A Beocenter 2200 world of pain

25 replies
D(
Offline
DrewSavage (archived)
Bronze
Posted November 1, 2009 at 19:57 GMT
#1741982

Hello to everyone, I'm a total novice with all this so please be gentle with me.

I used to dream of one day having a Bang & Olufsen system when I was a kid.  So on impulse, when I was looking at eBay last week, I bought a Beocenter 2200 for £48, and Beovox X25 speakers for £26.95.

I thought I'd got a bargain but it seems I've bought a bit of a lemon, reading the writeups of the 2200 on this site.  But I've never had a high-end hi-fi system before (separates, but quite low-end ones) so it could be a decent introduction to B&O ownership.  It looks great, at any rate.

Anyway, having got the thing home, here the problems start.  First off, the display doesn't light up as it should, just the various red LEDs.  Second, the tape deck doesn't move at all - not the end of the world, I'm not really intending to use it all that much.

But then we reach the record deck. Although it plays when you press the phono button, there is an MMC5 stylus/cartridge on it (which I read is the most important and expensive part), the tonearm skips about rather than playing properly even after I adjusted the counterweight as per the manual.  Feeling under the cartridge, there is a needle there.  But I suspect all this could just mean it's worn out as a working part.  Are my fears right?

Or, as I'm hoping, is there something really obvious and basic that I'm not doing?

Then we move on to the second main problem - having connected up one of the speakers, and tried listening through a pair of walkman headphones, with an adaptor to convert the 3.5mm jack to quarter-inch size, I've only heard extremely faint audio by turning the thing up to full blast.  It sounds like it's not being amplified at all, to be honest.  

On 'phono' I've managed to just about hear the record playing.  Well, skipping and skating about.  My one small victory is that I have, however, managed to get an equally faint - but very clear-sounding - signal by tuning the FM presets after attaching a small simple wire aerial to the back of the thing.

The FM button for manual tuning does nothing.  Doesn't light up, doesn't select.  AM and LW are selectable but I haven't got an AM aerial at the moment.

Is any of this easily fixable?  I've downloaded the service manual and despite being a novice with Bang & Olufsen hi-fis I'm not too bad with a soldering iron etc.

At the very least I'm hoping I can use it as a radio and as an amp/speakers for my computer or an external CD player?  I read somewhere you can get a lead to hook it up?

Anyway, there it is.  I'm hoping some kind person will come along and take pity on me.  Or tell me I've just bought an expensive doorstop.

M(
Offline
Macus (archived)
Bronze
Posted November 2, 2009 at 04:26 GMT
#1741983

I think you should return this to the seller and ask for a refund.

This old entry modell isn't worth that money even if it is working.

Look for a Beomaster instead!

J0
Offline
J0hnbarker
BronzeFounder
Posted November 2, 2009 at 06:57 GMT
#1741984

Macus wrote:

I think you should return this to the seller and ask for a refund.

This old entry modell isn't worth that money even if it is working.

Look for a Beomaster instead!

I agree. You've been sold a pup. There's lots to choose from out there in terms of vintage B&O, but some is better than others, and those Beocenters are probably not worth bothering with for the simple fact that for about £50ish you could probably pick up a nice Beomaster on a good day on Ebay. See if you can return to the seller.

 

W(
Offline
wirralsimon (archived)
Bronze
Posted November 2, 2009 at 07:32 GMT
#1741985

I agree with the other posts. Despite looking good, the gubbins of the 2200 is an inexpensive Japanese Music Centre and they are much harder to work on than the 'real' B&O from the period. The price you paid would be OK  for one in full working order (including a working cartridge)  but a 2200 with multiple problems isn't really worth anything at all. If it was described as needing work then you will need to put it down to experience I am afraid, If it was decribed as being in full working order  you could demand a refund as the item is not as described either directly or via Paypal.

The speakers are not the best either I am afraid, but it will be harder to get a refund if they work!

John has made a good point, if you just want to amplify a CD player you don't need a Beocenter at all!

 

Simon

 

 

D(
Offline
DrewSavage (archived)
Bronze
Posted November 2, 2009 at 09:19 GMT
#1741986

It's a little more complex than that - I bought the speakers separately from someone else on a separate auction, and as far as I can tell they do work.  I'm annoyed with myself that I didn't do more reading before I bought them, I only looked up what the matching speakers for the 2200 were rather than whether they were any good.

However as my existing speakers are 25W Dansk ones that date back to the 70s and belonged to my grandad, I suspect they might be better than those.

I was hoping to use the Beocenter as a radio and also to play my vinyl on (I have a Technics SL-BD22 I was intending to get rid of), using the thing to amplify a CD or my computer was just a fallback, but it looks like even that's not possible.

I think the listing on eBay is pretty watertight "In very good condition for it's age and was in full working order when we last used over eight years ago but  cannot guarantee it still does hence the low bid start and no reserve price as I would like it to find a good home".  But he seemed like a decent chap when I picked them up so I can ask for a refund and see what he says.

From the wording I wasn't expecting the thing to be perfect - I wasn't at all surprised that the tape deck didn't work, for instance - but I did expect it to be functional in some way and capable of amplifying sound.  It's all experience, isn't it?

Is it possible to get a B&O system for anything like £200?  Essentially I'd like a record deck and amp with radio, and a CD player would be good.  Or should I be asking for the moon on a stick while I'm about it?

What sort of thing should I be aiming at?

I know of a Beogram 3000 tuner/amp/record deck with a CDX2 CD playter and BeoVox CX100 speakers - is that in my league?

Or there's a Beomaster 5500 with Beocord 5500, Beogram 5005 deck, Beogram CD50 and a master control panel/remote with Beovox RL speakers on eBay at the moment.  It hasn't got a cartridge for the record deck and is currently on for £200, although the auction's got 3 days to go still.

To be honest, I've had my fingers burned and I'm thinking of walking away from the whole business.

But thank you for all the responses and advice.

Peter
Offline
Peter
Gold
Posted November 2, 2009 at 10:33 GMT
#1741987

The 5500 system is proper B&O and a very good system. The CD50 will probably not work though and the Beocord could well need new belts. The common fault with the Beomaster is that the mute circuit on speaker 1 will stick, but you can always use speaker 2!! Where do you live?

My B&O Icons:

BeoCenter-9500.png BeoCenter-9500.png
Beoremote-Beo4.png Beoremote-Beo4.png
Beovox.png Beovox.png
Beovision-11.png Beovision-11.png
Beotime.png Beotime.png
Beosound-Stage.png Beosound-Stage.png
Beosound-Moment.png Beosound-Moment.png
Beosound-5.png Beosound-5.png
Beosound-2.png Beosound-2.png
Beoremote-One.png Beoremote-One.png
Beoplay-Portal.png Beoplay-Portal.png
Beoplay-Earset.png Beoplay-Earset.png
Beomaster.png Beomaster.png
Beolit.png Beolit.png
Beogram-400x.png Beogram-400x.png
Beocenter-2.png Beocenter-2.png
D(
Offline
DrewSavage (archived)
Bronze
Posted November 2, 2009 at 11:09 GMT
#1741988

Watford.

How much should one go up to, for a 5500?  Bearing in mind it will need an MMC4, which as I've already established will cost £150...

This is the trouble I have, that I have absolutely no idea what a fair price for anything is.

Peter
Offline
Peter
Gold
Posted November 2, 2009 at 11:27 GMT
#1741989

I use a 5500 system every day - it lives under my monitor and provides music from my system. I got my first one for free from my old dealer and the white one I have now was also a present! If the CD50 is working, about £300 would seem OK. Shame you are not closer as I have a Beomaster 2400 and Beogram 2402 looking for a good home - I need to check they are fully working though! I don't post things as they get broken but if you are up in the Newcastle neck of the woods any time, you can have them.

My B&O Icons:

BeoCenter-9500.png BeoCenter-9500.png
Beoremote-Beo4.png Beoremote-Beo4.png
Beovox.png Beovox.png
Beovision-11.png Beovision-11.png
Beotime.png Beotime.png
Beosound-Stage.png Beosound-Stage.png
Beosound-Moment.png Beosound-Moment.png
Beosound-5.png Beosound-5.png
Beosound-2.png Beosound-2.png
Beoremote-One.png Beoremote-One.png
Beoplay-Portal.png Beoplay-Portal.png
Beoplay-Earset.png Beoplay-Earset.png
Beomaster.png Beomaster.png
Beolit.png Beolit.png
Beogram-400x.png Beogram-400x.png
Beocenter-2.png Beocenter-2.png
J0
Offline
J0hnbarker
BronzeFounder
Posted November 2, 2009 at 12:01 GMT
#1741990

My advice would be to skip the Beocenter and fill your tank up with enough fuel for the return trip to Newcastle! That's a very generous offer for a nice system indeed :)

D(
Offline
DrewSavage (archived)
Bronze
Posted November 2, 2009 at 12:04 GMT
#1741991

That's amazingly kind, thank you.  I'll try and work out a way of getting up to Newcastle...  I suppose they're too big to carry on the bus or train?

or
BeoWorld Gold Membership card
Join BeoWorld

Register to access the forums, reference material, and exclusive member benefits — including our monthly prize draw.

Become a Member

December 2026 Prize Draw

Gold Members Only

As a Gold member you're automatically entered into our exclusive prize draw — your chance to win iconic Bang & Olufsen products. A unique benefit of BeoWorld Gold membership, every draw brings a new opportunity to win something special.

View Prize Go For Gold