This was B&O’s first remote control, predating the Beomaster 2400. Known affectionately as the brick, it was very necessary as setting up a quad system required to be sitting at the centre of the four speakers. It allowed control of the volume and Beomaster source though it was not able to control any device except the Beomaster. It used ultrasonic rather that infra red waves and needed to be aimed at the Beomaster.
The top of the range cartridge from B&O, this boasted a single crystal sapphire cantilever and a Contact Line stylus derived from the Pramanik stylus of the MMC6000.
This cartridge was well thought of by many outside the normal B&O user base and was favourably reviewed in many magazines. It achieved something not many B&O products ever managed – it was described as offering value for money!!
The MMC20EN was the standard cartridge fitted to the top of the line Beogram 4002 and 4004.
It was a development of the very successful MMC4000 and retained the naked elliptical diamond stylus seen on that model. A fine tapered cantilever was also fitted and provided excellent performance.
This cartridge was in many ways the replacement for the MMC20EN as it had a tapered cantilever and naked elliptical stylus.
It was fitted as standard to the Beogram 6002.
The MMC3000 was the basic model in the all new range of cartridges.
It was designed for use with the lower end of the range such as the Beogram 1100 and Beocenter 1800 and 3600. It has a spherical diamond stylus.
This could be regarded as the standard cartridge in the range and was fitted to many decks as standard.
In many ways a replacement for the MMC20E, it offered good performance at a most reasonable price
The most basic of the range, this cartridge was available to be specified for those decks not fitted with a cartridge as standard such as the Beogram RX.
It could be differentiated by its cantilever which was a straight non tapered aluminium tube.
This was the cartridge specified for the Beogram 3400 and had a Shibata profile diamond. This is quite a rare cartridge to find these days as many 3400s did not have the CD4 decoder fitted and hence did not require this cartridge..
Bang & Olufsen’s (then) most accomplished pickup cartridge was fitted to Beogram 6000.
The MMC principle was adapted to track 4-channel records: both Quadradiscs and SQ. MMC 6000 would track both mono and stereo records with the utmost fidelity. It was designed for record-players with tangential arms. The stylus was the Pramanik diamond, named after its inventor: engineer S K Pramanik from Bang & Olufsen’s Laboratories.
The diamond’s radii were 7 um/2 x 50 um. It was a refinement of the elliptical shape, rather like the shape of the cutter-head, and enabled greater contact with the undulations of the record groove. The cantilever was made of berylium – a material which is harder yet lighter than popularly-used aluminium. Effective tip mass was 0.22 mg. Compliance was higher than 30×10-6 cm/dyne. Recommended- stylus pressure was 1g. The total frequency range was 20-45.000 Hz.
In the audible range: 20-15.000 Hz there is less than 1.5 dB variation and in the inaudible range 20,000-45,000 Hz where the carrier frequencies lie, the pick-up fulfils RCA/JVC’s specifications for a Class A discrete 4-channel pick-up cartridge. Each cartridge is an integrated, individually calibrated unit. The stylus unit is not separately replaceable since it is part of the integrated unit. An individual frequency response curve traced on a Bruel & Kjaer level recorder and a complete Calibration Card were enclosed with every MMC 6000 sold.
Designed by Jacob Jensen. In 1979 three more of Jacob Jensen’s designs were included in the Design Collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York including Beomic 2000.
In 1970, three Bang & Olufsen products designed by Jacob Jensen received the IF award, including Beomic 2000. “Congratulations! Well, we have done this before”, said Prince Henrik – The Queen of Denmark’s husband when he presented the Danish ID award of the Society of Industrial Design to Bang & Olufsen, represented by Jacob Jensen, the designer.
The remark made reference to the fact that B&O had also received the award the year before!
