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Hi, I'm new here. I recently acquired a beautiful Beolab and Beomaster 5000 set from a friend in Denmark.
Unfortunately earlier this evening I was playing a record, when all of a sudden the light from inside the amp and the red standby light went off and the sound started to sound crackly and barely audible. So I turned it off for a while then turned it back on. Nothing. I decided to leave it turned on to see if it would come back to life by itself which it did but with a flash of light followed by a puff of smoke :( Now it seems I've lost sound in one channel.
Can anyone give me a diagnosis or suggest a repair?
Thanks in advance,
Yours heart-brokenly,
Component failure - quite probably something simple - the big advantage of this era of electronics is that it can be fixed! If not skilled, you need to seek a repairer of electronics - where do you live?
Peter
Hi Peter.
Thanks a lot for your reply. I hope, like you say, it's something simple.
So, I'm not exactly skilled. I can solder but that's about it. Unless it's pretty obvious what the problem is, I can't diagnose. There are one or two repair places here in Dublin, Ireland but none that specialize in old, tube amps. One of them specializes in newer B&O gear so I might give them a call. What do you suggest?
Thanks again,
Beolab 5000 is not a tube amplifier. It's all transistors.Your amplifier most likely needs a new output stage, which includesa handful of transistors and a couple of resistors.It will also need a check of the power supply in general and voltage regulators in particular.All standard components but maybe not the easiest amplifier to work on.
Martin
Thanks Martin. I'll have a look for a good repair person but there are not too many of them around here.
Actually when I said tubes, I meant valves. But anyway I was wrong there too
So I dropped it into a repair person this afternoon. I'll post the diagnosis here for future reference. Hopefully it won't be too expensive (famous last words and all that..
In the meantime, can I ask if it's safe/recommended to varnish these amps. And if so, what products are recommended. There are some scratches on the top that are not too bad but a little unsightly none-the-less.
Thanks again for both of your replies.
I think you should not apply varnish to those veneers. Normally, teak or linseed oil will soak the wood and restore the original aspect of the top.
The veneer is quite thick on those old devices, so slightly sanding with steel wool or fine grit sandpaper (600) and oiling (let it soak for two days, keep in a warm place) will suffice. Be careful at edges and angles!
Jacques
fergus:So I dropped it into a repair person this afternoon.
Hi Fergus, who did you find to do this ?(curious)
No problem with varnish/oil finish, check forum for some of Sorens (Mexico) posts on this subject.
For placement look here:
http://www.beolab.dk/content/placement.pdf
Great advice. Thanks Jacques.
Hello Valve1. I went to a place in Phibsboro called, funnily enough, Electronics Repair. Is there somewhere else you'd recommend? Thanks for passing on Sorens name. I'll have a look for his posts.
That's really helpful. Thanks. I moved the Beolab on top of the Beomaster recently because I was worried about air circulation!
fergus:I went to a place in Phibsboro called, funnily enough, Electronics Repair.
Run with it and lets know how it goes. They could be all you need.
Chartz suggestion to use oil rather than varnish is perfect and gives a nice luster .
So put some oil on and spread it sparingly I guess? What about matching the colour? Officially it's Rosewood so what's best? Chartz suggested Teak and I think that's quite similar to Rosewood. Does Linseed oil even have a colour at all?
fergus:Officially it's Rosewood so what's best?
Great finish rosewood, there is linseed and boiled linseed so be careful which you use. Personally i would use teak but read old posts first and work out what sounds best for your equipment.
Thanks
Should have asked, did any nice B&O speakers come with the 5000's ?
Wood works: Clean wood with Iso alcohol or if very dirty acetone, sand with 200 grit until marks or dents are gone, clean with brush and check, sand with 400 grit, clean of dust with brush, clean with moist (water) lint free rag, let dry, apply (soak) boiled linseed oil, leave for 1/2 to 1 hour, wipe of excess, leave for 24 hours, sand lightly with 400 grain, apply linseed oil again, leave for 1/2 to 1 hour, wipe of excess, leave for 24 hours, polish with rag.
All sanding by hand, do not use sanders.
If the wood parts are surrounded by aluminum or plastic parts to keep, before sanding, mask with masking tape.
Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.
Thank you Soren.
Unfortunately no. I've been using my Wharfedales. But I have a couple of 5700s on the way from Germany
fergus:But I have a couple of 5700s on the way from Germany
With the trumpet stands ?Very nice.
i was tempted to get the 5000 speakers for my bm/bl 5000 set up but like most others I have no room for such big speakers. Might go for 3 bv3000's at some point.
Unfortunately not! I'm hoping I might be able to use the stands I have for my Wharfedales... we'll see.
So, now for the bad news... they say it will cost €500 to fix my Beolab! That's too much for me right now. I'll find out exactly what the problem is when I collect it tomorrow but all they said on the phone is that it would take 2 days work and lots of parts. I think I could find another Beolab 5000 in good condition for a lot less. Any suggestions anyone?
Ask another repairer.
If I can find one! There aren't too many around these parts.
Bummer but you are right you could pick up a worker for less but they are all old now and unless you buy a refurbished one it to will probably need fixing eventually. I know a guy (who also repairs B&O) here in Dublin and I will ask him next week if he would look at it for you.
You might get a pair of trumpet stands on ebay - they do show up.
It would be great if you could ask him. Will I pm you my number?
I mean I understand they're old, parts are hard to find and labour isn't cheap, etc, etc, but I just can't justify €500. Maybe if I was buying a refurbished amp that was in really fantastic condition. Also I just don't have that much cash to spare at the moment.
I'll keep an eye out for a pair of stands. Thanks for the tip!
You have a pm .
I forgot to mention the diagnosis..
The told me I need to replace 2 power amps, at least 10 carbon resistors and some transistors.
You can buy a return ticket to Israel and have that repaired by me while you wait, for a lot less than that. But you'll need to bring some of that good draft with you for when we finish!
Menahem
Thanks for the offer! I wish I could take you up on it!