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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Beosystem 8800 Video was the only fully integrated home video system on the market in the early 1980’s. It comprised the Beocord 8800 video recorder, the Beovision 8800 colour TV, the Beovision Video Terminal and an elegant custom-built stand.
These individual components were designed to match and function harmoniously as one complete system, from a technical, functional, aesthetic and operational point of view. That is why you could operate all primary functions in the entire system from a distance using one infra-red remote control module. This gave you fast, easy, direct access to all facilities, whether these were ordinary TV programmes, recording or playback of video cassettes or Teletext home information services (when the Teletext circuitry is installed). Naturally, you could also make all important sound and video adjustments from the comfort of your chair.
The heart of Beocord 8800 Video was the 2 x 4-hour flip-over cassette – as part of the V2000 video system (similar to VHS and Betamax). It allowed you to make use of up to 8 hours recording time on one cassette, whereas most competing systems offered just 3,25 hours. Thus, the cassette was not only more convenient, it was also more economical to use than any other cassette on the market.
Another outstanding feature was that you could programme the Beocord to make 5 unattended recordings from 5 different TV channels at 5 different times up to 16 days in advance. You could have a relaxing holiday or travel on business, and be rest assured that you wouldn’t have to miss any of the programmes in your favourite TV series.
This creative use of machine intelligence (micro-computers) and the degree of flexibility and convenience afforded were unparalleled in competing video recorders. So too was the ease and speed with which you could operate the machine, thanks to its logical operation facilities and its large communication panel.
Optional stand
The optional stand for the Beosystem 8800 Video was both functional and attractive. It combined the TV receiver and recorder into one harmonious system, making the units even easier to install and convenient to live with at home. The positions of TV and VCR were reversible and the TV shelf had a rotating plate so you could alter its viewing angle at will. Beneath the shelf was a drawer for storing cassettes, headphones and other accessories. The stand was made of black anodised aluminium.
Programming the Beocord 8800 Video to make up to 5 unattended recordings during a 16-day period was both quick and easy, thanks to its logical operation facilities and microcomputers.
Illuminated symbols on the machine’s communication panel guided you through programming, step by step, confirming each step and keeping you informed at all times. You could even check your programming for accuracy and correct mistakes using the clear button. The 8-hour flip-over cassette allowed you to make high quality recordings at a lower cost per programme than ever before. The cassette had a tamper-proof design. Quite simply, it was impossible to damage it by accidentally touching the tape or any of its moving parts. A unique safety slider prevented you from inadvertently erasing a recorded cassette.
The Beovision Video Terminal was a remote control module which transmitted your instructions to the Beovision colour TV or the Beovision 8800 Video on a beam of infra-red light. It gave you immediate access to all primary functions on the Beosystem 8800 Video from anywhere in your room. You could select any of 16 TV channels on the Beovision. Or up to 26 if you made use of the Beocord’s TV tuning and storing facility. You could make video recordings or play a cassette. And if you had Teletext installed in your TV, you could operate this advanced home information service from a distance.
Naturally, you could also adjust volume levels, brilliance and colour without leaving your chair. Or mute the set but retain the picture, if the phone rang.
The Beovision Video Terminal was an integral part of Beovision 8800. Beocord 8800 Video could also be used with non-Bang & Olufsen TVs. If you chose to do so, you could still operate Beocord’s functions from a distance using the Beovision Video Terminal which was available separately (Type 3319).
Beocord 1900 equalled Bang & Olufsen’s top-of-the-line cassette deck (Beocord 5000) in terms of specifications and performance, but it but it did not have the same wide range of facilities and operational refinements.
This does not mean that the Beocord 1900 was difficult to operate. On the contrary, the slanting front panel which contained all the operational facilities made the set’s controls handy and easily accessible. The cassette eject mechanism was air damped so that delivery was gentle and controlled. Two large VU meters enabled accurate setting of recording levels.
The microphones socket was placed discreetly under a sliding panel together with a balance control which enabled signal level adjustment in both channels. All the features which characterised high quality and high performance levels in cassette decks were incorporated. These included a combined recording/play-back Sendust tape head and Dolby B Noise Reduction circuits.
Beocord 1900 used precision techniques that ensured stable tape drive and the highest standards of recording and playback. Yet despite its comprehensive facilities it was easy to use and harmonised comfortably with many different Beosystems.
Beocord 1900 could be made up as part of the Beosystem 1900 or Beosystem2400, when linked together with other compatible Bang & Olufsen products.
