Designer: Jacob Jensen

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BeoGram 3000 (1985)

BeoGram 3000 (1985)

Beogram 3000 was a specially designed tangential record deck with a lightweight tone arm featuring the patented suspension system – Optimum Pivot Point – which prevented internal vibrations from interfering with sound reproductions.

Beogram 3000 was a specially designed tangential record deck with a lightweight tone arm featuring the patented suspension system – Optimum Pivot Point – which prevented internal vibrations from interfering with sound reproductions.

Beogram 3000 had an MMC 4 pick up for optimum sound and minimal record wear. A record sensor automatically record size and with it, the correct speed. The platter reduces static electricity and thereby dust in the grooves, and the pendulum suspension made Beogram 3000 ‘danceproof’. The search system worked both forwards and backwards and the new Active Light system was all automatic, giving you light when you needed it, for searching and changing your records etc.. A repeat function allowed you to play the same record up to 7 times in a row.

Beogram 3000 was designed to be used within Beosystem 3000. Beogram 3000 does not have a built in RIAA amplifier and relies on this being in the receiver used with it. Beomaster 3000 – which this deck was designed to work with – has the RIAA built in as do almost every receiver before this time, including the Beomaster 8000. Later equipment such as the Beomaster 7000 and Beomaster 3500 and Beomaster 4500 transferred the RIAA to the record player as this allowed a longer cable to be fitted to the record player and gave better siting options.

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BeoCenter 2800

Bang & Olufsen BeoCenter 2800

Beocenter 2800 was a unique combination of FM/AM tuner, a 2 x 25 watts RMS hi-fi power amplifier and record player. The tuner section offered Long and Medium wave reception as well as FM. There were facilities for pre-setting the four FM stations you listen to most frequently. Ceramic filters, AFC, split-supply output and a phase-locked loop decoder were some of the features that ensured outstanding reception and reproduction of even distant stations.

The record player was fully automatic – one master switch controlled all operations. The anti-skating device was built into the arms suspension and worked automatically. Electronic Servo Drive (ESD) ensured constantly correct speed. There were sockets for tape deck, two sets of stereo speakers and headphones.

This was a compact, space-saving unit which was easy to use thanks to automatic circuits and logical controls. Beocenter 2800 could be made up as part of the Beosystem 2800, when linked together with other compatible Bang & Olufsen products

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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 CD 3500

Bang & Olufsen BeoGram CD 3500

The sound reproduction achieved by Bang & Olufsen’s CD 3500 CD player was truly outstanding. It played both 12cm and 8cm compact discs and had an ingenious ‘step’ function which allowed you to go straight to a chose track selected from anywhere on the disc. The CD player was one of the most technologically-advanced pieces of hi-fi on the market at the time and yet was one of the easiest to operate. The explicit display always indicated what the CD player was doing all the time – for example, which track was being played, and how many tracks there were on the played compact disc.

Beogram CD 3500 could be used as part of the Beosystem 3500 hi-fi system.

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BeoGram 3300

Bang & Olufsen BeoGram 3300

It’s better both for your records and for sound quality to play a record the way the master was made – in a straight line from the edge to the centre. This tangential arm record player did just that, giving a far more precise reading of the signals in the groove. The MMC4 cartridge made a vital contribution too; it was feather-weight, with a stylus pressure of only 1,2 grams, giving outstanding sound quality but minimising wear and tear on your records.

There’s more protection too – invaluable for all-night parties. The electronically controlled tangential arm was suspended so that it isolated mechanical vibrations from the cartridge. The suspension chassis was also thoroughly engineered to neutralise vibrations. So keep on dancing – the record player can take it! Beogram 3300 was part of Beosystem 3300 although may be used as a stand-alone item.

One of many tangential decks all utilising the same basic design, the 3300 was noticeable mainly for its grey finish and slightly lurid graphics. Very much a child of the 80s, it was replaced by the 3500 and 4500.

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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 2000 (1983)

Bang & Olufsen BeoGram 2000 1983

This radial-tracking record deck had a lightweight turntable (only 400g) to minimise torque at starting. The automatic cueing system was also very fast-acting, so it was only a matter of a few seconds between touching the PLAY control and hearing the music.

The tone arm had built-in anti-skating and carried the MMC 4 pickup, ensuring accurate tracking and excellent sound quality. Normal PLAY and STOP functions were entirely automatic and could be operated with the lid closed; manual buttons for playing non-standard discs were located on the deck plate. In addition to automating the setting of correct speed and cueing position for each record, the Beogram’s built-in microcomputer allowed a REPEAT function, which could be programmed for up to 7 plays of the same record.

Drive was provided by a tacho-controlled DC motor via a flat rubber belt, so turntable speed was always accurate and could not be affected by fluctuations in the mains supply.

When used with Beomaster 2000, an electronic data-link allowed Beogram 2000 to be operated by the Beomaster’s controls. Beogram 2000 could also be made up as part of the Beosystem 2000, when linked together with other compatible Bang & Olufsen products.

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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.