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
Hi there guys,
I thought it would be a nice idea to hear which B&O setups you have had during the past. What got you interested in the first place and how did your journey in the world of B&O develop through the years?
I'm 25 and my parents have always been true to the brand. Back in the days when I was child I watched my cartoons on a Beovision LX2800 along with a BeoCord VHS80. The stereo was a Philips CD player (?!) hooked up to a BeoMaster 6000 with carbon black CX50's in the dining room and a pair of BeoVox S120's in the living room. They were custom painted white by my grandfather
Later on (I believe it was back in 2001) my parents parted with their LX2800 and exchanged it for the fancy new BeoVision 1 25" with blue speaker frets and the Beo1 remote.
Not much has happened since then. They have exchanged the CX50's with a pair of white CX100's in the dining room but the S120's still play in the living room and the BeoVision 1 still serves as the everyday television.
As I moved to my own place at the age of 19 I thought of getting my own B&O setup as I had always loved the brand. As I could not afford it I was left with the dream for a few years until my grandfather (the same one who painted the S120's :)) thought that his family should inherit some of his finances in advance so he could have the opportunity to see what we dreamt of buying. I went for the BeoSound 4 along with a used pair of BeoLab 4000's in all black. I absolutely loved this setup for many years - I was very proud when throwing off parties in my appartment with this stereo playing!
As time passed I really dreamt of having a Beovison to complete the setup. My dream was finally fulfilled in 2009 when bought the BeoVision 8-40. Later on a BeoLab 2 and even a pair of BeoLab 3500 was added as rear speakers turning my tiny apartment into a dance hall that easily could compete to going to the real disco's
Today I live with my girlfriend in a slightly bigger appartment. The current setup consists of the same BeoVision 8-40. Though the BeoLab 4000's, 3500's and the BeoLab 2 have been switched out with a pair og BeoLab 3 in white with a matching BeoLab 11.
I am still very satisfied with the performance of the BeoVision 8-40 and the Lab 3's and the Lab 11 plays like a dream.
What do I dream of then? I would say a pair of BeoLab 9's and a BeoVision 7-40 MKIV with built in blu-ray player.
I hope you guys will tell your stories aswell!
BeoVision Eclipse 55, BeoPlay S8 (sub+rears), BeoPlay A9 MKII (living room), BeoVision Avant 32 DVD (retro gaming, basement), BeoLab 4000 (entertainment room, basement), BeoSound 8 (workshop), 2x BeoPlay S3 (PC), BeoPlay A1, BeoPlay H2/H3 (on the go)
I love this type of thread
My B&O story started when I was 17 back in 1998. I had never thought anything of B&O as it was out of my price league, I guess I had the "overpriced/underperforming Philips wrapped in pretty shells" glasses on. Then my brother started working for B&O after completing his engineering thesis on the Beosound 1 in the factory in Struer. I saw how they tested the products in the factory, saw "the Cube", and I saw some of the products he started buying. From then on I was hooked, and I started saving up all the money I earned. For some reason the very first thing I bought was a Beocom 6000, although I didn't spend much time on the phone, and I lived at home. I guess it was because it was some of the cheapest B&O in the store :o) A year or so later I bought a used Beovision AV5. I had fallen in love with this because of the the way this TV wasn't just a TV, it was a piece of furniture, a piece of art. The way the curtains pulled aside when turned on, the speakers revealing themselves, and the CD player floating in the corner. I had seen it in Struer and now I owned one in the one and only orangebrownish colour.
Time went by and I wanted more. I found a pair of Beolab 1s, but couldn't connect them to my beloved TV. Well luckily my brother came to my rescue and taught me about Masterlink, and gave my a Masterlink Active box, so I could connect these massive towers to my TV.
After that I bought an Avant 32 RF DVD to replace the AV5 which I sold to my parents. Later I bought a couple of BeoLab 3's to use as rears, so I could get a surround setup. It was fantastic, these were my first real piece of B&O purchased new in store.
I had this setup for many years, but really wanted a flatscreen as this started to be "the next big thing", and the Avant seemed old with my PS3 connected. My big problem was that I only saw one worthy follower, the BV5, because like the AV5 and BV Avant, it didn't need to stand on a piece of furniture or have a stand, no it stood there all on its own, but the price tag was out of this world, so I started looking at other brands looking for a way to implement my B&O speakers. Then one day my brother and sister-in-law remodelled their house and decided to sell all of their B&O, which I bought cheap, so suddenly I could cover my apartment in B&O. A BL3500 in the kitchen, BL6000's as rears so the BL3s could be used in my study, and most importantly I got the BS9000 hanging in my living room. All of it linked together. But I still didn't have a flatscreen, and the BV5 had been replaced by the just-as-expensive BV9. I didn't really know what to do or how I would ever afford it. Time went by and I finished my engineering bachelor and I was unemployed a long time until I got a dead end job at a warehouse. I saved everything penny I could find, taking extra shifts until I found a better paying job, although still not an engineering job. I continued putting all my money into my Beo-account, until one day I noticed that the prices for used BV9s were close and then I found the perfect deal. An old couple in Struer was selling their BV9, when the husband retired from the B&O Factory and wanted to buy one last TV before he left. I drove from Copenhagen to Struer to pick it up, and I was extremely nervous, as it was still a lot of money for a TV, not to mention a used TV. But they were the nicest people, and I drove very carefully all the way back to Copenhagen.
I was so afraid that I would be disappointed after spending that much money on a used TV, but now one and a half years later, I still smile just talking about it and I just love that TV, I'm just sad that it doesn't really have the right surroundings, as my apartment is rather small.
Well that was my, rather long (sorry), story about my Beo-adventure so far. Today I have the BV9 in the living room together with the BS9000, BL1s and BL6000s. The kitchen still has the BL3500 and in my bedroom/study I have a BL2000 I once won in an auction, although this is soon to get setup in the bathroom, I will then put the BL6000s in the bedroom/study, and my beloved BL3s will be hung on the wall in the living room as rears. The Avant and AV5 are still in the family as they are at my parents, but my father asks me politely to get rid of them every time I visit them, as they take up a lot of space, and are not used anymore :o(
The future?? Who knows. I dream of a pair of BL9s so my surround setup can be all ALT units, although I will miss the dominance of the BL1s size and appearance. But I would also like to buy a car, so we'll see what comes first :o)
I had my first B&O back in 1970, I bought me a BM 1000, BG 1000, and Beovox 1000, the BG 1000 went with me to a lot of parties, on the back of my Motorbike, 1972 the equipment was sold to get payment for a car.
I got married, got some kids, and B&O got in the background, not forgotten, 2002 I was living in Mexico, kids had their own life, I went to DK for a visit, bought a Beosund 3000 and a pair of BL4000, to get these to Mexico I bought 2 backpacks, the Beosound in one, carried by my wife, and the speakers in the other, carried by me, we got the tax refund in the airport (25 %), and the set is still playing here in Mexico 10 years later. As I had my LPs and a Sony TT, I found that a Beo system needed a BG, so after a search I found the US Ebay and there my BG 2404, my first Ebay buy ever. later that year (2002) I found a set of BL8000 on Ebay in San Francisco. The BL 8000s was send to my customs agent in Laredo Texas, and from there to Mexico city, the delivery person left the box on the sidewalk at my front door, and it was still there 2-3 hours later, as I came home. Normally things left like that in Mexico city, disappears within 3 minutes, also the BL 8000 are still playing here.
2009 I was surfing the Ebay, I dont remember for what, but there was a BM 901, I bid USD 20.00 and a couple of days later I got a mail from the bay that I won it. Now, I didnt know what I had bought, went surfing for info, and found the Beoworld forum again, I had been there before I bought the BL 8000, checked for information about the BM 901, the BM needed speakers so a pair of S45s was bought.
Now the sh1t hit the fan, I got the BeoVirus, I have now 5 BMs 7 sets of speakers, 4 BGs, 1 Beocord, 1 BG CD50, nearly all bought on the US Ebay, shipped to Mcallen TX (family there) and picked up in my car and down here to Mexico, except for a couple of items its all refurbished and working.
The forum has been giving me help and advise in everything, not only with repairs and refurbishing but also in music choices, how to get the wife to accept the BeoVirus (somehow) and has been giving me new friends that I has never met.
I think that my small collection has traveled more miles than any other same size
Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.
Loved both your stories - it is great to see young people passionate about B&O, and also passionate for the classics of the brand.
I became interested in HiFi when I was around 14/15 - at the time I had a steel needle record player that I cranked by hand and a set of shellac records that were all classical music.
One birthday/christmas I was given a small reel to reel tape record - and I mean small I think it has miniature reels -- and I did not use it for music ! but trying to re-create electronic music like the Dr Who theme tune
So at the age of 15 I was aware of brands like Wharfdale, Quad, Elac, and so on. But not B&O.
Then we moved and i was at a new school making new friends, one of whom was the "rich" kid in our gang, and we used to visit his house ... where his dad had the slide rule system (Beolab 5000) and the diamond tweeters but I think Alex was too scared to turn it on for us
But I then became aware of the B&O shop as I started surveying the HiFi shops in the big city near the town we lived close to. I used to collect all the data sheets from all the brands, starting to learn about McIntosh and Sansui and the like. But although I loved Scandinavian design I was seduced by the bright shiny electronics into wanting something with big knobs and flashing meters. So when my dad decide it was time for us to have a family music system I advised him and we ended up with a concoction of brands that had no style but could not have looked out of place on the desk of a rocket scientist at Cape Canaveral.
Fast forward and I leave home, travel the world, and come to Australia - and at the start of my working life I buy a Sony mains cassette player and two crappy speakers and start acquiring cassettes.
Then I meet my wife-to-be, get married, and we use some of the wedding gift money to buy our first B&O (second hand with some minor damage marks) - two BeoVoxs and a Beogram 1500 with builtin amp that I connect with the Sony cassette player but in reality we are now in heaven with quality music from LPs.
Fast forward 10 years, we have two children with a third lurking in the future, and my salary has increased 10X and I was awarded a company bonus that I decided to spend on the B&O system of that age that had captured my imagination: Beomaster 5000, Beocord 5000 and S55s. Then I added the CD50 started the explosion of buying CDs every Friday on the way home from work. Then I added my first link system - the MCL82 with two CX100s.
Life was wonderful.
Then a friend of mine with a wife of Danish heritage bought a 5500 stack and I realised my timing had been off by one year and I had missed the start of the transition to the new master link and ultimately the power link.
So for more than 10 years nothing happened other than buying more CDs and when my friend went overseas we got to babysit his RL60s - so sweet to have those for some 5 years - I loved the sound but my wife hated the looks.
Fast forward again - friend returns and RLs are returned, and the children are starting leaving school and I am dreaming of a school fee free life
In the mean time I have been lurking around B&O stores, joining the very early Beoworld, and being gifted old B&O systems from friends who knew my passion, and I was buying pieces on eBay and the like: I had the Beovirus and I was buying without having a strategy
Slowly I entered the B&O world of new purchases: a Beosound 2 that I loved dearly and was my saviour on many long projects when I was away from home, away from my B&O, away from my music.
Then we added some Beolab 6000s in line mode to the Beomaster 5000.
Then a BeoPort to distributed my MP3s - and I was into integrating this with the BM 5000. and hollowing out a spare Beocord 5000 and trying to put a music PC inside that chassis - all documented in the original Beoworld.
Then a Beosound 4 to displace the Beomaster 5000 and I was starting to move into the new world ... but !
Then I secured a multi-year assignment in the UK ... a dream come true ... BUT only my BS2 for company.
Then Beolab 3s to attach to the BeoPort I had carried with me
Then some Beolab 4s.
Then (this was still on the UK on assignment) our first BeoVision - an Avant - which we bequeathed to UK friends and fellow Beolovers - too heavy and too risk to ship all that way !
So we return to Australia ... and to the purchase of BV8-32 and some addition Beolab 4s and Beolink Wireless 1s to establish the new link system.
And this year a BV8-40 so we now have link room TV as well
And we travel to Struer and have a great time.
Come home and buy an A3.
And now I am sitting on the edge of the next major transition in my B&O life time ... a step away from (or perhaps co-existance with the master link) as I look to buying PlayMakers, Beolab 9s. and something like the BV11 in the years ahead.
So our journey has been:
-- the Beogram 1500 / Beovox era of the seventies
-- the Beomaster 5000 / S55 of the eighties
-- the RLs on loan in the nineties
-- the slow transition from old media to new, passive to active speakers, and the master link with the BS4 in the "noughties"
-- the jump into Beovisions and distributed video and audio in the start of the "teenies"
nor a bad four decades of BeoAddiction ... I wonder what the next decade holds
BeoNut since '75
It was 1993 when I first discovered Bang & Olufsen. I had just moved to San Francisco and decided to take a late night (past midnight) tour of the city by car shortly after my arrival. I drove by a Bang & Olufsen store in Union Square and could not believe my eyes. What beautiful works of art! I stopped the car, got out, and looked through all of the storefront windows, gawking at the incredible products I'd never seen before. Unfortunately, the store was closed.
The next morning, I arrived at the store as they unlocked the doors. I walked around the store in amazement, both at the beauty and at the price. Since I was in my early 20s, I was basically ignored by the sales staff. They most likely saw me as another young kid with big dreams and no money. I left the store after speaking to nobody, but determined to buy something later. I saved money at my meager job for several months and bought an MX-5500, VX-5000, BeoSystem 2500, and a pair of BeoLab 8000s. I just walked in with the cash, and the first guy who actually took the time to say "hello" got my sale.
Three years later, I moved to Denver, Colorado and began working at the Cherry Creek Bang & Olufsen store. I spent nearly all of my money on Bang & Olufsen products, filling my entire home - room by room. I no longer work for B&O, but I remain in good standing with my former employer and still support the products. I've bought and sold many pieces over the years, but I still have my original pair of BL-8000s, which have never given me any trouble after 20 years.
BeoLab 5, BeoVision 7-55 MK2, BeoSound 5 Encore, BeoSound 9000, BeoLab Penta III, BeoLab 8000, BeoLab 6000, BeoLab 2, BeoLab 7-6, BeoSound 8, BeoTime (analog clock), Beo 4 remote.
I hope Tue and B&O's Marketing team are reading these beautiful stories as these need to be in future BANG&OLUFSEN catalogues.
When I bought my Century in 1999 after saving for over one year, I was really inspired by the B&O catalogue at the time as it featured a surfer (same interests as me) who would go down to the beach to record the sound of the waves and would later listen to them on his B&O Century.
It really inspired me at the time and I bought one for my chill out room :)
Well I think there was an older thread like this maybe now in archived forum?
Anyway my story begins B&O wise sort of starts when I was given a Beogram 1202 back in the late '90s I guess. Despite being a musician and caring about sounds it did not really translate to HIFI and such.
Growing up both set of grandparents had B&O and I liked toying with it but the meaning of B&O when growing up was that is seemed to last as far as working right.
So I had Beogram 1202 (I still have it somewhere) and a JVZ combo stereo that sounded ok. Later I found a Beogram 2000 in the other part of town so I went and got it. That was an '80s version with mmc4 still intact and working great.
In 2003 I was asked to find a stereo for my parents as cheap as I could. On the way home with a thrift store cassete player I went into a radio shop only to discover a Beocord 9000 which I could not let go. I then saw an ad for a Beocenter 2000 which I called up. To get an idea of how the Beocenter looked I asked if it was flat and silvery like my Beogram 2000. I have it but it does not work! He said back. In the end he came around a few hours later that day with the Beocenter and the non working flat silvery stuff. It turned out to be a '80s Beomaster 2000 and Beocord 2000.
I handed the 2000 bits to service the next day and started to look for matching speakers + someting to put the 3 elements on. So it was really an acidential beginning. I got Beovox X35 and found an Attyca II funiture not far from where I lived. I find other speakers in a thrift store as the X35 sound was not really good enough but condition were great.
Fast forward to 2006. I decided to sell the 2000 system and go for the rest of the Beolab 8000 in palisander as I still had the Beocord 9000. So I found a lot of units and established a service connection with Martin/Dillen as without him I might as well should not have done it.
I got into Beovisions too. The first one was an old 8800 on its last legs which I upgraded to an L2800. After that I got a LX5500 (Still have and working to this day!) and much later a AV9000IMP '98 which also works great.
Late 2007 I got the main units for my original white Beosystem 6000 from an auction all DOA. I got matching Beovox S80.2 and S120 in 2008 + found the original white S60 stand and a remote which the module for BM was never installed but DIllen had an untested one (still works!)
I also got a Beosystem 6500 at some point which again needed Dillen's hands to work right in some cases.
With some experience under my belt I started the old school B&O thread in Danish on the Danish hifi forum hifi4all in 2008 which goes into all details with a lot of pictures too. It is still running and never finished but a lot of value to those who might be interested.
http://www.hifi4all.dk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=66882&PN=1
Units came and went some of them stayed. I had Beovox CX100. I managed to get Beolab 8000 and 6000 for the first version of dolby pro logic surround with AV9000 with the Beosysten 6500 linked through a 1611 converter (IMP AV9000 version takes a 1611) which was cool for a while.
As I always had an taste for the white edition Beosystem 6000 look and owerall had less problems with it I decided to try to get the Beolab 8000 system in white. Today I got BM8000 and a fully serviced by Dillen Beocord 9000 but also a possible deal on hand to a complete system wíth white Beovox MS150!
The 6500 and palisander 8000 was sold along with the Beolab 8000/6000 speakers and a Beosound 9000 mkIII. Some of it I plan to get back but just a bit different this time around.
These days I know what I want B&O wise and it was great to try it all to see what the experience would be. I am a fan forever and will always be consumer of the brand.
I am not a collector and while I do have it I would like to use it. I do have some odd units here and there but I keep it down to that for different reasons.
Friedmett: With some experience under my belt I started the old school B&O thread in Danish on the Danish hifi forum hifi4all in 2008 which goes into all details with a lot of pictures too. It is still running and never finished but a lot of value to those who might be interested. http://www.hifi4all.dk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=66882&PN=1
74 pages to the thread .... very impressive !
looking at the pictures of the older systems reminded me of how beautiful they are -- I used to go into stores during my lunch times or when working away from home and simply dream
If I had a bigger house and a bigger wallet I would but some of the units you have had -- even if they were dead -- just so I could admire their beauty.
Thank you very much.
Its been growing allright and properly the best places to read about living with old school B&O like Beosystems 6000 and 8000.
It is funny but it never seemed to be about how expensive it might have been as it was always within pricerange of low income most of the time.
Anyway I do have the pictures in photobucket as not all taken is in old school B&O thread.
http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n277/Friedmett/
That is public for all interested. Enjoy!
Friedmett: Anyway I do have the pictures in photobucket as not all taken is in old school B&O thread. http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n277/Friedmett/ That is public for all interested. Enjoy!
thank you - very interesting !
saw magazines. catalogues and some interesting pieces that I had never knew existed !!!
I'm mainly going to describe my main-setups through the years - It would take years to read otherwise.
I think it was back in 2004-5, when I was about 8-9 years old. I knew there was some sort of radio with a pair of loudspeakers in the closet in the office. My father allowed me to have it in my room, and I think we connected a ghetto-blaster to it as a CD-player. That was pretty much my first B&O setup, a BeoMaster 901 and a pair of BeoVox 1100.
I started to get interested in this vintage equipment and one day my neighbor gave me a BeoGram 1000 with a SP6-7. I got a few old records from my dad to play on the BeoGram 1000. Very interesting, these black discs with sound in them and a needle to pick the sound up.
The same neighbor later gave me Sanyo system with loudspeakers which I then also used through that time. I think I used the Sanyo a bit more often, as it had built in CD-player, Mini-disc and tuner - And it had a remote control. There was a problem with this system though. The CD-Player was faulty, so the CD-player was only working very seldom.
I remember, that my father showed me a webpage one day, where you could buy used stuff including B&O equipment - I think my father has regretted ever since, as he is the one who is driving when I want to buy something! But I'm very thankful, that he sometimes spend hours driving around with me (Can't wait till I get my drivers license though - I like to be independent from others, as I'd rather spend my own time than theirs). I started searching the site more and more often. I also remember, that my father showed me a fantastic red- or burgundy-colored webpage where you could read about all the B&O products.. think it was call BeoWo-something (Or was it BeoCentral? Still a great webpage!)...nevermind!
I started to get irritated by the fact that the CD-player never was working, so I started to look for a new music system. I slowly began to know what the different B&O equipment was called and what it was worth used. One day I found a BeoSystem 3500 + a pair of BeoVox 3000 and a BeoLink 1000 for a (At the time) very attractive price, but it would still cost me all of my saved money - It costed the same as a bicycle! But I didn't care of course.... I showed my father the ad, but he wasn't sure if I should be allowed to spent that much money on a music-system with the age I had (Was 10 at the time). You probably know how kids react if there is something they want but aren't allowed to get.... and I went into that mode too... but... it payed of!
Next day about afternoon my father and I went to buy it. It was a cold and dark November-day, so it must be 6 years since now. I still remember it like it was yesterday. The reason why I got it so cheap was because it was quite scratched and the BeoVoxes were dented as well, but I didn't care, I had my very own Bang & Olufsen system and was proud as hell of it!
That setup played for a couple of years together with a DIY subwoofer, but I knew about the Cona... So I had to have that one instead! After that I upgraded the speakers to a pair of rosewood BeoVox MC 120.2 and the other speakers were then used as my desk-setup. I think the next addition was a BeoVision LX 2802N.
Now we're back in 2008 - Many products had been added since I started, and I was diffidently calling myself a collector! You probably know, that there's a bigger version of the MC 120.2s, the MS150s... and I knew that as well. I also knew, that they were top of the line... so they were on my wish list as well...
The LX 2802N was sold and replaced with a LX5500 somewhere in between and I also bought a BeoGram 3500, so the setup looked like this in March 2009 (I bought the speakers back in December 2008, and the BeoMaster 8000 was loaned to me by a kind neighbor):
The BeoSystem 3500 is hanging on the wall over the LX5500. So all in all a BeoSystem 3500 (With a BG3500 + MMC1!), connected to a LX5500, which was connected to the BM8000 which then powered the MS 150's. I think I had that setup for about 2 years.
We move fast forward to September 2010:
I replaced the MS 150s with a pair of MKIII PentaLabs. Sadly the MS 150s had to go, as I didn't have space for them anymore. I later regretted selling as they were quite rare and a collector doesn't part with rare things! Slowly rear speakers were added, a pair of BL3000 which were replaced by some 4500's later on (A BC2300 was added to the system together with the 4500's). In 2011 I replaced the LX5500 with a AV9000 - The most beautiful TV ever made! And this summer I was lucky to find an almost mint pair of MS 150.2s - I will never part with these!
So now I'm 16 and my system looks more or less like this:
I'm using my MS 150.2s instead of the Pentas right now. The BS3500 is the same I bought 6 years ago although other less scratchy panels have been fitted. It has been a fantastic journey and I hope it will never end! Bang & Olufsen, keep making iconic products!
So... this was the short story about what I spend most of my time and money on!
- Dennis
Great story Dennis - and marvelous photos
And you are a true collector -- posters, furniture and wonderful pieces of B&O design
Well done
Thanks
The first years I mostly wrote in the thread Freidmett linked to and I've actually followed the thread from the very first post. I slowly started to move over to BeoWorld instead once I got better at writing English - And reading and writing on BeoWorld has diffidently also helped me getting better at it and still does! The "Old School B&O" thread has stood still for a while but I hope it will get a bit more alive this winter - It diffidently will if Friedmett gets his snow-colored BeoSystem this winter. I'm looking forward to hear more, Anders!
I will try to dig out some of the goodies I have and take some pictures of them. I don't have so many knickknacks and posters, but I'm working on it! I also think that's the only things I still would be able squeeze into my room. I've mostly focused on equipment from the 70s, 80s and 90s as that is my favorite era. Another aspect is that I don't have the space for most of the products from the 60s and older than that and can't afford most of the products from this century.
Now I only have a few things on my list I would like to add to my collection among that a White-Line BeoSystem 8000 like the one Friedmett is talking about, different prototypes/ pre-productions, 2300 DAB, BeoLit 39, different gadgets/ knickknacks, pair of mint black CX100s... OK, I can already see now, that this list could go on.
But I'm satisfied with my main setup for now - Although I would like to replace the Pentas with some 8000s, but I don't think I could compromise with the sound quality, so I think I'm gonna stick with the Pentas. I probably wont replace the Pentas until I can afford some 9s in a couple of years.
And yes, great stories! Keep 'em coming!
Back in the 80s my best friends father had a 28" B&O tv, I often sat and held the beo1000 remote in my hand, ont time i droped it on the wooden floor, it made a mark on the floor, I was amazed by the weight of the remote and the fact that the floor "broke" not the remote. The TV was so simple designed and looked so nice, compared to the 28" Luxor my parents had.
I have always been interested in hifi, I have had alot of different setups NAD (strict design, good sound) but the speakers became too big with hose-like cables. Then I got a BOSE lifestyle system, it is a nice system, ok design, but poor sound. Arcam with active speakers, ok sound, small devices and ok design. But it needed 4 remotes in total..
I have always liked the design of B&O, once in the late 90s I where in the B&O store near my home listened to the BS2300 with BL2500, I did not like the sound at all, flat sound, the system felt too expensive. Some years ater I was at the store again this time listened to the BL4000, I liked it much more. The in 2003 I think I saw the BC2 and the BL3, I loved it! Designwise the BC2 is awesome! The BL3 sounds so good! Last year I bought a BC2 and BL3 setup at the same store I have been walking in and out from during 10 years time. We where looking at the BS5 aswell, but thought it was too much money at the time.
Last christmas I saw the BV10 and was amazed. My friends said that I was an idiot if I bought it.. They thought that it was too much money for a tv, for the same amount of money I could buy a new flarscreen every 2 years and still have money left over.. Maybe so but this tv is more than just a flatscreen, it is a piece of furniture. The system is integrated and all works great!I bought it and was very satisfied with it, we had some (a lot) problems with it, but in the early summer the B&O store replaced it.
We have had all our music on our mac, using the ipad as a remote. This have worked out ok, but I dont like the idea of several remotes.. So this summer we exchanged our BC2 for a BS5.
Everyday I enjoy our tv, when I come up the stairs I look at it and smile, it looks so great. When we watch a movie, the picture is so good that I just smile :)
The BS5 we have hade some problems with, mostly lack of information and also some other things, now it works great, but it is not as goodlooking as the BC2. One time this wall I was about to sell the system, I had my BL4000 as fronts and the BS5 had some problems and did not work out as planned, with the early problems of the tv I was fed up. Now we have solved the problems with the BS5 and know how it is supposed to work. I have also changed the speaker setup, BL3 as fronts (so good sounding speaker!) and the BL4000 as rears.
Now we have the system that I have always wanted! A good looking, good sounding system that just works with one remote. Actually we have two, the beo4 and the beo6. The Beo6 we need for the BS5.
My story starts in the early 90's when I was a child. My parents had a friend whose husband had bought a B&O sysytem in the late 70's. He had already passed on by the time I met her. It was a Beomaster 1900, Beogram 4002, Beocord 2400 and Beovox S55. My paren'ts had heard of B&O but to me it was completely new. I remember going to watch movies there and instead of watching the tv I'd be staring at the B&O in awe thinking how amazing it looked. Then in 1995 she left the country and didn't want the B&O. She told my dad that she wanted to give it away. I heard my parents talk about it and I made them take me immediately to her house to collect it. Thats how it started.
Since that day...my obsession was on its way. I remember the first time my brother let me look up B&O on the internet and I saw all these B&O products, I was astounded. I looked on Ebay and saw so many for sale! Many years went by. Then a friend of mine would go to the UK for work and I would buy anything I could afford and make him put it in his luggage. I bought 2 more Beomaster 1900's, Beomaster 1700, Beomaster 2400 and remote. Most exciting was a Beomaster 3500 with no glass. I was lucky to buy one of the last glass replacements from B&O. Then I bought a Beogram CD 3500 from a Beoworld member in Norway. Had it shipped to UK then my friend brought back to me to SA. After that he refused to bring anymore, saying he had enough of carting B&O around!
I then kept in eye out in SA and ended up buying several Beograms and Beomasters including the 80's Beolab 8000 series with M150 speakers, Beosystem 5000, Beosystem 6500, RL 140's, Beomic, A8's...the list carries on. The latest is The Beolab 8000 speakers which I never thought I'd ever get hold. My nickname is B&OBen lol!!
I've lately sold a lot off...like a pair of 5700's Beomaster 4400, oh which reminds of the Beomaster 6000 quad I bought from a lady who didn't know what it was. Got to her door and offered her R600.00 and she promptly passed me the Beomster saying she was so glad to get rid of whatever it was!!
Anyway I don't think my obsession will every die but it has lessened thank goodness a bit but you can still expect to open a cupboard or look under a bed and see a B&O!!
My B&O story goes back to my early childhood. I was born in 1961, and I remember that my parents bought a 'Grand Prix Moderne' receiver with a VF 42 turntable in the early 60's. They also had a B&O 'Horisont Deluxe' tv. Already when I was 5-6 years old, I noticed that this looked different from what most of my friends parents had at home. In the mid 70's I saw a Beogram 1203 in the window by one of the local Hi-Fi/TV shops. It was just so amazing, compared to all the other clumsy Philips and Sony etc. turntables - I had to have one. I was only about 12-13 years old, but around 6 months later I bought one for my saved up money, earned as a errand boy.Shortly after I bought a BeoMaster 901. A few years later, the 901 was replaced with a 2400 -and then i needed a Beogram 2402. Then i bought my first B&O speakers -a pair of second-hand S60's. I still had no tapedeck -but when the Beocord 8000 came, I had to have one of those (replaced with a Beocord 8004 later). Then a System3300 - which around 1990 was replaced by a System4500. And so on...
First B&O tv was a second-hand Beovision 3602 bought in 1984. This was replaced with a brand new BV LX6000 mkII in 1991. Later replaced with a BV MX 7000 -which was replaced with a BV3 -32".
Back then, I sold the old units when I bought new -or swapped them. But within the last 7-8 years I have started to collect second hand B&O, and have got a lot of the old stuff again.
Today - as 'everyday' music systems - I have a Beosystem 9500 with a set of Beolab 5000 in the living room - a BC 2300 with BL 4000 in the diningroom - a BS Century in the kitchen - a Beosystem 5000 with BeoVox MC 120.2 in my home office - a Beosystem 4500 with BeoVox 4500 in the bedroom - a BL 2000 speaker in the bathroom. And then a collection of old Beomasters/Beograms/Beocords/speakers etc. on the 1. floor (where I spend most of my sparetime, building a little 'museum' - but that's another story, another thread)
I have to admit that my main tv today is non-B&O - a LG 50" plasma -as I prefer plasma - and B&O's plasma tv's are a bit too expensive for me right now.But besides that I have a Beovision 1 and a MX 4002.
Steffen
BenSA:I then kept in eye out in SA and ended up buying several Beograms and Beomasters including the 80's Beolab 8000 series with M150 speakers, Beosystem 5000, Beosystem 6500, RL 140's, Beomic, A8's...the list carries on. The latest is The Beolab 8000 speakers which I never thought I'd ever get hold. My nickname is B&OBen lol!!
Goodness Ben ! I never realised before you were such a serious collector ... you should have published more pictures before you sold some parts off
@ steffan @ rikard ... thank you for your stories
elephant: BenSA:I then kept in eye out in SA and ended up buying several Beograms and Beomasters including the 80's Beolab 8000 series with M150 speakers, Beosystem 5000, Beosystem 6500, RL 140's, Beomic, A8's...the list carries on. The latest is The Beolab 8000 speakers which I never thought I'd ever get hold. My nickname is B&OBen lol!! Goodness Ben ! I never realised before you were such a serious collector ... you should have published more pictures before you sold some parts off @ steffan @ rikard ... thank you for your stories
There's plenty more to that list!! Just can't keep everything unfortunately. Thats the problem with B&O...Space!!!
Hi,
My first contact with B&O was in 1983, when my mum bought a TV set (Beovision 8800). It looked gorgeous and the picture was superb. And that metal, heavy remote!
I've built and repaired many hi-fi items in 30 years, valve or transistor. I also got into computers... especially Apple! But nothing B&O!
So, some twenty-eight years after the television set, I was browsing eBay when I saw a nice cheap Beogram 6006, in need of TLC. It was mint and came in original packing. Of course I repaired it, with the help of Martin (Dillen) who sent me a tachodisc. That's how I discovered Beoworld. I was bitten! The pinnacle of that was when I won the Beolab 6000 on the prize draw two months ago... What a great place to be!
Then you know the rest of the story. Buying, repairing, and collecting B&O (among others) has become a hobby of mine. I always buy very very cheap, but in good optical condition. Often, more than €30 is expensive to me!
My pride and joy : my Beogram 4000+Beolab 5000+Beomaster 5000. Still looking for Beovox 5000 speakers, but not holding my breath... The last ones I saw in France went for €500, way out of my league—please Leslie, don't show me yours ever again, it hurts .
My favourite pieces are tape recorders, cassette or open reel (Beocords, Naks, Revoxes). No B&O open reel yet but hang on!
Jacques
Hi.
I'm 38 now, and I found out about B&O on a magazine (I think it was US playboy). But I cound not evem dream about it, the costs were far beyound my possibilities.
After I graduated im 2008, I gave myself a BeoPlay A2, and this was the first time I listened to a B&O sound. It was better than I could imagine.
In 2012 I bought a second hand Form2, that was sold last year, and now I have an E8.
This year I bought a Zeppein Wireless from Bowers and Wilkins, and was disapointed. Now I've bought a Beosound 8 that I found on Brazil's Ebay equivalent, and an AirPort Extreme. I will let you know about the first impressions as soon as it arrives home.
These things lasts forever if well cared. I love things that lasts forever. You will be regretted of buying just once: the day you pay for it, and never more.