Beogram 3000 / 1202/1203

Currently my setup is a Linn LP12 with Rega cartrdige and arm, Quad 33/303 and BV M100-2. I'm thinking that a Beogram 3000 or 1202 would look more vintage and  compliment the 33/303 better.

I'm also attracted to the fact that they are automatic - having had BG4002s in the past I am put off by the complexity and reliability for someone who doesnt have too much technical knowledge - also the high cost of them now!

Grateful for any feeedback on wether or not these are good decks, if they are reliable and also the best SP cartridge to get. I read that the 3000 was the top of the range in its day. Also is they can play 180g records without distortion.

 

I recognise your conundrum! Many years ago I had the opposite decision to make and eventually traded my Beogram 4000 for an LP12, a decision I now regret.

You ask about the Beogram 3000 and the Beogram 1202. They are mechanically the same deck, the differences being the platter and the cover, where the 3000 wins out by dint of better record support and an elegant hinged cover. The best cartridge for either turntable is probably an SP12, with its elliptical stylus. The 1203 is a different deck altogether and is not such a good performer. However, I’m not sure i wholly agree on your view that the Beograms would be more appropriately contemporary with the 33/303 - which is from 1967 - than the Linn. All 3 turntables were introduced in the same year - 1972. Arguably the design ethos behind the Linn is more in keeping with the Quad 33/303 combo, both being excellent ‘engineering’ designs rather than the more ‘stylised’ Beograms. The other factor is, of course, sound quality. Your M100.2s are outstanding speakers with excellent bass performance. They’re certainly good enough to show the disparity in performance between the Linn and the two Beograms, providing the Linn is still well set up, which raises another consideration.

You mention the Beogram 4002 and refer to its ‘complexity and reliability’. One of my many regrets in selling the 4000 and getting a Sondek was that the Beogram was to all intents and purposes a ‘plug in and play’ deck. The Sondek required a lengthy set up process and I was always concerned that it wasn’t performing as it should. Eventually I returned to a Beogram and other B&O equipment and stopped worrying about the HiFi and just listened to the music.

The 1202 and the 3000 are both reliable decks and not too complex, certainly less complex than the 400X series. However they’re both nearly 50 years old and finding one fully working, with a good SP12 cartridge/stylus and in good cosmetic condition will be a challenge. If your Linn is in good condition you should be able to sell it for more than enough to fund the purchase of a 3000. Perhaps any surplus could part fund a Beomaster 3000/4O00/4400 to complete a full Beosystem. Mind you, I’ve owned a Quad system (34/405/ESL57) in the past and they’re excellent, reliable, well-designed products so I would understand any reluctance to part with the 33/303.

Cleve

As a user of 33/303/ESL I’d myself rather go for a Beogram 4000 with a Soundsmith cart, unless you could afford a Beogram 3000 (Thorens TD124 with B&O arm and cartridge).

 

Hi Cleve and Chartz

Many thanks for the feedback. Yes the LP12 is great, but I ended up getting a rega cartridge for the rega arm - they use a 3 screw fixing so that it is always perfectly aligned - it took forever with a non rega cartridge and I also bought a platform for it to sit on as it is incredibly sensitive to any surface that isn't completely level - it's set up now correctly and working really well. I miss the auto functions of a Beogram though and the look. I've attached an automatic arm lifter that works well. As the system itself sounds so good I think I'll wait and see what comes up and consider a 3000 turntable for another room or wait and see if a good 4000 comes up. I have to say that I couldn't hear much difference between the 4002 I had and the linn (the linn I think had slightly less background noise but there was nothing in it really) It was just that I had so much trouble with the beogram  that I ended up just waiting for it to go wrong. I wish I'd kept it and persevered.

Anyway, thank you again - really good to get your opinions.