long years to put all the pieces together.

 

First it can only be connected to a Beomaster 2400-2 and my Beomaster 2400 came with a matching (in rosewood) Beogram 4002.

 

Second, my Beogram 4004 arrived with a 5-pin DIN plug, so the remote feature was not possible.

 

I was hoping to locate the missing screw-in DIN pins and use the Beogram 4004 with my BeoCenter 9000, but the mavens here at BeoWorld informed me this was impossible. The data link of the following models is incompatible with this early configuration.

 

The thought of purchasing a Beomaster 2400-2 on eBay with my having a just restored 2400 had little appeal.

 

Here is where a bit of luck intervened.

 

Martin provided the 2 missing DIN pins and said that IF my Beomaster 2400 had a 7-pin socket it almost certainly was a Beomaster 2400-2 or at the least, remote compatible….. and it does.

 

The first press of the P button on the remote and the WOW factor is hard to overstate.

 

Here is the Beogram 4004 in action now utilizing all its potential:

 

https://vimeo.com/127796032

 

Jeff

This is so luxurious... What's amazing is that it was possible in 1978 and the equipment that used these technologies were, and still are, fabulous pieces of industrial design...

3 years ago, i thought that my dream system would have been : beomaster 2400, beogram 4002, beocord 5000 and beovox S-wathever... I now have this system since many months but i realize with this video that it could be upgraded just a little... (My Beomaster 2400 has the 7 pins plug-in...)

Congrats on this beautiful setup

Guillaume

hamacbleu:

This is so luxurious... What's amazing is that it was possible in 1978 and the equipment that used these technologies were, and still are, fabulous pieces of industrial design...

3 years ago, i thought that my dream system would have been : beomaster 2400, beogram 4002, beocord 5000 and beovox S-wathever... I now have this system since many months but i realize with this video that it could be upgraded just a little... (My Beomaster 2400 has the 7 pins plug-in...)

Congrats on this beautiful setup

Guillaume

I agree. I may have to add a Beomaster 2400 to my collection.

Hi Guillaume,

 

The Beomaster 2400-2 is indeed an exceptional amplifier in both design as well as performance. I love mine and recently had it rebuilt by Benny of Modular Electronics in Georgia.

 

The later renditions were in some ways more modern, the Beomaster 4500 comes to mind and it is a bit more sophisticated….. but the older 1900 and 2400 are better built amplifiers….. in my opinion.

 

I am surprised for a cassette recorder you didn’t go for a Beocord 8004 or Beocord 9000 whose LED graphic display goes so well with the Beomaster 2400.

 

In any case, enjoy your equipment to the max!

 

Jeff

Piaf:

I am surprised for a cassette recorder you didn’t go for a Beocord 8004 or Beocord 9000 whose LED graphic display goes so well with the Beomaster 2400.

I do agree that the Beocord 800x does fit with this Beomaster. I do have a Beocord 8002 but it's a better fit in my "weekend's evening" 8000 system. In fact, despite the fact that the Beocord 5000 is an integral part of my 2400 system, it was remove from it since I didn't like the way the 3 items displayed on my credenza: the Beomaster, in the center, is so flat that it seemed to me that it was squeezed by the beogram and beocord. Plus, I prefer using the tape input for my ipod: I never listen to cassettes anyway... It now lays somewhere else in the house, completing another system which I might call the MoMA one

Enjoy your system too

... I have a question though... When the records end and the carriage goes back to it's starting position, does the Beomaster shut off ?

 

Hi Guillaume,

 

When you say you have a Beocord 5000 may I assume you mean the later stacked model with a drawer?

 

I have lusted for years over the original model which closely matches the Beogram 4000…. my crown jewel. However I never made the leap of faith as all that come up on eBay are tattered added to their bad reputation for needing constant adjustments and generally being a pain to keep working properly.

 

In answer to your question, when the Beogram 4004 is finished the Beomaster does not shut off, that must be done separately. That would be the same with any of my stereo systems, the turntable, CD player, or cassette recorder come to a stop, but the amplifier remains on.

 

However shutting off the Beomaster 2400-2 DOES turn off the Beogram 4004 immediately.

 

Jeff

Piaf:

 

However shutting off the Beomaster 2400-2 DOES turn off the Beogram 4004 immediately.

 

 

.. Which is nice anyway !

 

 

I meant the old Beocord. I made a system with it, the Beogram 4000 an old Beomaster 3000:

 

 

 

 

The Beogram and Beocord are functional, but the Beomaster is not: it's a long term project and I don't need this system anyway. I call it the MoMa system since the Beogram and Beomaster are kept by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, so is the Eames library in which they are displayed. I had the Beogram paired with the Beomaster 2400 at the beginning of the year, but it does not match the Beomaster which is veneered in rosewood.

 

 

The Beogram 4000 is a jewel for me too: it's the piece that started all this B&O hoarding. Acquiring it somewhat killed the Beovirus in me, which is a good thing in my case.

 

 

For us, In Americas, it's one of the impossible thing to find. So it might be a precious posession for anyone here. I could say a lot on my perception of the 4000... Good things and bad things !

Holy crow, colour me impressed! I was absolutely convinced that I had the ONLY Beogram 4000 in Canada.

 

OMG how I suffered over mine….. Convincing the seller to sell it to me, it arriving shattered, and in the end, fused for Deutschland it keep blowing its fuse. Sent in back to Martin in Denmark for repair. Then endless adjustments and I mean ENDLESS until I finally got it right.

 

However it is my BEST turntable (gorgeous design aside) with spectacular sound. I am using a VERY, VERY old MMC20CL that I saved by caprice and it manages out-perform all the rest, including the Beogram 8002 with its MMC2 cartridge.

 

Usage makes a difference with these old cartridges and my Beogram 4004 with its NOS MMC20CL is getting better and better, but the Beogram 4000 still sounds so real you can almost touch it.

 

Just out of curiosity, what don’t you like about your Beogram 4000? It’s OK; you can tell me the truth. Honestly, once I FINALLY got mine working properly, there is nothing, zero, nada that I don’t like about it.

 

If you really don’t listen to cassettes (because I sure do) and your Beocord 5000 really works, should you ever want to part with it PLEASE consider me. I am getting ahead of myself, I know, but if I was so fortunate, I know just where I’d place it, next to my Beogram 4000…. only difference is it would get used.

 

Back to reality, I buy Lotto tickets and don’t “expect” to win, and I don’t expect to be so lucky as to find a functional Beocord 5000 that someone has little use for…. and right here in Canada. Nice fantasy though!

 

Good grief, reality is so over-rated! I did see both displayed at the Museum of Modern Art, but never imagined I would ever own either.

 

Funny world; I thought I was the only BeoWorlder in Canada and it turns out that we both own Beogram 4000’s. What are the odds on that?

 

Jeff

Piaf:

Holy crow, colour me impressed! I was absolutely convinced that I had the ONLY Beogram 4000 in Canada.

 

 

There are many vintage B&O owners in Canada.
I have repaired four or five Beogram 4000s sent to me from Canada and Guillaumes is not one of them...

Martin

Will the BC8000 work with the BM2400? It has been a while since I have had these units but normally the later decks record at a different level - I seem to remember that some of the 8000 series had a switchable level - can Martin confirm this?

Peter:

Will the BC8000 work with the BM2400?

It does work for playback, but I don't know if it works in a common way since i used a din plug that transform into 5 rca, used two of those and then get back to din in the Beomaster. Not an ideal solution but it makes my tape input available for anything anytimes, B&o or not. I never tried recording though.

@Jeff

The 4000 is a fabulous machine for sure: the way you operates it is superior to the other 400x. The aluminum control panel is far more interesting to use than the steel brushed one which looses, by now, all their coating (mostly on the start button..)

I'm more into design than function: I love those thinners ribs on the platter (but sonavor's thread proved that the 5503 4002 has them too..) and the strobe (which by the way I've let to 50hz since the effect is brighter than on the 60hz position. Being a musician, I always tune my turntable by ear anyways). Overall, The presentation is superior on the 4000

However, I don't like the clickclicks sound that happens when the carriage is moving back to it's starting position over the small switches under it. The 4002-4 does not have these.

I don't like that it gets hotter than my 4002: if I remember correctly, the power consumption is twice that of the 4002-4.

And honestly, with the same pickup, I can't see any differences in sound whatsoever with my 4002. (But i'm no audiophile so perhaps i'm not well trained to perceive these differences)

But it's the piece that started it all. I clearly remember the day I decided to acquire a turntable and remembered that thing I saw in a Taschen book. I then searched on the net if it was existing for real.

Since it's so precious for me, when I use it, I just look at it: I don't listen to it. This is perhaps what's "colouring" (can we say that in english?) my perception of it. But I definetely plan on making a functional system with the Beomaster 3000.

But i'm keeping my Beocord! : I love this piece. But i'll definitely keep you in touch should I part with it somedays. ( i actually got it on the bay for 30$... It's not that hard to find in Americas it seems.)

...Another pros for the 4002-4: you see how this primary datalink function is overwhelming? You won't get it on a 4000!

Guillaume

Peter:

Will the BC8000 work with the BM2400?

While not Martin, not even close, I don't see any reason you can't use a Beocord 8000 with a Beomaster 2400. I have used a Beocord 8004 for years with my Beomaster 2400 with great success.

Jeff

Hi Guillaume,

 

Very interesting and enlightening perspective on the Beogram 4000 and the 4000 series in general. I am impressed that you are detail oriented enough to notice the difference in power consumption.

 

One can debate the “difference” in sound quality between the Beogram 4000 and the “lesser” of the series that followed indefinitely. The heavier platter, the DC motor, etc. all have an effect, but what it really gets down to is the cartridge.

 

I purchased a NOS MMC20CL for my Beogram 4000, but the one I had been using was so clearly superior to any of the others, including this NOS cartridge that I left this mid-eighties cartridge in place.

 

The fantastic MMC20CL came with my first Beogram 4002 and subsequently after a couple of years of service, my B&O dealer suggested that I replace the cartridge with a new one…. and I kept the original as a spare.

 

As an aside, my first Beogram 4002 was struck by lightning, utterly destroying the phonograph as well as blowing the tip off my new replacement stylus. In a way the MMC20CL is all that I have left of that turntable and what is left is in the Beogram 4000.

 

I am not sure about your click-click sound as my Beogram 4000 doesn’t make it. True, when the tonearm lowers there is a click as well as when it lifts, but that is about it for the noise.

 

I also never noticed a heat issue. While I imagine all these turntables might get a bit warm, I am not aware than any of them (mine anyway) get hot.   

 

And yes you say “colouring” in English.

 

Glad you are retaining your Beocord.

 

Yes I see them come up regularly on eBay but virtually all are in terrible cosmetic shape and most as sold “As is, not working.”

 

Thanks for the interesting remarks on the Beogram 4000.

 

Jeff

Dillen:

There are many vintage B&O owners in Canada.
I have repaired four or five Beogram 4000s sent to me from Canada and Guillaumes is not one of them...

So I am not alone.... good to hear!

You may not have repaired Guillaume's Beogram 4000 but you did mine. And as you must know, it is still going strong. Thanks Martin!

Jeff

Hi Guillaume,

 

I was just wondering, as the Beogram 4000 was not imported to North America, do you know where your Beogram 4000 was delivered?

 

Mine was originally delivered in Berlin. (that would be West Berlin, Germany at the time)

 

I do not know the original purchaser, as my Beogram 4000 was purchased second hand by an internationally renowned photographer.

 

The purchase process was insane as the seller wanted “pick-up only” no shipping. I got to talking with him and he pulled his eBay auction.

 

Then I had to PROVE to him personally that I was the right person for his Beogram.

 

A bit of theater I admit, but he was instant on a phone conversation which lasted well over an hour.

 

On the surface this very prominent (and influential) seller wanted to be certain I was “worthy” of his Beogram, in reality there was a good bit of he wanted to make certain that I was sufficiently hooked on the Beogram 4000 not to demand a refund when the problems that he knew would ensue developed.

 

The seller found the right guy (patsy) as I was in LOVE with my turntable….. still am.

 

So back to you, do you know the history of your Beogram 4000?

 

Jeff

 

P.S. Found several Beocord 5000’s today, all junk, which is about normal. All fair to poor cosmetics and non-functional. I am going to keep looking until I find a pristine one that has been properly serviced.

Hi Jeff,

mine was originally delivered in Germany too. In Bremen actually. In fact the name and address are still on the original user manual. It was then imported from England and then to me. Funny story about that photographer that we're unsure if he really wanted to sell it or not... Seeing your collection, He sure has found the right person to take care of it now .

When I bought mine I had the most perfect transaction ever. I received it in three days and the seller made all the necessary in terms of shipping protection. I'm surprised how fast shipment is from Europe: Sometimes, Martin sends me parts from Denmark by regular post (for my various experimentations...) and I receive them in the same week

By the way, I too have an original mmc20cl. It's on my favorite deck ever: the Beogram 8000. The pickup has 35 years now and the reproduction is still outstanding. But it's paired with a Beomaster 8000 so it helps.

... Being on the 4000 matter, I was in New York last week and went to that Modern Museum of Art. There's actually an exhibition in which some of Jensen works are displayed. The 4000 they have does not have any stylus (which makes for weird look) and there's a strange black marking on the aluminum cover around the left of the platter. The marking above on the aluminum stripe above the dustcover was impeccable

... There was a transcriptor hydraulic reference on it's side that seemed to generate more curiosity than this 4000 though.

Another thing About pros and cons of the 4000: I prefer the transparent and grey look of the 4002-4. The 4000 seems to have a kind of orange hue in the dustcover. I first thought mine had it because it was in a smoking environment

... But the piece that impressed me the most (and seemed to impress others too) was that Beocenter 7000. I do have a 7700, which seems to be technically superior, but in terms of design, I really prefer this one, with it's brushed aluminum keys. Plus, you can see all the turntable. (It's a matter of taste I guess.. On the 7700 the aluminum cover goes on all the lenght.

The position of the tonearm on the piece displayed is weird though..

... I love those Braun things behind!

Guillaume

Hi Guillaume.

 

Well it seems you have quite a collection yourself. I for one am MORE than impressed!

 

The dustcover to the Beogram 4000 is unique in that it is a BROWN colour as opposed to the GREY that followed with the 4002/4004 8000/8002, etc.

 

Virtually all my purchase/transport stories regarding Beograms ended up badly, but the Beogram 4000 was a standout nightmare.

 

The seller was used to the limelight and getting his way. No harm done there….. “Nice work if you can get it….” however this gilded treatment made for a capricious and impatient gentleman. (Not exactly living in the “real” world)

 

At the time of the sale he had a major showing of his work and was understandably distracted. He had recently moved from Berlin to New Jersey and had problems with his Beogram 4000.

 

Several trips to a New York City electronics shop and some pretty hefty repair bills did not solve the problem so out of frustration he put it up for sale “local pick-up only free.” This stipulation narrowed the available buyers and after several impassioned emails, he pulled the auction.

 

The insisted upon “interview style” telephone conversation was the zenith of high drama….. none the less it was beyond interesting talking with him, a man that had had such a rich and influential life.

 

The truly BAD part is/was that this man knew absolutely 100% NOTHING about packing a Beogram. Might as well have shipped it in a paper bag from Safeway.

 

When I opened the box I was as shattered as my new Beogram. The tonearm was sticking into the platter, the dustcover a total loss, the record position indicator broken in several pieces, the bearing that held the drive shaft for the tonearm was broken in two and the drive belt missing. (I found the belt under the motherboard.)

 

It took a lot of patience and SUPERGLUE to get the Beogram 4000 running again, but most of their repairs were temporary and would not have lasted, the bearing in particular.

 

A BeoWorld member from Denmark came to my rescue with proper replacements for all my broken parts AND the dustcover. (Gratis)

 

Thought I was home-free as all seemed well for a few months, but mid-play the Beogram 4000 blew a fuse….. after two boxes of fuses (all blown) all I could get my Beogram 4000 to do was spin the platter and move the tonearm, BUT the second the tonearm dropped, another blown fuse.

 

This is where I gave up and shipped the Beogram to Martin and he discovered that the NYC repair shop didn’t know to change the fuse for a higher value as selecting 115v doubles the amperage as compared to 240v.

 

Once I got the Beogram 4000 back from Martin this TT seemed determined to provoke me requiring months and months of adjustments. Fix one thing and something else would be wrong….. again, again, and again.

 

Then a miracle, the tonearm lowered nicely (as opposed to a guillotine) and in the right spot, played the entire record, AND actually picked up at the end of play….. and all at the same time.

 

I haven’t had a single bit of trouble since and this has been seven years.

 

I loved my Beogram 4000 from day one, but anytime we have to fight so hard and so damn long to achieve success, the final victory becomes genuinely enhanced….. which may explain my extreme obsession with this Beogram 4000.

 

When I called it the jewel of my collection I was not kidding.   

 

Jeff

 

 

Piaf:

I loved my Beogram 4000 from day one, but anytime we have to fight so hard and so damn long to achieve success, the final victory becomes genuinely enhanced….. which may explain my extreme obsession with this Beogram 4000.

Considering it's history, I clearly understand why your so passionate about this deck! And it looks rather mint for something that has overcome such bad treatments!

I do perceive the pieces that I overhaul myself (and with the help from other fellow Beoworlders) differently. And The 8000 system is one of these, and i'm particularly proud of it!... This goes also for the BM2400.

But, since my 4000 still have it's original caps, it will definitely need a complete overhaul one day or another, and sooner that I might think. But i'm not ready yet. Then, I might have the revelation!

So keep on enjoying your pink pressing of Bette Midler on that beautiful and iconic posession of yours. We might call it "The West one". I got "The East one" or the "Frog one" (but this one sounds pejorative)

Here it is, paired with the BM2400:

Guillaume

Hi Guillaume,

 

It appears we have a lot of the same equipment, judging from your Beomaster 2400 and (of course) the Beogram 4000.

 

The Beogram 4000 West has been recapped, but my Beogram 4002 and 4004 are original. I am a bit like you, in denial not wanting to think about the eventuality.

 

With the Beomaster 8000 I have never found one that I figured was in a condition where it didn’t need immediate servicing….. LED’s out, and/or sellers listing faults that screamed recapping.

 

By the was my 8000 I have had since “almost” new, but it is a “Frankenstein” model whose trouble past is what got me into B&O collecting….. everything started because I needed to have my 8000 repaired.

 

All the best!

 

Jeff