Colour / Finish: Rosewood

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BeoCenter 1500

Bang & Olufsen BeoCenter 1500

Beocenter 1500 was a combined FM/AM tuner, hi-fi stereo amplifier and cassette recorder with a specification level that was unique for combination units in that price bracket. In the AM section, which covered long and medium waves, Bang & Olufsen placed an emphasis on the set’s ability to separate stations from each other. The FM section had outstanding channel separation and stereo reception. The amplifier’s technical specifications were way above the average and fulfilled accepted hi-fi norms by a wide margin.

The built-in cassette recorder had its own operation panel but was otherwise fully integrated with the rest of Beocenter 1500. There was a switch for normal and chrome tapes; recording level was monitored on an illuminated indicator: red signified overload and green meant that all was well. The tape heads were of a super Permalloy and had a higher performance level and longer useful lifetime than ordinary heads.

Beocenter 1500 had connections for record player, two sets of stereo speakers, headphones and an extra tape deck.

Beocenter 1500 and Beocenter 1600 were, at the time of their production, two of the market’s most compact audio systems, but despite their small external dimensions they could fill a large room with sound. All the push buttons of Beocenter 1500 were of solid aluminium, and the solid aluminium front panel on the Beocenter 1600 was anodised – a process which was more expensive and more demanding but which also made the set more robust and resistant to marks and scratches.

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BeoGram 42V/VF

Bang & Olufsen BeoGram 42V_VF

The B&O 4-speed record player is an important step on the road to full musical enjoyment, being designed specially with a view to vibrationless and rumbleless operation. This feature is of great importance when playing stereo records as the pickup stylus must be sensitive to vibrations in all directions in order to be capable of “scanning” the record properly.

Understanding the numbering of these Beograms is really quite easy: the ‘V’ in ‘608V’ means that it is powered with AC voltage and ‘F’ means that it has a built-in preamplifier. The designation 608, 609 and so on, indicates the year the product was marketed. There was also a ‘U’ version for both AC and DC voltages. Beogram 608 for example, was a turntable without a built-in RIAA preamplifier and was produced for the 1962 season (internally many were date-stamped e.g. September 1961 would indicate the year it left the factory).

The difference between the models 41xx and 42xx was that the 41xx had a small turntable and the 42xx model had a larger turntable.

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BeoGram 41V/VF

Bang & Olufsen BeoGram 42V_VF

The B&O 4-speed record player is an important step on the road to full musical enjoyment, being designed specially with a view to vibrationless and rumbleless operation. This feature is of great importance when playing stereo records as the pickup stylus must be sensitive to vibrations in all directions in order to be capable of “scanning” the record properly.

Understanding the numbering of these Beograms is really quite easy: the ‘V’ in ‘608V’ means that it is powered with AC voltage and ‘F’ means that it has a built-in preamplifier. The designation 608, 609 and so on, indicates the year the product was marketed. There was also a ‘U’ version for both AC and DC voltages. Beogram 608 for example, was a turntable without a built-in RIAA preamplifier and was produced for the 1962 season (internally many were date-stamped e.g. September 1961 would indicate the year it left the factory).

The difference between the models 41xx and 42xx was that the 41xx had a small turntable and the 42xx model had a larger turntable.

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BeoGram 6000 (1981)

Bang & Olufsen BeoGram 6000 1981

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

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BeoGram 1800 (1968)

Bang & Olufsen BeoGram 1800 1968

This was a rare and interesting model. It boasted a new arm and motor compared to the Beogram 1000 but retained quite a lot of the design and the uninspired rubber mat.

It also had a most unusual dust cover with a metal surround with only the top panel being transparent. This design was to be seen also in the prototype Beogram 6000 but not in any production model.

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BeoGram 1500 (1978)

Bang & Olufsen BeoGram 1500 1978

Beogram 1500 combined ease of operation and advanced technology in a simple, straightforward way. All its operations were controlled via a single button.

Another advantage of this totally integrated design was its immunity to external shock and vibrations. The electronic servo drive system ensured correct turntable speed at all times. The low-mass arm had built-in bias compensation, and the MMC 20S pickup tracked at only 1,5 grams.

The unique pendulum spring suspension helped make the Beogram range of record players immune to the external shock and vibrations which would cause most other record decks to mistrack and damage the record groove.

Beogram 1500 could be made up as part of the Beosystem 1500, when linked together with other compatible Bang & Olufsen products.

This deck was the basic model of its time but the inherent design of this deck meant that the performance was extremely similar to the top of the range radial decks. Very easy to set up and simple to use, a true bargain buy in later years.

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Beolit de Luxe FM TR38

Bang & Olufsen Beolit de Luxe FM TR38

” Beolit de Luxe FM TR (36/38), the sensational new Danish transistor radio.”

Housed in a beautiful cabinet of rose-wood or teak. The battery, protected by a plastic case, is easily and quickly replaceable. Large B&0 high quality loudspeaker assures superb tone quality. Beolit de Luxe FM TR has jacks for external aerial, external speaker, gramophone and tape recorder. Best, newest and most sensitive transistors obtainable in the world market.

Precision engineered ferrite aerial. Beolit de Luxe FM TR has unsurpassed dependability of operation, thanks to use of B&0 printed circuit boards throughout. The Beolit de Luxe FM TR is well-suited for use as a car radio. The Beolit de Luxe FM TR has a built-in Radicator (a small moving coil meter) that puts you in a position to check the condition of your battery at any time. The Radicator is also a tuning aid. The Beolit de Luxe FM TR may be used for direction finding

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BeoCord V8802

Bang & Olufsen BeoCord V8802

If your choice of TV viewing included video, the Beovision Video Terminal supplied with your Beovision 5100, 7100 or 8100 (or Beovision models 5500, 7700, 8800 and 9000 featured in the 1982 Autumn catalogue) could also be used to operate the Beocord V8802 video cassette recorder.

There were two types of video stand available, specially designed to accommodate any Bang & Olufsen VCR and combine them into a complete video system that was easy to install, easy to live with and a joy to use.

Beocord V8802 used the technical superiority of the V2000 format to guarantee top-quality recording and playback on economical flip-over cassettes. The 2×4 hour flip-over cassettes gave you 8 hours of recording time in one tape, which worked out cheaper in cost-per-minute terms than any other video format.

Microcomputer technology gave Beocord 8802-V a wide range of features and facilities and, at the same time, ensures that operation was fast, straightforward and fool-proof. Automatic track adjustment meant that even well-worn tapes recorded on another machine were reproduced accurately – that was important if you intended to hire feature film cassettes for home screening.

Sound quality was also of the highest quality with a technique called Dynamic Sound Suppression, reducing distortion and unwanted noise to negligible levels.

Freeze-frame and picture search are useful features, especially for sports fans, and both could be operated by remote control.

Another outstanding benefit was the ease with which Beocord’s computer-controlled timer could be programmed to make up to 5 automatic recordings from any 5 TV channels within a 16-day period. Of course, you could also record one programme while watching another. The Beovision Video Terminal kept you in control of the whole system without moving more than a finger.

The Terminal was supplied as part of the TV; if you purchased Beocord V8802 separately, or with a manual Beovision TV, the Terminal had to be purchased as an optional accessory in order for you to obtain the extra convenience of remotely controlled video.

Programming Beocord V8802 to make unattended recordings was quick and easy, thanks to logical control systems and microcomputers. Simply key in the channel, the day and the start and stop times of the programme you wanted recording. Each instruction was confirmed on the illuminated communications panel. The microcomputer’s memory could store 5 such sets of instructions covering the period of 16 days ahead. You could even check your programming for accuracy and correct mistakes by operating the ‘clear’ button. When all the programmed recordings had been completed the machine rewound the tape ready for instant replay.

The 8-hour flip-over cassette was more convenient and economical to use than any other type then on the market. The cassettes were tamper-proof: it was impossible to damage them by touching any moving parts or the tape itself. A safety switch built into the cassette casing prevented the inadvertent erasure of recordings you wanted to keep.