[Lazarus Short]

I was at an estate sale a summer or two ago, and bought a B&O 3000 receiver. Got it home: dead. A few weeks ago, I bid on and won a B&O 1900 receiver on impulse [$1]: DOA. Tonight, I drove to Blue Springs to buy [via a CL ad] a B&O 2400 receiver, B&O 8000 cassette deck, B&O 4004 turntable, B&O C75 speakers.

receiver - needs work, he said

cassette deck - works perfect, he said [scritchy headphone volume control and one channel out]

turntable - needs work, he said

speakers - drivers need new surrounds, but oooooooh, they're pretty

The only thing good here is the remote [but that's not sure, as the gear is ****-up] the wires, and the paperwork.

What's up with B&O???

 

[sschell]

B&O used a proprietary phono cartridge on their turntables, so upgrades, replacements, etc. are fairly limited. You would probably have to buy the replacement styli used or NOS off eBay or something.
Soundsmith is the only company I know of that makes new B&O style cartridges.

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazarus Short /img/forum/go_quote.gif B&O 3000 receiver.

Very nice piece but it is 40 years old. As with anything that age electronics have moved on a bit so finding parts like Germanium resistors etc... can be a bit of a specialist job. This was a pretty top model though so well worth repairing. It is also well protected with internal fuses so that would be the place to start I'd say.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazarus Short /img/forum/go_quote.gif B&O 1900, B&O 2400 receiver

1900 was a more common one, sold lots and styling was way ahead of it's time and it doesn't look too dated even now considering it's 30-35 years old.

The 2400 is the remote controlled version of the 1900 so the parts are interchangeable. You could probably get the 2400 working and use the 1900 for spares.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazarus Short /img/forum/go_quote.gif B&O 8000 cassette deck

This is one of the best cassette decks ever made, by anyone, a serious technological tour de force from 1981. It's solidly constructed, got a really good mechanism, great heads and is fully microprocessor controlled, actually a rare combination. Properly serviced and calibrated this will take on all but the few top of the range Nakamichi's, Revox and Tandbergs. I find they actually sound best through vintage Naim pre-amps like the 32.

Reapiring this shouldn't be too expensive as the problems sound like basic electrical issues rather than mechanical failures. These are serious collectors pieces.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazarus Short /img/forum/go_quote.gif B&O 4004 turntable,

Again one of the best Turntables ever made. The 4004 is a special remote controlled version of the 4002 which matches the 2400 amp you have and can be controlled by it. Pretty serious technology for the 1970s ! and of course rarer and more collectible for it.

It's based on the 4000 which was the most iconic turntable of the era and the first successful parallel tracker ever made. ( Marantz had tried this in the late '60s but couldn't get it to work!)

What cart does it have fitted? check out the Soundsmith as mentioned above as some of these are very expensive, but he may be able to re-tip it for you for less outlay.

These are a unique B&O design called moving microcross which is a development of moving iron as is still used today by Grado.The Cartridge Man and The Soundsmith have also taken this technology forward and made it more accessible to non B&O decks. The quality of these transducers is up there with the very best made by anyone, ever...wouldn't disgrace themselves in the company of top Koetsu carts costing thousands today.

The turntable contains lots of belts inside which will be worn out after 30+ years so that would be the first thing to replace. These are complicated inside though so I would take it to a specialist.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazarus Short /img/forum/go_quote.gif B&O C75 speakers.

Odd bedfellows for the kit mentioned above ! They are an interesting design of the kind fashionable in the early '80s around the time of the original walkman and would make nice surround speakers but they are not historically important or as collectable as the other stuff you have scored. Technics actually made some much better ones in cast aluminim at the time called SB-F1s.

Reconing shouldn't be too expensive as the cones are small though if you like them enough.

The other kit you mentioned deserves much better quality speakers than these. Modern B&O speakers have been active designs since the mid '80s and I wouldn't really bother with most of the vintage B&O designs on the level of sound quality unless you absolutely want something that visually matches the rest of the system. Cone rot is a common failing like vintage JBL and with bigger drivers can get expensive.

I have found vintage Rogers BBC style monitors make a very good match for B&O. For these amps mentioned you should look for models like the LS7s or Studio Ones. Don't know how common these are in the USA though.

B&O amps were always very much more powerful than their contempories though. That 3000 you have has 40wpc when most amps were 15wpc and 20 was considered powerful. Consequently they will drive most modern designs of average sensitivity.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazarus Short /img/forum/go_quote.gif What's up with B&O???

You seem to be buying really old expensive kit at bargain basement prices so I don't know what kind of expectations you have? If I offered you a 1970s Ferrari Dino or '60s E-Type Jaguar for the price of a small Ford wouldn't you smell a rat?

Like a vintage car to get this B&O stuff back upto spec could cost you a fair bit, but it's a good investment I think, as well looked after B&O is always sought after so long as it's not in poor cosmetic condition. I have quite a collection myself and it's always a joy to use.

 

[wower]

Wow. And memepool comes out of the wood work to show he is head-fi's resident B&O expert.

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wower /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow. And memepool comes out of the wood work to show he is head-fi's resident B&O expert.

yeah sometimes I think I spend too much time obsessing over Hi-Fi

 

[ssportclay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by memepool /img/forum/go_quote.gif yeah sometimes I think I spend too much time obsessing over Hi-Fi

Throw on a couple LPs, crack a brew and don't worry about it.

 

[Lazarus Short]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wower /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow. And memepool comes out of the wood work to show he is head-fi's resident B&O expert.

Yes, indeed, and I appreciate what he has to say. I think I'll look into getting the 1900/2400/8000/4004 looked at.

 

[krmathis]

Perhaps B&O are all about design and looks, and not longevity? I don't know, since I have never owned a B&O product..
Feel with you for getting all these faulty items though.

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Perhaps B&O are all about design and looks, and not longevity? I don't know, since I have never owned a B&O product.. Feel with you for getting all these faulty items though.

These days they are more style over content perhaps but that could equally be said of many European marques who just repackage Japanese optical disc techology. Their loudspeakers are still fairly groundbreaking, up there with Meridian's latest offerings anyway.

But back in the day B&O were a serious engineering company and came out with many very innovative technologies then imitated or licensed by everyone else like Dolby HXPro, Parallel tracking turntables, remote controlled multiroom systems...etc.

I think a lot of people look at the older B&O stuff without realising exactly how old it is because the design was so groundbreaking and still looks so contemporary. Any Hi-Fi equipment 30-40 years old will not be functioning at it's original spec but may still sound ok. B&O from the 1970s onwards has the added complexity of lots of automation and this is often the first thing to fail.

This is also the period in which they were switching from mainly Swiss or German parts to Japanese which arn't know for their longevity in this respect either. This is not to denigrate Japanese technology in the least, rather that as with top Japanese turntables of this period for instance, many of the parts they used like controller chips, were quickly superceded as the technology advanced very quickly, and so spares always going to be a problem.

Of all the classic Hi-Fi which offers that degree of user friendliness B&O are probably amongst the most reliable and the period between the mid 1970s and mid 1980s is usually regarded as their peak in many ways. Especially the 8000 series which that tape deck belongs to. I have the 6000 which was the most basic version in the series, same engineering less electronics, and it's lovely. I also have a 4000 turntable which is the first model in the same series to which yours belongs and is a killer.

Check out BeoWorld - Everything Bang & Olufsen and Beocentral - Bang & Olufsen reference for more info and you'll probably be able to find a specialist repairer near you through their boards.

 

[Lazarus Short]

Well, I did better yesterday - went to a local meet of that...other...audiosite, and got rid of SIX pieces of gear:

Kenwood KT-6500 tuner
B&O 3000 receiver
B&O C 75 speakers
Kenwood C-1 preamp
Hafler 110 preamp
Yamaha CR-1020 receiver

All of the above were in various states of disrepair.

I also bought:

a hard guitar case [$2!!] nice
a Musical Fidelity X-10 v3 [$150!] like new, excepting some scratches
a Dyna Stereo 35 [$300!] the only piece of gear I really regret parting with, and this one is MUCH nicer than my first one

In all, it was a good day, passed along some gear, bought others, heard some tunes, auditioned a number of speakers (Dynaco no, B&W, Bozak, and Advent, yes.). Got to sample Death-by-Chocolate brownies, too.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Laz - I also have a 1900 that doesn't work

and have been meaning to "get around" to it! Probably the power supply, as it doesn't even light up. I've got a few projects ahead of it, but I'd love to give it a rework with Vishay resistors and the nicest caps I can squeeze in the case.

I do have the service manual around here somewhere. Drop me a line if you'd like a copy - I could shoot you a PDF.

 

[Lazarus Short]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Laz - I also have a 1900 that doesn't work and have been meaning to "get around" to it! Probably the power supply, as it doesn't even light up. I've got a few projects ahead of it, but I'd love to give it a rework with Vishay resistors and the nicest caps I can squeeze in the case. I do have the service manual around here somewhere. Drop me a line if you'd like a copy - I could shoot you a PDF.

Thanks, most kind of you! On the other hand, if you need a parts unit, I'd be happy to ship you my own 1900 or even the 2400.

Laz

 

[Champ04]

Well, there is a reason its often refered to as
Broken Often
And why they went to corporate stores exclusively, less hassle with dealer complaints.
Cool looking stuff tho. So long as you baby it and it keeps working.
I did get to hear an old set of (I think) the S75.
Shockingly good. I was seriously taken aback by how good they sounded.