interesting - I know I was disappointed with both the project turntables I had and put it down to the cartridges - The Thorens is definitely the best I've heard from my experience but it has a decent cartridge in it and my beogram 1500 has an old MMC20EN in it which probably needs a retip etc. That said the BG4004 sounded very good but had so many technical issues. I haven't yet heard any high end turntables but am intrigued.

I guess the ortofon cartridge (concord type) would be a logical choice if they were to make a turntable. 

I don't see any meaning in a new B&O turntable in a time where you can get a refurbished Beogram 4000 with a retipped cartridge, for the same price as a new ordinary mid-price turntable with cartridge.

Furthermore, the bean counters who killed off the traditional turntable production are still doing their job at B&O cirka 20 years later. Where should it be produced? Of which quality materials? How about the cartrigde system? We are talking millions in development from scratch and even more for tooling a plant for the job.

It's why I thought a good half way house would be to produce an arm and or cartridge to fill a gap and showcase their expertise, however I think you are right, it would just be too expensive for them to consider and too limited a market.

Mark wrote:

vinyl record sales are on another high for 2015 and up by 56% and the biggest number of sales since 1994....

 

 

Don't forget vinyl was dead in 1994. It's a novelty.

Duels wrote:

However I would still buy a B&O turntable if they produced one

Would you buy it at 9.000 euro? That what it may well cost, and B&O would still lose money on it. As 20 persons would buy it. All Beoworlders. 😁

bayerische wrote:

Would you buy it at 9.000 euro? That what it may well cost, and B&O would still lose money on it. As 20 persons would buy it. All Beoworlders.

Too long to list....

I dont know why it would have to cost that much when everyone else manages to produce them at significantly lower prices - I recon £1700 would be fair - double the project but then the materials would be better and hopefully it would sound better than the project. On the other hand I am beginning to take the point that there are plenty of refurbished good as new out there so maybe that's the way to own one. I guess it would be too much of a strategy departure and seen as a backward step rather than forward, although my understanding is that Thorens stopped and have started again, same with Technics.

I'd guess the majority of turntable action is in the under $400 dollar range, either kids who don't know any better buying 100 dollar record grinders, or the more knowledgeable going for 400 buck Denons and the like that are actually pretty decent. Above that are a lot of UK and German tables selling for up to 1000 dollars or to a couple of thousand, then you get into the more exotic stuff, Linn, separate arms, etc. that appeal only to the true vinylphile.

If I had to replace my B&O and not go for a used Beogram, I'd more than likely go for the 400 dollar range Denon. Sounds quite good, simple, and affordable. At this point in my life no way I'd spend major dollars for a playback device for a media I hardly ever use anymore. I once had a VPI HW19 fitted with an upgraded platter, an ADC LMF2 carbon fiber arm, and I finally settled on a Sumiko Blue Point Special high output moving coil. Sounded good, but not so head and shoulders above the Beogram that I felt compelled to go back to it, more just different, though perhaps better in he low end. Now what made a huge difference on the Beogram was which MMC I used. For a while I had a MMC5, which other than being able to play records sounds pretty awful. The MMC4 is a huge improvement over it, and the MMC2 is just outstanding.