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This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Hi Everyone,
I've just been to look at a BS9000 with floor stand, Beo4 and a pair of black Beolab 6000's being sold locally for a very good price.
The condition of everything was superb: the BL 6000s appeared to be ca. 2002 models, but there was absolutely no ID on the BS9000 - no labels anywhere; the seller claims he bought it like this second-hand around 10 years ago and didn't pay much attention to what 'Mark' it was at the time, but appreciates the need for this to 'value' it properly.
I've searched through the forum archives, but I still can't find enough info to identify this system. It does have a red on/off button, and the seller thinks it doesn't have a pin-code which I believe would identify it as a MK1 - but I've read also there's conflicting opinion about some BS9000 MK3 having a red power button but NOT having a pin-code either! My main concern is that I pay for it, take it home, then find that there IS an active pin-code which I wouldn't be able to deactivate. Whilst I don't want to walk away from a bargain, equally I don't want to be left with a useless BS9000.
So, can anyone suggest something definitive to look for in this situation? I'm not very knowledgeable about how the Beo4 controls the BS9000, but is there perhaps a sequence of buttons to press to see if 'N-Music' is an option (ruling it out as MK1 perhaps?..), or some other sequence to deactivate any pin-code? Or is there something else I should be looking for?
Any help or suggestions would be very welcome.
Hi,
Are you sure there is no label?
The BS9000 label is underneath the control panel, so you have to open the flap and remove the button panel - there's a finger recess at one end and it's held in by a magnet).
Kind Regards,
Martin.
Thank you for the quick reply Martin,
No, I'm afraid there are no labels anywhere - that was the first place I checked!
If I were of suspicious nature I would suspect it had been removed to make identification difficult for the buyer, but perhaps it was removed many years ago for whatever reason. It does make my decision to purchase more awkward though...
Ok, then test mode 32 will give you the information you're after - the BS9000 will need to be in A.OPT 1 to enter test mode (it will default to option 0 if it has no speakers connected).
Power up the BS9000, wait 30 seconds, then on the beo4 (in RADIO or CD mode) press SHIFT 9 0 2 5 8 (no more than 2 second gap between each button press).
Then press 3 2
TM32ID-readout of the product.Press GO to toggle between the ID-numbers.Item no = 7 figures.Type no = 4 figures.Serial no = 8 figures.Master PIN = OK or ERROR.If error in the readout all figures = 0.
You can simply power off the BS9000 to exit test mode.
Hope this helps.
Hi Martin,
Excellent information - that looks like exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for!
I told the seller I'd think on it and maybe come back tomorrow; I'll go round and see what I can find out in the morning
I'm really grateful for your assistance, and hopefully this will be useful to others too.
Thanks again and Kind Regards,
Jonathan
Hi Jonathan
The BS9000 needs to be disconnected from the mains for at least 30 minutes to activate the PIN code protection which is probably not an option unless the seller is very hospitable (and could leave him with a non working unit if he doesn't know the PIN) so I've attached a copy of the PIN code procedure for the BS9000 as you can use it to confirm whether a PIN code is active before buying without the wait.
Press "Down Down Pause" on the BS9000 button panel and the BS9000 will either display "NEW PIN" for 1.5 seconds then allow you to enter a PIN (if no PIN is currently set) or it will simply ask for the existing PIN (if PIN code protection is already active).
Obviously if Down Down Pause does nothing, then it is likely that the model does not support PIN code protection at all.
Thank you once again Martin, I'll take a copy of this with me tomorrow and hopefully all will go OK.
Best Regards,
I just thought I'd round off this thread with a quick update on the outcome...
I went around to the sellers' house on Monday, and he acknowledged my concerns about no pin-code rendering the BS9000 useless if I were to buy it - but he was adamant that there was no pin, and that "it must be a MK 1"...
I started off with the 'down-down-pause' as Martin suggested - 'NEW PIN?' immediately appeared in the display; the seller was astonished, as it turned out to be a MK3 in immaculate condition.
I felt a little awkward given the low price he wanted for it, but the seller was a nice guy and said that I deserved to have it given the research I had put in. So we parted as friends, and I obtained my coveted Mk3 BS9000 complete with an unblemished floor stand, and a lovely unmarked pair of black BL6000s for a great price.
So thanks again Martin, and to the wider Beoworld community here for being there to help out in situations such as this - it's much appreciated.
You have an uncanny knack of unearthing these bargains.
When you find someone selling a pair of BeoLab 90's at a good price, take me along :-)
Hope to see you soon in sunny Wilmslow
Regards
Nick
Hi Nick,
Yes, I do seem to have a knack - I think it's just that I spend way too much time (and money...) looking out for B&O products, reading about B&O products, thinking about B&O products - I've got the Beovirus bad!
I Hope you're settling in to the Wilmslow store - exciting times, with a pair of BL 90's there I believe. I do intend to pop over at some point, so I look forward to seeing you soon..
Did you get the Serial Number checked out?
Sometimes it can be perfectly innocent - but it's worth checking out.
I once had a BeoLab 7.2, with the rear covered in 'PAT tested' stickers as it had been in a commercial environment, and I told a new employee "Okay, it's been fully tested so now to remove the grille, inspect the drivers again, remove all the stickers, give it a thorough clean, replace the grille and give it to photography..."
It was only a year or so later that the customer called to say they'd come to sell the speaker but it didn't have a serial number sticker.. My new employee had quite literally taken me to the exact word :O/
Thankfully I had the purchase invoice and the word of the MD of the company I bought it from that it was 'legit' - but it was very embarrassing all the same.
Lee
Beocat47:I've got the Beovirus bad
Enjoy your "bargin" icon"
Thank you Valve1 - its been playing virtually non-stop since I set it up!
Lee, I take your point about wondering 'why' there was no label - it's always at the back of one's mind whether the item is stolen or not when buying pre-loved equipment, and obviously one has to be very careful. That's why I much prefer to buy 'face-to-face', then one can judge the situation.
In this case the seller was a man in his fifties living in a 'respectable' neighbourhood, Merc CLS in the drive and wife & kids floating around. The missing labels did seem odd initially, but he claimed to have had the equipment for ca. 12 years (verified by serial No. on the BL6000s), and the PL and power cables had all been buried in the walls, so he evidently hadn't just received the items. He did say there had been a problem wth the laser in the past which had been replaced, and which could have possibly explained the removal of the label... maybe...?! Of course I did wonder briefly if this could all be part of his evil disguise and that in fact he was some kind of criminal mastermind - but in the end I thought this unlikely for a few hundred pounds!
As an aside, I'm also into photography and have quite a nice collection of Leica camera gear. I understand that Leica maintain a database of stolen equipment, and should a stolen item be brought in for service then they do their best to reunite the item with the original owner. I think It's a shame that more 'High-End' companies don't follow suit with this practice.
Regards,
Beocat47:nice collection of Leica camera gear
Off topic, but I am considering the black and white digital leica.
Beocat47: It's a shame that more 'High-End' companies don't follow suit with this practice.
It's a shame that more 'High-End' companies don't follow suit with this practice.
I wonder how many people keep all their serial numbers ?
I didn't keep my serial numbers - until this afternoon!
I've just created an Excel file with all my B&O stuff listed by item and serial number; it hadn't occurred to me until you suggested it, but this is exactly what I had done with my Leica gear...
{By the way Valve1, it seems Leica becomes a way of life much in the way that B&O does, if one is prepared to embrace its' slower, more thoughtful style of photography. The Leica online community is great also; I am a member of only two online forums - Beoworld and the Leica User Forum, which I find are very similar in many respects. I have the colour Leica M240, but If you are thinking about the B&W version of this (the Leica Monochrom), then by all accounts it's a spectacular camera.}
Hi im new. How step by step turn by beo4 test modes?
Thanks
Some people say b&o is the same like samsung because beovision has samsung monitor in. But different everything else without sockt maybe and wire.