Designer: Jacob Jensen

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BeoCenter 9300

Bang & Olufsen BeoCenter 9300

Beocenter 9300 really defined the word ‘classic’. It was for those who preferred to enjoy the music rather than to pore over the product manual. The design of the 9300 was around for many years before production ceased in the late 1990’s. It was available in many different versions; for example 8000, 9000, 9500 and the this last version: Beocenter 9300.

The differences between the 9500 and the 9300 was that the 9300 had a new and improved CD mechanism fitted which was faster than the previous versions. Some minor differences were that the 9300 lacked two-way remote communication and an equalizer loop-through. However, the 9300 still is still among the Bang & Olufsen greats!

BeoCenter 9300 could operate with active as well as passive loudspeakers. A mere touch activated BeoCenter 9300 and a line of sensi-touch options glowed on the lower glass display. The 9300 was a complete music system for people who prefer to enjoy music rather than poring over a product manual.

Features:

2 x 80 watt amplifier, CD player with programming, tape recorder with auto reverse, FM/AM radio with 30 preset stations, finger touch control, optional Beo4 remote control operation, connections for Beolink® and headphones, Master Control Link. There was also the option of using the BeoCenter with or without active speakers, such as BeoLab 4000 (shown above). A stand could also be bought as a separate item

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BeoCenter 9500

Bang & Olufsen BeoCenter 9500

The mirrored exterior of aluminium and smoked glass gave no hint of the power hidden beneath the surface of Beosystem 9500. Central to the concept was the AM/FM receiver. On the flanks, CD player and cassette recorder awaited their turn in the spotlight. When they were needed, a light touch on the display panel was all that was required to make lids glide to the side giving immediate access to disc or cassette. The Beocenter was designed by Jacob Jensen and was the direct descendant of Beocenter 9000. The two models features here were superceded in 1994 by Beocenter 9300.

Simple logical operation

A light touch directly on Beocenter 9500 was all you needed to access its operation. The illuminated display led you logically through the programming and other functions always showing you what to do next. This ease and simplicity of use was the first impression you obtained of the music system. And equally easy to use was the optional remote control Beolink 1000 terminal.

Entertainment and information from three reliable sources

You could preset up to 20 FM and AM stations on the Beocenter 9500 receiver. And when you made your choice, search and fine tuning were completely automatic. Also, you could preset the receiver to switch on automatically to catch the news, or perhaps a favourite serial at just the right time. If you were out, the cassette recorder could be programmed to record and you could play back at your leisure.

You could also use the Beocenter 9500 receiver as a guaranteed alarm. In the event of a power failure during the night, the clock instantly switched to its own built-in batteries to ensure that you awoke at just the right time.

The CD player which accommodated both 12cm and 8cm compact discs was also ready for your commands. It gave you instant access to a specific track anywhere on the disc and allowed you to change the order in which the tracks were played, or to simply choose only those tracks you wished to listen to. Technology at its most convenient best. When used with Beogram 9500 the music system was known as Beosystem 9500.

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BeoCenter 1800

Bang & Olufsen BeoCenter 1800

Beocenter 1800 fulfilled hi-fi standards by a wide margin. The product was also way above the average in terms of ease and operation. Experience from Beomaster 1100 and Bang & Olufsen’s integrated gramophones were combined in the special space-saving unit, which on a specification level was on a par with many separates.

The FM section had automatic frequency control (AFC), four pre-set stations and light indicators. The amplifier’s power output was 2 x 22 watts RMS with less than 0,3% distortion at full power output.

The integrated gramophone was fully automatic. The user simply chose the size of the record and pressed a button – the machine did the rest. The pickup arm was of magnesium which was extremely light. This, together with the MMC 3000, a low-mass cartridge, made this one of the very few turntables on the marker that was capable of tracking warped records. The anti-skating device also worked automatically.

The pickup arm and the turntable mechanism had a special spring suspension which made the turntable shock and vibration resistant.

Records could be played with the dust lid closed, thus protecting both the turntable and the record collection from damaging dust particles. Beocenter 1800 had connections for tape recorder, two sets of stereo speakers and a pair of headphones.

When connected to a pair of Beovox Uni-Phase passive loudspeakers, it was known as Beosystem 1800.

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BeoCenter 1400

Bang & Olufsen BeoCenter 1400

The amplifier section of Beocenter 1400 offered qualities which were unusual for a combination product in this price-range. Frequency range was 20-30.000 Hz, with harmonic distortion of less than 0.5 % at maximum output. Power output was 2 x 20 watts RMS or 80 watts total music. The technical data of the FM section, like those of the amplifier fulfilled the DIN 45500 high-fidelity norms by a wide margin. A wide frequency range was obtained both on mono and stereo reception. The balanced light indicator was a simple but effective aid to accurate tuning. The automatic frequency control (AFC) facility allowed precision tuning.

Beocenter 1400 – “Each unto his own taste” – especially with music.

Receiving distant stations was no problem on Beocenter 1400 owing to the receiver’s high sensitivity (better than 1.8 uV IEC). The compact cassette section had its own operating facilities: ON/OFF switch and piano key push buttons for recording and play-back functions. You could switch between chromium dioxide and normal tapes. Recording level was controlled by a handy slider on a numerical scale and light indicators: Red or green light showed overloading or satisfactory recording level. Tape-heads were of super permalloy, an extremely durable material which ensures a long useful lifetime. Wow and flutter was less than ±0.28% (JIS norm).

Signal-to-noise ratio was better than 50 dB with chromium dioxide tapes. Bang & Olufsen placed emphasis on good station separation in the AM section (long and medium waves) without sacrificing sound quality. A slider control aided radio tuning. Beocenter 1400 had sockets for a record player, headphones and loudspeakers. An extra tape or cassette-recorder could also be connected. Beocenter 1400 utilised the (then) latest electronic components: Darlington transistors, field effect transistors, integrated circuits and ceramic filters.

When combined with Beovox 1702 loudspeakers and/or Beogram 1203, the system was known as Beosystem 1400.

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BeoGram 1902

Bang & Olufsen BeoGram 1902

Beogram 1902 was a newly developed (1979/80) fully automatic, hi-fi stereo record player with Electronic Servo Drive (ESD) which meant that you never had to adjust speed. The Beogram 1902 did that automatically. It was resistant to variations in the mains current.

All functions were chosen via the single rectangular operating panel; Beogram 1902 did the rest. It was resistant to vibrations and shock because it rotatory mechanism and pickup arm had an efficient spring suspension. The pickup was so light that even warped records could be tracked. In fact, the arm was so light and the pickup’s diamond stylus so highly polished that it would not audibly damage your record even if the arm was thrown against the grooves.

The cartridge was the MMC 4000 which had a naked elliptical stylus. Recommended stylus pressure was 1,0g and frequency range was 20 – 25000 Hz.

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BeoGram 1800 (1984)

Bang & Olufsen BeoGram 1800

This radial-tracking deck combined ease of operation with superb performance specifications. It featured a new, advanced type of tone arm carrying the remarkable MMC5 pick-up with its unframed, elliptical diamond stylus. The platter was of a lightweight design (400 grams) to reduce torque at starting.

Its carefully milled profile, with large metal surfaces set between slim bands of Nextell, ensured high electrical capacitance between the record and the metal, effectively earthing static charges without actual contact. It was driven by a flat rubber belt from a tacho-controlled DC motor. The belt’s compliance acted as a mechanical filter, preventing motor vibrations from reaching the record and stylus.

To complement this improved arm/cartridge combination Beogram 1800 had a new faster-acting movement control system with separate cam wheels for vertical and horizontal arm movement, so that automatic operation gave you music within a very few seconds. So cueing was really fast, but still careful of your records.

For improved record safety, you could operate normal PLAY and STOP functions while the lid was closed. Just one touch – the rest was automatic. Record size and speed was identified by the Beogram’s logic circuits. Beogram 1800’s slim plinth had a brushed aluminium finish.

Opening the lid gave access to three further function controls: CUE, 33 and 45 speed overrides (for non-standard discs).

Beogram 1800 was designed by Jacob Jensen and at the 1969 Hanover Fair Bang & Olufsen and Jacob Jensen were presented with the iF award for no less than 4 products for ‘outstanding industrial design’ including Beogram 1800.

Types: 5811 (1984 – Aug 1984); USA 5813 (1984 – Feb 1986)

These are probably the slimmest looking record player available. Quite a bit of this is down to clever visual tricks and surprisingly, the decks related to this model all looked thicker. It sold well and may were bought to work with non B&O systems. It shared the excellent suspension of its predecessors and had the new cartridge mounting. Now available for little money, this is a superb sounding deck. Highly recommended.

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BeoGram 1700

Bang & Olufsen BeoGram 1700

Beogram 1700 combined ease of operation and advanced technology in a simple, matter-of-fact way. To play a record, all you had to do was press ’33’ or ’45’ and let the Beogram do the rest. At the end of play the pickup arm returned to its resting position and the motor switched off.

The anti-skating device worked automatically. Another advantage of the simple, integrated design was immunity to external shock and vibrations. The electronic servo drive system ensured correct rotary speed at all time.

The low mass, low inertia pick-up arm with its plug-in MMC 20S cartridge made it virtually impossible to scratch records.

Beogram 1700 could be made up as part of the Beosystem 1700 or Beosystem 2600, when linked together with other compatible Bang & Olufsen products.

This is quite possibly the best value Beogram made. It has excellent sound and vibration isolation, a very simple and lightweight arm, easy to use and understand controls and is elegant both in looks and operation.

Blindfold, the sound quality is quite frankly indistinguishable from the higher models and it is far more likely to work. Weak spots are few but record support would probably be the main issue. A felt mat suitably cut could well improve record support qualities.

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BeoGram 1600

Bang & Olufsen BeoGram 1600

Beogram 1600 was manufactured primarily for the US and French markets; therefore in the overall scheme of things, there weren’t many of these around.  A fairly basic machine, Beogram 1600 was designed for use within the Beomaster 1600 and Beocord 1600 system when it complemented these other products nicely.  It fitted with the MMC 20E combined cartridge/stylus.

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BeoGram 1202

Bang & Olufsen BeoGram 1202

The Beogram 1202, although looking very similar to the earlier Beogram 1200, was an entirely new record deck and was far more sophisticated than the earlier model. It continued with the multi-peg system of record support – possibly the decks greatest weakness – and also lacked the hinged lid of the Beogram 3000 to which it was otherwise practically identical. This is the 1200 type deck to own!

The operating system was simplified from the 1200 though the same arm and motor were used. The suspension was however far better – imagine this deck as a Beogram 3000 with a silly platter and a less useful lid and you will not be far wrong. It is however the best of the ‘peg platter’ decks. Very collectible.