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 have a working Beosystem 5500 in my study at home. It sounds great with a pair of original AR2ax speakers. I have since purchased used two other complete Beosystems. Each has problems in the receiver, CD player, cassette and turntable.
I sent one of the turntables to Pyramid Audio in Austin TX, as I live in Houston, and they wanted $600 to repair it, saying something about a worn plastic piece. I asked them to send it back to me unrepaired and chose to give up the $100 fee for evaluation.
I love the system in the study that is working. I think I paid only $250 for it at a local estate sale a few years back. The handheld remote gave out a few years ago and I bought another working one on eBay for $75 or so.
Can anyone recommend a shop that can do a great job repairing all components of one of my non-working Beosystems 5500. The receiver, turntable, cassette, CD player, table top and hand held remote control? I cannot afford to pay top dollar, but I do expect good quality workmanship and honesty.
I have other systems that I listen to: Marantz receivers ('70's), Denon turntables (mid-80's) with Denon MC cartridges, JBL and KLH speakers (from the '70s), and vintage McIntosh tube gear- a older model M20 preamp(1958), and two MC40 mono-blocks (1962), all expertly restored. I have some other tube gear by Heathkit, Dynakit, and other manufacturers. You can tell I like vintage gear. I don't think I have much equipment that is manufactured in the past 30 years, with the exception of recently purchased Lounge Audio phono preamp and step up transformer (Copla and LCR Mk II).
But, the system I listen to the most is my B&O Beosystem 5500 in my study. It sounds great with the AR2ax speakers.
I want to get one of the spare 5500 systems I have put together working. Please let me know if you can recommend a quality shop that is reasonably priced.
Also, I have a couple of MMC 3 cartridges and one MMC1 cartridge that I want to have rebuilt. Who would be good at that without charging an arm and a leg. And I don't really want to send them to Soundsmith. I hear they are good, but high priced. I have a lot of work to be done and I need a reasonably priced shop to do it.
Thanks.
Couldbfishin in Houston
The problem you have here is that these are old devices and the components wear. For any professional shop to do this will cost a considerable amount of money as labour is what will cost the money. You will find enthusiasts on site who will take on this type of work but they are doing it because they like to do it - in my case, Craig has fixed a number of pieces for me - and for his trouble I normally give him a bit or two of my collection - whether his partner is quite so impressed is questionable!Finding someone in the States is always going to be tricky as the amount of B&O sold is far less. If you are patient, you could learn to do this yourself - having poor eyesight has ruled me out of this! It could turn into a hobby! Most service manuals are on site but you will need to learn how to interpret electronic diagrams and fault find.
Equally broken pieces of plastic are often unobtainable as B&O don't keep spares for this age of equipment so it usually needs to be fabricated.
On the Cartridge side, prices do seem better in Europe - Axel was extremely good value and his work has been taken over by someone new - I am sure you will find the address on site - of course because it is EU, you may be liable for customs charges.
Peter