The 8000 is a superb receiver but very complex. Once serviced, it offers the most power of any of the B&O receivers and was built to be the very best that B&O could manage. Having had one of these and the 4400, I personally prefer the 4400 but I would not argue with anyone who preferred the 8000. The only problem with this era of kit is that they were not made for CD so you will need a non matching unit and they are truly huge! They also weigh a proverbial ton! There are quite a few 8000s around so not very rare but that was because they were good! I suggest getting Tim Jarman's book for the very best guide to recent B&O. A good read anyway!

Per wrote:

Maybe do some rankings; rarest, best looking, best sounding etc.. Its all a matter of perception of course, but I am very curious nontheless.

Best,
Per

Hi Per, and welcome to Beoworld,

I would certainly agree with Peter about the BM8000 and the BM4400 in terms of their sonic capability (and also the size and weight of the 8000!)

It is very difficult to rank equipment from a period covering 50 years or so, particularly in terms of looks.  However, there are some systems and pieces of equipment that seem to crop up on most people's lists of desirable 'Vintage' B&O kit.  The pieces I would rate as outstanding by decade might include.

60s -  The Beolab 5000 amplifier and Beomaster 5000 tuner.  Still widely regarded as outstanding pieces of equpment by any standards. 

70s - The Beogram 4000, probably the most iconic of all B&O pieces and possibly the best combination of aesthetics and engineering B&O ever produced.

The Beomaster 4400 - not a particulary radical piece of styling but arguably the best sounding B&O receiver.

Beovox S45.2  - a really good speaker that is quite possibly the best small passive speaker B&O made and the veneers are very good quality.  If you have the space, the Beovox M100 is (by reputation) probably even better, with an accuarte and musical bass that goes way down, but it is big, very heavy and the bass can boom a bit in small rooms.

80s - The Beolab 8000 system -  (which includes the BM8000 you mention, a Beogram and a Beocord) -  used with a Beogram CDX.  The CDX is an early Phillips based CD player  but stiil sounds really good and is visually one of the prettiest CD players ever made.  It also works well with the BM 8000 and has many visual clues with the Beogram 8002 from that system.   As Peter says, this system can go 'off'' and is a very sophisticated set of electronics.  For example, the Beocord 9000 is an incredibly complex piece of kit, including self calibration.  Sorting out problems is probably not for the fainthearted or the technically inept (like me).  The Beoolab pieces can all be operated by remote.

As can the the original B&O stacking system (the 5000) with a record player, tuner/amp and casette deck.  This takes up very little space and with the addition of the CD5500 is a fine system.  

Excellent speakers from this period might include the massive MS150s and the MC120.2s/S120s.  I love the MC120.2s which are very accurate but, like the S45.2s,  a bit bass light - not a charge you could level against the MS150s.

As for the 90's, I'm not sure we are into vintage any more - no wood finishes on the Hi Fi.  However, the Beocenter 9500  is a fine CD/Tape/radio/Amplifier in one, very beautiful box  and has the advantage of being able to work with both passive and active speakers.  But the development of active speakers is probably where the use of the term vintage starts to really become inappropriate.

Tim Jarman, who, along with Martin Olsen (Dillen on this site)  probably knows as much about vintage B&O as anyone, has a website with lots of information about the kit and an article on why some B&O pieces are particularly rare - it's worth a look  Try here

I only know of one BeoMaster 6001 😕

- Dennis

True! 😁

But man I would like to own a BeoMaster 4401 too! 😳

The black fascia looks great, and I really don't understand why they didn't put that model into production...

But Peter, wasn't the BeoGram 4001 invented by you?The BG 4001 a real prototype according to the

👍

The Beomaster 6001 was never publicly available.
Same goes for Beolab 1100 and Beocord 2700.
The Beomaster 4401 can be discussed. B&O says that it was and obviously a few managed to creep out but they were
never in the catalogues and so far they were all (both known) red label units.

Beogram 4001; see Peters post above.

Martin

Dennis wrote:

😁 Is it you who has started this rumor?

The lp peter has on is probably "Rumours "....

Dillen wrote:

Beogram 4001; see Peters post above.

Shouldn't it be called 4003? 😁