Beogram 6000 – Type 5751 – was a fully automatic record player with one-touch operation.
Put a record on the turntable, touch START and let Bang & Olufsen technology do the rest. The lightweight, low inertia tone arm was fitted with the MMC 20EN pick-up cartridge. This had a naked elliptical diamond and a low Effective Tip Mass which, together with the lightweight arm, secured excellent tracking performance and minimum record wear.
The patented spring suspension system effectively prevented external knocks and vibration from affecting tracking and sound quality. This later radial 6000 model was fitted with Datalink and was really a Beogram 2402 with new electronics in the same design. It really did not match the Beomaster 6000 and was a short lived and frankly unpopular model but was offered as a cheaper alternative to the tangential tracking and tangential drive Beogram 6006. These decks were both replaced by the Beogram 6002. This deck had the newer MMC3 cartridge and was a strange amalgam of the two earlier decks in that it had a simplified tangential arm but belt drive for the platter
Beocenter 7000 upon its release, represented one of the most advanced hi-fi centres on the market. One touch produced instant music from a record, cassette tape or an FM or AM radio station. Illuminated symbols on the set’s communication panel confirmed instructions or rejected mistakes and kept you informed on the set’s operational status at all times.
in short, Beocenter 7000 offered two-way visual communication in high-fidelity.
The cordless remote control module put you in command of most of the functions from anywhere in the room. You could select any programme which would also switch on the set. You could regulate the volume – 2 x 40 watts RMS – make cassette recordings, and switch off the set. Comprehensive memory and timer facilities enabled you to program the set’s microcomputer to operate within a 24-hour period. It could record an important radio programme while you were out, and even instruct the Beocenter to wake you up with an early morning broadcast.
Each of Beocenter 7000’s three sound sources had the quality and performance level normally found in much more expensive separate units. The record deck had Electronic Servo Drive for absolute speed accuracy and its operation was fully automated. Stop, start or pause could be controlled via the remote control terminal. The cassette recorder had a Sendust record/replay head and a double-gap erase head that could even cope with metal tapes. You could locate any point on the tape simply by asking the set’s microcomputer to search for this required counter reading. The radio had facilities for pre-setting 5 FM and 1 AM stations which could then be selected instantly at the touch of a button.
Beocenter 7000 was designed by Jacob Jensen. In 1979 three more of the designer’s creations for Bang & Olufsen were included in the Design Collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York including the Beocenter 7000 music system.
Beocenter 7002 was one of the most advanced hi-fi music centres on the market at the time of its release. One touch gave you music instantly from a record, cassette tape or an AM or FM radio station.
Illuminated symbols on the set’s communication panel confirmed your instructions or rejected mistakes, and kept you informed of the set’s operational status at all times. In short, Beocenter 7002 offered two-way communication in high fidelity.
The cordless remote control module put you in command of all functions from your chosen listening position. Select any programme; this action also switched the set on. Regulate the volume level – there were 2 x 40 watts RMS at your disposal. Make cassette recordings. Or switch off the set – all without leaving your chair.
Comprehensive memory and timer facilities enabled you to programme the set’s microcomputer to operate any function at a given time within a 24-hour period. It could record an important radio programme while you were away from home. You could even instruct the Beocenter to wake you up with an early morning broadcast.
Each of the Beocenter 7002’s three sound sources had a high quality and performance level normally found only in much more expensive separate units.
The record deck had electronic Servo Drive for absolute speed accuracy and its operation was fully automated. Stop, start or pause by remote control. The cassette recorder had a Sendust record/replay head and a double-gap erase head that could even cope with metal tapes. You could locate any point on the tape simply by asking the set’s microcomputer to search for this required counter reading. The radio had facilities for pre-setting 5 FM and 1 AM stations which could then be selected instantly at the touch of a button.
Beocenter 7002 offered the same musical facilities and powerful 2 x 40 watts RMS output as Beocenter 5000. The two models were identical in the matter of sound quality too, but only the Beocenter 7002 had Bang & Olufsen’s very advanced timer-track location and remote control systems. The black anodised lid of its cassette compartment further differentiated Beocenter 5000 from the 7002.
The replacement for the Beogram 4000, this deck actually existed in a number of forms, the first using the AC motor of the 4000 and later ones using a DC motor. Simplified compared to the 4000, it was cheaper to produce, if not buy, but maintained a very similar performance.
In terms of concept, performance and technical design, this record player was very much ahead of its time. All functions were governed by computer-like logic circuits. You just pressed START, that was all. Through the unique detector arm (parallel to the pickup arm) these circuits could judge the size of the record, determine its normal playing speed and instruct the pick-up arm to lower the stylus into the lead-in groove. Within a few seconds you would hear the music. If there was no record on the platter the stylus could not be lowered, so the system was safe as well as simple.
Records could be tracked more accurately because the tangential arm traced a straight line from the record’s edge to its centre, instead of tracing an arc as radial arms do. This method entirely eliminated inward bias (skating effect) and tracking angle error was almost non-existent.
The naked elliptical diamond stylus in the MMC 20EN (former MMC 4000) pickup cartridge helped ensure that Beogram 4002 got all of the information out of your record grooves while handling them in the gentlest possible way.
Bang & Olufsen’s Beogram 4002 turntable was awarded the ‘Gold Sim 74’ and ‘Top Form 74’ prizes in the category of electro-mechanics.
Beogram 4004/4002 could be made up as part of the Beosystem 4400 or the quadraphonic Beosystem 6000 when linked together with other compatible Bang & Olufsen products.
Beogram 4004/4002 was an electronically controlled stereo record player with tangential arm. The unit utilised a belt drive system to control the record deck. Thanks to the incorporation of advanced electronics, several advantages were gained from this new concept in record-players: high specification, supreme automation of all functions and the most gentle treatment of records. The tangential arm moved the pick-up in a straight line towards the centre of the record, reducing tracking error to a mere 0.04%. The record player was fitted with the MMC 4000 pick-up cartridge (later MMC 20EN) which had a frequency range of 20-25.000 Hz ±1.5 dB. It had an integrated, elliptical naked diamond stylus with a stylus pressure of 1g. Rotation of the turntable was governed by a synchronous motor which was power-driven via a stabilised oscillator which made it independent of mains voltage and frequency fluctuations. Wow and flutter was less than ± 0.05 % and rumble better than 65 dB. DIN B weighted. A photocell in the record-player’s second arm registered the size of the record and the speed at which it should be played. Advanced electronics governed the actions of the pick-up arm: lifting, lowering, etc. However, the record-player could be operated manually by use of the large “easy-touch” control plate. Operation of the record deck was very easy as all functions were governed by computer logic circuits. With its tangential detector arm that was parallel to the linear tracking tonearm, the unit could sense the size and speed of the record to be played and lowered the stylus into the lead-in groove. It had cueing controls to raise and lower the tonearm to where you wanted it on the record. If there was no record on the turntable and you pushed START, it would not lower the stylus on the turntable. Manual selectors to determine the speed of the record player were incorporated; however, the turntable was fully automatic so all you had to do was put on the record and press START.
Beogram 4004/4002 was fitted with a hinged dust lid which could be opened to any angle up to about 60 degrees or completely removed by easy sliding action.
Beogram 4004/4002 were two integrated record players with identical technical specifications and performance, but Beogram 4004 had additional convenience in that it could be operated by remote control when coupled to the Beomaster 2400 receiver. It could also be linked to the Beosystem 6000 as part of a quadraphonic system.
In terms of concept, performance and technical design, these record players were very much ahead of their time. All functions were governed by computer-like logic circuits. You just pressed START, that was all. Through the unique detector arm (parallel to the pickup arm) these circuits could judge the size of the record, determine its normal playing speed and instruct the pick-up arm to lower the stylus into the lead-in groove. Within a few seconds you would hear the music. If there was no record on the platter the stylus could not be lowered, so the system was safe as well as simple.
Records could be tracked more accurately because the tangential arm traced a straight line from the record’s edge to its centre, instead of tracing an arc as radial arms do. This method entirely eliminated inward bias (skating effect) and tracking angle error was almost non-existent.
The naked elliptical diamond stylus in the MMC 20EN (former MMC 4000) pickup cartridge helped ensure that Beogram 4004/4002 got all of the information out of your record grooves while handling them in the gentlest possible way.
This deck was the Beogram designed for use with the Beomaster 6000.
To all intents the same deck as the Beogram 8000, it had a MMC20EN cartridge and black keys to differentiate it from its more expensive brother. Not replaced directly when the newer cartridges were released as the Beogram 6002 was belt drive rather than tangential drive.
This was a confusing product as it offered the same performance as the Beogram 8000 but was cheaper due to the lesser cartridge. It was not a big seller and it was not surprising that the range was rationalised by keeping a top performing Beogram in the Beogram 8002 and a substantially simpler deck in the Beogram 6002.
Beogram 2200/2400 were identical except that, when coupled to the Beomaster 2400, Beogram 2400 could also be operated by remote control.
To play records on either model it was necessary to simply press START and let the automatic system do the rest. As an additional safeguard, all functions could be operated with the protective lid closed. The electronic servo drive system kept turntable speed constant and correct, even during fluctuations in the mains supply. Careful arm geometry ensured that tracking angle was kept well below the level where it could affect the quality of the reproduced sound.
Bias effect was compensated automatically and needed no adjustment. The extreme lightness of the arm, together with the highly polished nude elliptical diamond carried by the MMC 20EN pickup in the 2400, resulted in an unusually low Effective Tip Mass (ETM). This means that your records would suffer very little wear, even after continual playing. Neither would they be damaged if the stylus was accidentally skidded across the surface.
Beogram 2400 could be made up as part of the Beosystem 2400 when linked together with other compatible Bang & Olufsen products.
