The Beomaster 6500 receiver was the brains behind the sound system.
In part a powerful receiver for FM/AM and LW broadcast bands. In part the control centre that created the connection between your commands and all the sound sources in Beosystem 6500. You could preset up to 20 stations and a light touch on the Master Control Panel automatically initiated the search and fine tuning functions.
2 x 110 watts/8 ohms output gave you a power surplus that provided a detailed sound picture even at low volume. The receiver also had Bang & Olufsen’s automatic power handling control that prevented overloading no matter how many loudspeakers you connected. It also had a newly-designed socket which provided optimal utilisation of BeoLab speakers.
Beomaster 6500 could be used as part of the Beosystem 6500 hi-fi system and could be controlled with with the Master Control Panel 6500 or Beolink 7000.
The Beolab 11 is the new lower priced subwoofer, designed in particular to accompany the Beovision 10. It utilises a design principle seen in other subwoofers of having identical units firing in opposite directions and hence making the structure more stable. Indeed the B&W PV1 does just this using B&O ICE amplification.
B&O however have added a new twist to the equation by having the two 130mm drive units firing inwardly and so allowing the external casing to be made from the same polished aluminium seen in the Beovision 10.
Amplification is via a 250W ICE unit and so the speaker can be seen to fit below the Beolab 2 in the range.
Mounting Options
As a result of the balanced drive units, the Beolab 11 will be offered both as a floor standing model and with a wall bracket. This is again designed to match the Beovision 10. The Beovision 10 in both 40″ and 46″ versions is designed so that it can be used as a stand alone set but still utilise the subwoofer output.
This should add the lower frequencies not able to be produced due to the small speaker enclosure of the Beovision 10.
The Beolab 11 will stand just 320mm high on the floor stand. The cross over frequency and bass lift is set with a collection of switches on the base. There is a Powerlink connection and two Powerlink outputs so it can be used in a stereo system.
If you built up an LP Collection of good music to conjure up wonderful memories, you obviously would have wanted to enjoy it for many years to come. Which is why Bang & Olufsen put so much effort into Beogram 6500.
It was a superb, precision instrument that ensured perfect sound reproduction of your records. The electronically-controlled tangential arm played the record exactly as it was recorded.
The tone arm was suspended in a special Optimum Pivot Point system that prevented vibrations from reaching the MMC2 cartridge which has a stylus pressure of only 1g for minimal friction. And Bang & Olufsen’s special chassis suspension prevented external vibrations from reaching the platter. And Beogram 6500 automatically registered the size of the record you were playing and adjusted the speed accordingly.
The BeoGram 6500 also contained an inbuilt RIAA pre-amplifier, which essentially means you can just “plug in and play” with any modern B&O system through an AUX or similar socket – making this a very desirable deck! Of course as part of the Beosystem 6500, it was part of the top of the line system comprising in addition, the BeoMaster 6500, BeoCord 6500, BeoGram CD6500 and MCP-6500.
Like many Bang & Olufsen turntables, Beogram 7000 was designed with a tangential arm, which ensured optimal playing of the record. It also came equipped with the patented OPP system (Optimal Pivot Point), so that the pick-up – MMC2 – was not disturbed by vibrations.
Fully automatic and remote controlled via Beolink 7000
Integrated MMC 2 pickup cartridge
Tangential tonearm with OPP (Optimum Pivot Point)
Pendulum suspended sub-chassis
Built-in RIAA amplifier
By the mid-1990s the CD had rapidly become a replacement for the black vinyl record with many new albums released only in the CD format. This is why Bang & Olufsen ceased production of its record decks, with Beogram 7000 being the last in a very long line of high quality turntables. However, even today the vinyl format is alive, as so many treasured record collections were originally based on the vinyl format in its heyday, with many more of the more esoteric albums still awaiting CD reissue. The requirements that have to be met by a record player have become threefold:
“The preservation of precious vinyl records in as perfect a condition as possible
The ability to pick up information from the grooves and reproduce them faithfully
The operation must be made as similar to the other sources in a system as possible.”
Beogram 7000 met and exceeded all these requirements. The MMC2 pick-up cartridge weighed only 1,6g – the lowest own weight of any pick-up cartridge – and had a very high compliance and low effective tip mass. The result was a very good tracking ability with little record wear and in combination with the contact line nude diamond the optimal contact with the groove walls was ensured – to pick up the full music information. The MMC principle – Moving Micro Cross – gave a high channel separation, especially in the bass range, a low distortion and very little channel difference, which are all elements that significantly contribute to the achieved sound quality.
The MMC cartridge was mounted in a tangential tonearm, which eliminated tracking errors. The unique Optimum Pivot Point and the pendulum suspended sub-chassis made the reproduction virtually immune to vibrations from the outside.
The tonearm’s axis for horizontal movement was positioned behind the vertical axis and thus behind the tonearm’s centre of gravity. If the pivot point for horizontal movements vibrated, the rear part of the arm with the counterweight also vibrated, whereas the stylus remained still, because it was in the centre of the vibrations. The MMC was completely integrated with the tonearm and the low weight of the cartridge meant that the tonearm resonance could be optimised to the ideal value of 10 – 15Hz.
The pendulum suspension efficiently insulated the inner chassis with tonearm and platter from the outer cabinet to prevent vibrations to affect playback. The suspension consisted of three pendulums and leafsprings and gave the inner chassis an inherent resonance of 5 – 6 Hz.
Operation of Beogram 7000 was via Beolink 7000. The turntable automatically determined record size and selected playback speed accordingly (33 or 45 rpm.). If no record was registered, playback did not begin. It was only possible to lower the pick-up cartridge if there was a record on the platter. When you operated Beogram 7000 from Beolink 7000 you could not by accident lower the stylus outside of the record surface. By preventing unauthorised operation of Beogram 7000, Bang & Olufsen gave priority to both the preservation of the pick-up cartridge and the vinyl records.
Beogram 7000 could ideally, be used as part of Beosystem 7000
In design, technology and operating philosophy, the Beogram 9500 turntable was a perfect match for the Beocenter 9500 system.
Using a light-weight MMC2 cartridge, its electronic tangential arm played each record at the exact angle it was cut giving the most precise reading of the grooves ensuring that every nuance of a recording was captured.
The arm was suspended by a patented Bang & Olufsen system which helped prevent vibrations from any source reaching the cartridge. And the chassis suspension acted as an effective buffer against external vibrations.
