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.
Beocord VHS 82 was Bang & Olufsen’s 1987 addition to the stereo video cassette recorder line-up with up to four hours of video playing time and eight hours of hi-fi quality stereo sound on just one video tape!
In terms of design, colours and uses, Beocord VHS 82 was created to harmonise with Beovision MX2000. And the same remote control Video Terminal could be used to control both units. Control was so integrated that the TV screen acted as an open instruction manual for the video cassette recorder.
All of the functions on Beocord VHS 82 were described and stored on ‘menus’ that were brought to the screen with the assistance of the Terminal. This step-by-step instruction ensured fast, faultless operation. So even things like presetting channels, time programming and picture search were as easy as was possible. And although the special menu operation was only possible in connection with the latest TV generations from Bang & Olufsen, Beocord VHS82 was an ideal video supplement for ant TV.
The fact that Beocord VHS 82 could take its place as a technically superior audio tape recorder in any music system emphasizes just how outstanding this stereo video recorder was.
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.
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.
Beovox Uni-Phase P30 loudspeaker handled up to 30 watts RMS power and reproduced sound with neutral, linear phase quality.
They were panel speakers designed to be hung on the wall and are therefore ideal for rooms where space was limited. Only 9cm deep, its volume was 12,9 litres. Fitted with a 16cm woofer and a 2,5cm tweeter. Frequency range 49 – 20000Hz.
The Beovox P30 were effectively a wall mounted S30. They appeared very thin though were in fact slightly deeper than one thought as the resin back protruded a fair bit at the back. Sound quality mirrored that of the S30 with generally good quality sound though they are bass light and must be wall mounted to achieve their best.
Beovox Uni-Phase P45 loudspeaker was a revised version of the Beovox P50 and was a high fidelity panel speaker for wall-mounting.
Weighing only 8kg the P45 had a net volume of 25 litres. Frequency range was 40 – 20 000 Hz with less than 1% harmonic distortion. There were two 12,5cm woofers, a special 8cm Phase Link unit and a 2,5cm dome tweeter.
Beovox Uni-Phase P45 loudspeaker was a revised version of the Beovox P50 and was a high fidelity panel speaker for wall-mounting.
Weighing only 8kg the P45 had a net volume of 25 litres. Frequency range was 40 – 20 000 Hz with less than 1% harmonic distortion. There were two 12,5cm woofers, a special 8cm Phase Link unit and a 2,5cm dome tweeter.
