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
Peter:My theory is that we have misunderstood the whole Beocord 5000 device. This was actually the first AI life form and invented by B&O. What we have not understood is that its nutrition source is clearly the magnetic covering of tapes. It clearly makes sense - just when you think everything is fine, it is lunch time.
Jacques
chartz:But seriously, as the great Sir Phil bla-bla-bla, part 7.1 of the service manual has instructions on how to adjust take-up torque, after you have adjusted capstan motor speed.
I glazed (and I used this word deliberately) over 7.1 more than once because it goes right over my head.
To adjust my two errant Beocords is going to require WAY too much hand-holding to be a reasonable expectation.
Damn, I hate being defeated by what is probably a simple adjustment, IF, I knew what I was doing, but I don't. Rats!
Jeff
Beogram 4000, Beogram 4002, Beogram 4004, Beogram 8000, Beogram 8002, Beogram 1602. Beogram 4500 CD player, B&O CDX player, Beocord 4500, Beocord 5000 T4716, Beocord 5000 T4716, Beocord 5000 T4716, Beocord 8004, Beocord 9000, Beomaster 1000, Beomaster 1600, Beomaster 2400.2, Beomaster 2400.2, Beomaster 4400, Beomaster 4500, Beolab 5000, Beomaster 5000, BeoCenter 9000. BeoSound Century, S-45.2, S-45.2, S-75, S-75, M-75, M-100, MC 120.2 speakers; B&O Illuminated Sign (with crown & red logo). B&O grey & black Illuminated Sign, B&O black Plexiglas dealer sign, B&O ash tray, B&O (Orrefors) dealer award vase, B&O Beotime Clock. Navy blue B&O baseball cap, B&O T-shirt X2, B&O black ball point pen, B&O Retail Management Binder
chartz:A possible remedy chez Rudy here: http://beolover.blogspot.com/2015/01/beocord-5000-47154716-exchanging-belts.html?m=1 Worth checking
http://beolover.blogspot.com/2015/01/beocord-5000-47154716-exchanging-belts.html?m=1
Worth checking
Thanks Jacques!
I could never but NEVER have done this belt change sans that video. Without Rudy's superb video I would not have even attempted it.
Talk, talk, talk..... what sticks in my craw is BOTH decks DID work. They actually worked very well. But now neither does.
Oh Jacques, my very good friend, it get's worse. Why are you not surprised?
Well it does. I just got it into my sad excuse for a brain that if I were to "exercise" the second deck (the functional one) I could get it past this hiccup.
So I just tried this...... utter and complete dismal failure.
First I just tried to play a tape and as expected the take-up was too slow. No big deal, keep trying things. So I tried Fast Forward, and NO FF. What the heck? It worked before.
OK Reverse. No Reverse. Now I am getting really annoyed. Tried Eject, and guess what? Yep, NO eject either.
Everything HAD worked on this deck, it's only problem was that it was noisy.
Tried ON and OFF several times, but NO eject.
Am I really going to have to open up this confounded thing again just to retrieve my tape?
No sir, FF and Reverse miraculously reappeared. Completely confused at this point, I tried Play and this damned beast was playing the tape perfectly. I watch for a minute or so and thought, I gotta hear this, so I was searching the bottom of the BM 4400 for Tape 1 and noticed the take-up reel had stopped. In that short span of time a little less than a meter of tape had gone into the player.
One more thing, on deck one (The DOA deck) press STOP FF or Reverse and nothing happens, but on deck two, the appropriate lamps light, just nothing happens. That is STOP lights up, but it doesn't stop.
But I did.
I think I may require the services of an Exorcist. Or how about prier pour moi. (My only useful knowledge of the French language comes entirely from legendary French songs.)
I will light a couple of candles for Buddha in our name, if that doesnt help an offer to the Valhalla gods, last resort will be a human offer to the Aztec gods
Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.
Søren Mexico: I will light a couple of candles for Buddha in our name, if that doesnt help an offer to the Valhalla gods, last resort will be a human offer to the Aztec gods
Hi Soren,
I have seen some crazy stuff in my day, but nothing as confounding as this.
If I got something wrong, and that is a definite possibility, then it is wrong. But this insanity: it works, it doesn't work, and it works again.
You faced enormous frustration with both the Beomaster 4400 and the Beolab 5000, so you kinda must know how it feels. But you are a technical marvel while I am honestly, just an enthusiast, with exceptionally limited technical ability.
Today I witnessed the total non-movement of the take-up spindle, then the unexpected loss of FF, reverse, and Stop. Then everything started working again and the tape played and played and played.
I turned my back on the monster just long enough to find the Tape 1 outlet on the Beomaster 4400, and in that time, the Beocord had gobbled up a meter of my tape. WTF!
I am ready for it, yes please lite the candles to Buddha, appease the gods in Valhalla, and don't forget Olympus! I will see what I can do with the Harpies and some truly monumental Gypsy curse. And I am NOT, repeat NOT forgetting that Exorcist.
Sounds a lot like my experience with the BC5000 I tried to repair, except the part where I break a PCB while trying to attach the counter belt.
If I recall correctly, I just boxed mine up and sent it to McAllen, Texas.
chartz:I remember it well! That Beocord 5000 is a Beolover’s jinx. I must be evil then I suppose, having two working specimens. I’m listening to one of them right now. Works flawlessly I must say.
That Beocord 5000 is a Beolover’s jinx.
I must be evil then I suppose, having two working specimens.
I’m listening to one of them right now. Works flawlessly I must say.
I will be contacting the "evil" Jacques sometime next year when I decide to tackle my Beocord 5000 that I bought new back in 1977. I don't recall mine ever eating any tapes. I just stopped using it in 1983 when I bought a Nakamichi Dragon (which I still have and it is fully serviced and working). However, I do want a working Beocord 5000 again to go with its other B&O components from that era.John
Sure John!
chartz:I must be evil then I suppose, having two working specimens.
Hi Jacques,
John maybe right, there is a demonic aura surrounding the Beocord 5000.
Let's put aside for a moment my lack of technical skills. Yep, they are put aside. At this point the chronological order of exactly what happened, to which deck, and when is a garbled mess in my poor besieged head. These twin beasts have me completely befogged.
However, let's just look at this single event, OK? I wanted to "exercise" as a form of therapy deck two, the one that arrived functioning. This deck did everything perfectly (like your Beocords) everything: PLAY, FAST FORWARD, REVERSE, PAUSE, & STOP, All functions worked, and properly.
I engage ON, no problem. The Beocord 5000 forces you to be GRATEFUL that it just turned on without some sort of drama. Now I press PLAY, but immediately the take-up spindle is barely moving and the tape bunches up.
Now please keep in mind, THIS Beocord has never previously destroyed a tape, this weak take-up was ENTIRELY new.
Disappointed with the tape crunching, I press STOP and if I have the chronology correct the STOP lamp lights, but the mechanism doesn't stop. I am forced to press OFF.
This is a WTF moment, if ever there was one.
Turn the Beocord back on and I press EJECT, and it doesn't work. It always worked previously. Another ON/OFF and EJECT returned. I take the tape out and rewind the tape by hand after the Beocord had messed it up.
Time to try something different. So I try FAST FORWARD, it lights, but no FF. Ditto REVERSE.
I press STOP, the lamp illuminates, and since the cassette wasn't moving, I guess we can say it stopped.
Here is where it gets just plain peculiar. FF/Reverse not working, I press PLAY and the cassette begins to play beautifully. I was waiting for the dreaded tape crunch, but no, it just played as if there had never been a problem.
With all the problems of the last 2 weeks, I had not bothered to connect the Beocrod to the Beomaster 4400. But with it playing so well, VU meters displaying normally, I just HAD to hear the deck.
Note, I watched the cassette mechanism CAREFULLY, with the take-up spool pulling "normally" for 3 to 4 minutes. A very nice surprise.
So wanting to actually hear the music I needed to connect the deck to my amp. In the time it took to unwrap the cable and locate the TAPE 1 socket, where I momentarily wasn't "watching" the Beocord, it gobbled up just shy of a meter of tape..... what a mess.
All the above happened without me doing anything to the Beocord, other then selecting functions: PLAY, FF, etc.
This is also when I began thinking about an Exorcist. Jinx is much too tame to describe all of this, and with BOTH decks!
You have a way of telling a story I enjoy so much Jeff, a real pleasure.
You make my day every time. I always look forward to the next chapter—episode?
Thanks. What next?
You are surely overly charitable, none the less, the kind comment is MOST appreciated.
What next? Hum, that's a good question.
Oh I say I won't do any more with these Beocords and I am SURE I mean it when I say it, but they are just sitting there as if to say, "Are you sure you are not interesting in finding out what is wrong?" Persistence, more often than not, really does pay off.
Hardly exciting for folks in general, but I am quiet excited about a new aluminum strip, factory correct, for my much touted Beogram 4000. This is going to make a HUGE difference in appearance. What I have now is adhesive foil, which is (well) better than nothing, but not the real deal. Coming from Europe and the just ended Canada Post strike, this is going to take awhile.
Back to the Beocords, I am debating whether I need a whip and a chair, or garlic, wolfsbane, and a sterling silver cross.
Just magnetic tape machines?
No Dragon here, but a superb CR-4. A Technics RS-M275 dbx.
R2R : an all valve Revox G36 and an A77.
Rich:At the risk of a moderator’s ire for nonB&O chatter...... And an apology for a thread-jack...... Been following John’s posts for years and only now find out he’s got a Dragon?!?! And he’s the original owner? What other “Grail” pieces do other’s have lying about?
And an apology for a thread-jack......
Been following John’s posts for years and only now find out he’s got a Dragon?!?! And he’s the original owner? What other “Grail” pieces do other’s have lying about?
Never a problem Rich..... at least not with me. Salute!
Jacques, Soren, Rich, and John,
I have the answers, but am not longer sure of the questions.
Jacques, you KNEW the siren Beocord would not stop calling out to me...... it is playing right now dangerously unattended.
I keep thinking about what I witness and try to "understand" it all.
I wanted to "exercise" the deck, but how as all it does is eat takes..... BADLY. VERY BADLY?
So I tried PLAY with no tape. This was fine, played for 30 minutes.
Tried Fast Forward and Reverse...... remember neither worked yesterday. But they work now, and somehow I just knew they would. STOP and EJECT also work, but I admit I wasn't as sure about those functions.
So it is fixed? Fixed? Well not exactly, but perhaps insightfully closer.
Both spindles have PLENTY of power (pulling strength) as do the capstans. However, and it is a BIG HOWEVER the take-up spindle moves just a bit slower than the pushing capstans. It also hesitates initially, giving the capstans a head-start that is unhelpful.
The END RESULT is the Beocord can not, under any circumstances play a tape, any tape from the beginning. First the tape starts looping around loose. Sometimes there is a bit of catch-up, but eventually the capstan grabs the tape and starts shoving it out of the cassette and into the machinery. This is where a flashlight comes in really handy.
Once I get past the first song or so, the take-up reel can keep up with the capstans and problem (somewhat) solved.
Now I am not even going to begin to consider why Fast Forward, Reverse, and Eject didn't work yesterday. One calamity at a time.
Jacques, I tried to comprehend that page in the manual on spool speed adjustment. Went right over my head.
Usage appears to be quickly helping. At first the Beocord didn't recognize the end of play. It does now. It also took 3 songs in at the beginning, now kinda 1 will do, and then it plays unassisted.
I am open to all observations, and SUGGESTIONS that a lay person can understand. And hopefully before this Beocord destroys all my father's old tapes. Zorba the Greek needs rebuilding, and I am on Cabaret now.
Oh one last detail, the tapes were all very neat from previous playing, now they are sloppy and uneven, as it the tape were moving with winding up. This maybe to be expected with this issue, but I thought I would mention it.
Oh dear.
This is even worse.
That Beocord is having you on, it’s playing you big time.
How can you be so naive?
This episode is just so great. I love the script. Another nice read.
On a more serious note Jeff, have you made sure the motor and intermediate wheel are totally free to rotate, belts in place of course - there should be no mechanical resistance - just with the tip of your finger?
chartz: Oh dear. This is even worse. That Beocord is having you on, it’s playing you big time. How can you be so naive? This episode is just so great. I love the script. Another nice read. On a more serious note Jeff, have you made sure the motor and intermediate wheel are totally free to rotate, belts in place of course - there should be no mechanical resistance - just with the tip of your finger?
Naive is my middle name..... didn't you know this by now?
I have been "at" this long enough NOT to jump to conclusions, as in race out to buy a bottle of Taittinger to celebrate. Way too soon for that. I have other concerns now to add to my list.
That said, the Beocord 5000 played the entire tape and stopped at the end. It takes quite awhile to stop, but it does.
Turned over the tape and started from the much feared beginning, flashlight in hand..... and my own hand READY to hit EJECT as soon as the tape started being pushed out of the cassette...... but that didn't happen.
THIS time, it played from the very beginning.
While I am NO expert like all you guys, never pretended to be, BUT I think this is some sort of lubrication issue, and with use, the sewing machine oil got in everywhere it needed to be allowing the take-up spindle to do its job, as designed.
This Beocord did quite a number on my dad's Sorba the Greek tape, but I have played Cabaret 3 times, and this last attempt, from the absolute beginning, something it couldn't do earlier.
At least now I have the confidence to hit PLAY and not hover over the tape EXPECTING carnage. I can do other things in the room while listen to the music. Imagine that?
My thought is to try the same thing on the other Beocord. I mean they exhibit the exact same issue. Of course that first deck has more problems as most of the buttons don't work, and maybe this technique won't work twice, but worth a collage try.
Oil on belts could very well be an explanation, yes.
Hi Guys,
I was prudent in not rushing out for a bottle of Tattinger with the "shake-down" cruise in FULL progress.
As with any elderly piece of electronics usage is going to expose unseen faults.
The new fault is the Beocord has lost ALL highs and everything sounds muffled with reduced volume. Press STOP or Pause, then PLAY, full spectrum sound comes back for about 2 seconds with much increased volume. Repeat as often as I wish, with identical results.
So my learned maven buddies, is this likely a mechanical issue or electronic failure? If it is the former, I have work to do. If it is the latter, we wait for John.
Also, is it acceptable that the Beocord 5000 runs warm? Do note I did NOT say HOT, just warm.
At least it stop eating my father's old tapes...... the only ones I was willing to risk, sorry dad. Today we switched from 1972 pre-recorded tapes, to my much better quality tapes, circa 1985.
Oh and guys, I never use the Dolby circuit, as it sounds TERRIBLE. So the Dolby is off.
I look forward to your insights. The "plan" is to let the deck sit a bit and cool down and see if this issue is still present. If is is, from here in the trenches that would say mechanical problem to me.
But I am NOT the expert, and I asked for expert advice. We'll see what you have to say.
Addendum:
I got to thinking, I wonder what they guys will suggest? I bet someone says, "Did you ever think about changing tapes?" How lame. But is it?
But before I did that, I tried one of Jacques suggestions, I put pressure on the supply spindle, and like magic the full spectrum became available. Turned over the tape and it "liked" side 2 better than side 1.
Well the Beocord liked my father's ancient standard tape, let's see what it does with metal. OMG, with a high quality metal tape, the sound reproduction is the virtual peer of the Beocord 9000. (And that is saying something....)
I guess that puts off my fear of pre-amp capacitor failure, for the present time.There's a relief!!!!
I plan to keep playing this Beocord 5000 for a few more hours and if, after that, no more hiccups, it may be time to give a little boost to the French economy and buy that bottle of Tattinger.
If....... IF this repairs holds, this will have been one hell of a nasty battle. I read a lot of the other threads and the common "thread" is frustration. They all seem to be one calamity after another. But the thing about the BC 5000 is, you have to take it completely apart, make the repair/adjustment, and then put it all back together to see if that fixed the problem.
If not, take it ALL apart again. Repeat.... repeat..... repeat. Ad nauseum.
What made me think that I could really fix these complicated Beocords? I blame Rudy and his damn video, it made it all look so simple, so direct, so POSSIBLE.
Well it IS playing, so I guess it was "possible." Right now, believe it or not, the Halleluiah Chorus. How appropriate!
The Tattinger is no longer an option.
The improved sound faded, even with the better tape. The sound quality is acceptable but not the full potential.
This is a pressure issue with the heads, not at all sure what to do about it.
At least no more chomping of tapes.
I plan to tackle deck 1 to morrow to see if I can get it too to stop destroying tapes. I am running out of victims.
The "problem" or "problems" are mechanical, not electronic. Thankfully.
Thank you John for your heads-up vis-a-vis the pinch rollers. Thank you Martin as well, in this regard.
The plan for the day was to beaver away on the first deck until it submitted and played "nice" like deck two. I was ready to do the "spare the tape" while trying to exercise the mechanicals, but the deck surprised me (completely) and just started playing beautifully, from the beginning.
Now I haven't gotten to the dreaded start of a tape, but I am upstairs typing listening to the Beocord unattended downstairs. I couldn't do with deck two until HOURS of play, and crunch the tape practice. I wouldn't have DARED take my eyes off the moving tape, not for a second.
Seems whatever was wrong, is reasonable corrected, although note, I did NOTHING to deck one.
Too much is fluid right now to do anything major, but John has convinced me that the pinch rolls need to be replaced on both units.
John also tells me that Rudy is satisfied 100% with Terry's rollers, so I will investigate what needs to be done.
If you guys know nothing else about me, you must have noticed that I love analogies. Here it is. This is a LOT like rebuilding a boat engine, whatever is going to happen, it is not going to happen in port. You gotta take the boat and for the "shake-down cruise" to see what it will do.
These are complicated mechanisms which have all failed, or nearly so and sat too long, in less than favorable situations.
I go in, clean up as best I can, insert oil and grease where indicated, change the belts, and hope for the best. I didn't expect any miracles, but I did rather expect deck 2 to work properly, as it sort of did when it arrived.
With usage, more issues are guaranteed to crop up.
I am just really pleased that, for whatever reason, both decks are functioning now.
Again thank you guys for your help.
Good news then!
On my two units, the pinch rollers were (are) as good as new. The decks were kept in their owners' living rooms, having had very little use.
Rubber doesn't like temperature changes.
And yes, Terry has an excellent reputation in Europe as well.
New questions:
OK guys, both decks are working sufficiently well. I have few concerns about deck 2, but I AM concerned about deck1 .
Deck 1, so named because it was the first to arrive and it was DOA as well. Late last night, this deck (without warning) ate a good deal of my mother-in-law's Christmas tape. We are talking over a meter of tape. Yuk, what a job to clean up.
This morning I decided to exercise it during my morning chores. What I found is the Beocord runs as hot as an amplifier of the left side bottom. Is this normal? Somehow I don't think it is.
There is a CONSIDERABLE BUZZ going on that is not coming through the Beolab, as it was initially not even turned on.This buzz is mechanical in origin.
This is the unit that has only PLAY and FF, nothing else (NO STOP, PAUSE, REVERSE) so to get it to stop, I have to press OFF. This is where something else strikes me as odd, as when the OFF is pressed the entire mechanism really moves in a downward position. I checked deck 2 and it moves SLIGHTLY, not the 3-5mm Deck 1 does.
Lastly, is there any way to turn the DOLBY off and have it stay off? Both decks default to the Dolby being on, so each time I want to use them, I have to remember to turn the Dolby off. Kind of a pain....
As always, I thank you for any insights you guys can share.
Any thoughts on the above?
I assume the pre-amplifier section is in need of re-capping. The buzz, which is somewhat pronounced troubles me as the the heat generated. Well that and so many control buttons not working, but it DOES function rather well.
So am I best advised not to use it? Or does it not matter at this point?
Hi Jacques, you are so funny..... and appreciated! Totally appreciated!
I have ZERO doubt that this "first" Beocord will require an electronic re-build sooner rather than later. And I also have all those control buttons that don't work. Yep, it is going to require professional help. (which will be available in 2019)
That said, and I (for one) believe this to be important, BOTH deck responded VERY well to usage. Both deck developed "teething" problems that appeared to resolve themselves with regular use.
The nasty and unwanted tape crunching has stopped, with HOURS and HOURS of use. Deck 2's total loss of sound quality, highs of any description, and clarity disappeared. Original pinch rollers notwithstanding.
The buzzing in deck one is about half what it was, possibly a quarter, and the heat, well no getting around it, it gets too hot.
A second "that said," for comparison, deck 2 gets gently warm, a comforting pleasant warmth. The Beolab 5000 if really pressed (VERY high volume for an extended period of time) will get very, very, hot. Oh you can keep your hand on the heat sinks indefinitely, it isn't THAT hot, but it gets hot.
The first Beocord 5000 lies somewhere in the middle. If play time is 30 minutes or less, just warm, not hot. But play for over an hour and it gets hot.
It would be helpful if I had a proper thermometer, which I don't, but between the buzz and the heat, I don't need an electronics degree to know that something is wrong. This is also the deck that had almost NO volume from the right channel. [That problem has not reoccurred.]
Why would I turn the Dolby off? Oh my heavens, you have GOT to be kidding. I mean Jacques, you really do. I do not use the Dolby on ANY of my Beocords, but especially the two 5000's. It just KILLS the sound, not worth listening to, in my opinion. Almost NO highs of any kind, and muted sound is overly charitable..... well you get the idea, I HATE it. I really HATE Dolby!!!
To be fair, Dolby does control the dreaded tape hiss so common with cassettes. But it also devastates the highs, so for me, not speaking for anyone else, for me, I put up with the hiss so as to actually hear the high notes.
Could the Dolby be misaligned? I suppose so, as it is much more pronounced on the two 5000's, but I see my trying to align heads as asking fro trouble.
I'll admit, the two Beocord 5000's are the new toy on the block, but I have become obsessed with them. Both get played for a couple of hours each day, and that takes up a lot of my time. But it is worth it, plus I always do other things..... I am NOT a couch potato.
I especially enjoy the crippled 5000 in the living room mated to the Beolab 5000 and those lovely M100 speakers. This morning's performance was absolutely awesome.
From what you have said, I believe I must limit the play time of deck 1 to where it doesn't get more than warm. Right now it is kind of a race between one or more electronic failures and John's schedule opening up to take on this project. I am shooting for the latter.
Thank you for getting back to me!
Coming from YOU, this is something I will seriously look into, as I HIGHLY value you opinion.
And I thank you for it!
I will look at my 8004 again, with renewed interest.
The Beocord 5000's, well there is still much left to be done. Patience my friend.
Brief update: Both decks are performing exceptionally well. I couldn't be more pleased.
Deck 2, the functioning one has it's full-range sound back and performs like a NEW Beocord. Honest!
Deck 1, the DOA Beocord does everything right, sans several control buttons. The intense over-heating has abated considerably. Thank God!
Eventually the pinch rollers on both will be an issue, and sooner rather than later the circuit boards in Deck 1 will require re-building, but for now.... for today, bliss!
Thank you guys for all your help!
I have checked just about everything I can think of in regard to the non-functioning control switches. I first looked for corrosion, there wasn't any. Cleaned the contacts regardless. No change, so tried a second time to no effect.
What I have that words is: On, Off, Dolby, Dolby Out, Play, and Fast Forward.
Not working is: Reverse, Stop, Pause,and (the second) Stop.
I find no poor solder points or suspect wires, or poor alignments, so I am scratching my head.
I imagine the next step is extensive sleuthing checking known values with a multimeter. This is not an area in which I shine.
So my question is, is there anything I might have missed with regard to these switch non-functions?
If all that is left is accessing the motherboard and checking values, guys that's exceeds my abilities and frankly, my interests.
Someone, way back when, suggested checking the ground. OK. Checking the ground on a Beogram 4000/8000 is easy, as I know where they are. But on this Beocord? I looked and looked, and as stupid as this sounds, I don't see where there is a ground.
Guys, please understand, I am asking guys who ENJOY working on and rebuilding electronics, I don't. I get stressed, make an insane amount of notes, to do in an hour what you guys can do blindfolded in 5 minutes.
If I could be taken "by hand" and directed to where the ground is, that would really help. That or any other tips you guys might think of.
Boy, I certainly understand! We are hosting the family for Christmas.
Both decks are doing well with daily use, but I am concerned about the one we are talking about. Suffering electronics should never be ignored.
When you get the time, I will appreciate your input.
In the mean time, DO enjoy the "most wonderful time of year," as it really can be.
Merry Christmas Jacques, you are an amazing friend. And a Happy New Year to you and your family!
Jacques,
I just noticed that you were still on-line and wondered what you were doing up at this hour.
How provincial of me, it is 9:30AM in France, and 12:30 AM here.
Good morning Jacques, and good night to me, past midnight.....
chartz:I really hate that one star membership by the way. This will be fixed in due time, because I will never leave this wonderful place!
Jacques this is absolutely NOTHING "one star" about you, of that you may be certain.
New Year's Even coming up and wouldn't you know it, I have a lousy head cold. (I have no sense of timing.....)
By the by, it has now been a couple of months since I tinkered with my two Beocord 5000's, both get used approximately 1 1/2 hours per day and are performing exceptionally well. (One deck near flawlessly, the other with a couple of limitations, but still playing music brilliantly.
Anyway, I do wish you and your family a very Happy New Year.