B&O switch

11 replies

Does anybody know anything about this 5-way video-audio switch?

Was it a regular item sold to customers or was it perhaps used by dealers only?

 

(forget the shadows in the pictures.They are only a result of the bad photographers work and don't exist in reality)

I have a similar unit.
Incredibly nice finish, far too nice for workshop use so I believe it was a shop tool
to switch between A/V sources.
Note the white lettering on the palisander wood, a VERY unusual thing for B&O.
Beomaster 1200 knobs and a very soft touch feeling, a pure joy to switch.

Mine, I believe, is an early production sample or prototype of some kind as it doesn't seem to be fully wired inside.
I've seen another one somewhere else too so now at least three are known to exist.

Martin

It's an early Beocomparator. I know that a friend of mine has at least one in his possession (he uses it daily to control his vast array of B&O stuff)

The Beocomperators were all named that and "real" Beocomperators exists using more or less this design.
The Beocomperator 1 had only 4 channels, the Beocomperator 2 had an 8x5 array if my fading memory still serves.
Generally, the Beocomperators were far more comprehensive with level settings and a hidden connection box,
so I believe this unit was merely meant as a convienient switch.

Here, the Beocomperator 3 (for err.. comparison):

Martin

Dillen wrote:
Here, the Beocomperator 3 (for err.. comparison):

I used to engineer A/V matrices long time ago and this device still manages to mess up my brain 😂

So, it has a couple of sources that will be distributed into four amplifiers, and you can select any one of them into the circuit, and then select which one of eight pairs of speakers are connected into it? Sounds like something I need ❓

The switch in OP's post is beautiful. I wonder what the need for video switching was, though; the non-BNC video connectors suggest that this might be very early '70s... I guess they used it to demonstrate the early video Beocords? A simple distribution amp would've been enough for Beovisions only.

Søren Hammer wrote:

It's an early Beocomparator. I know that a friend of mine has at least one in his possession (he uses it daily to control his vast array of B&O stuff)

??? there is someone with more kit than you and your dad ???

!!!!! hard to believe 🙂

Looks like something for the old bond movies. Amazing hardware.

tournedos wrote:

Sounds like something I need

After visiting JaffBay, I can attest to Burantek's need for two!

All the hi fi shops I purchased from back in the day had one or more of these switch boxes (not beo of course) - more often than not in their "entry level" room(s).

 

Hello

I'm sorry to tell you that the little box is not from a James Bond movie, but is something extra accessories for the old Beocord 4000 video recorder from 1970

It is used to connect up to 5 cameraer and microphones to the same recorder.

It is mentioned in the service manual for Beocord 4000 and the type is 3040

 

Per H

Thanks Per, for clarifying this. Greatly appreaciated !
I did go through manuals etc. but couldn't find anything.
The reason for this is now apparent in that, despite me having a few of them in my collection, including
the Beocord 4000 Video, I never gave much attention to the collection of video products or documentation.

Martin

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