Any suggestions for a B&O system with CD up to £1000?

[konradvg]

Hi everyone, I was hoping to get your thoughts on the following. I’m looking to buy a second hand B&O sound system for my small living room. My maximum budget is £800-1000. I’m pretty old school and still have lots of CD’s that I like playing so that will be the main thing. I’d also like to to plug in a bluetooth receiver so I can connect my phone and play some stuff through that. My music style varies from Blue Nile to Dvorak and from Sufjan Stevens (yes, really) to Tom Misch. I’m not really interested in volume but want clarity and a speaker that engages.

I’m looking at a Beosound 3000 on FB marketplace for around £200 and combining this with Beolab 2500 speakers (also around £200). So that would work out very cheap. Or should I pay extra get Beolab 8000’s instead? Also, are there any alternatives to the Beosound 3000 for up to £400-500?

Looking forward to your thoughts. Thanks,

Konrad

[BeoTool]

Konrad, what follows is my opinion only.  There are others.

I think you’re on the right track.  A CD player in Beosound 2500/4000/3000 family will get you good value for the money.  Newer is better.

As for speakers, all of these device support Powerlink powered speakers, so your pocketbook is your limit.  If you can swing a pair of 8000s, you won’t regret it.  If they can’t be had, look at the Beolab 4000s — again, tremendous value for the money.  Highly regarded for their size, though they lack deep bass pressure, of course.  Do your research on all this generation of Beolabs, as they can have problems with the dreaded foam rot.

I have owned a BS4000, and currently own BL 4000, 6000, and 8000.

ps: I also listen to Dvorak and Sufjan Stevens 🙂

[konradvg]

Hi, thanks for your comprehensive answer – much appreciated! A few questions:

Which out of the Beosound family is the newest model? Is it the 3000/3200? Is any particular model known to be most reliable?

Speakers; I’ve always wanted a pair of 8000s so will probably try to hold out for those, but thanks for the tip on the 4000s – I hadn’t considered those. What is the issue with foam rot?

Glad to hear someone else listens to Sufjan too 😉

Thanks again,

Konrad

[matador]

Hi,

Models with the bigger clamper (the cover of the disc) are more recent.
If you’re that old fashioned and you also like cassette, you may want to look at the Ouverture (last models with big clamber, pretty rare I think or oldest)

Stay away from a 3000 with small clamper, I feel it’s a doomed machine a sooner or later it will brick (again, that’s just my feeling)

3200 has a built in hard drive to save CD’s but at a very poor quality nowadays.

As for the speakers:
Foam rot is the disintegration of the internal damping material that melt and drip over the components and corrode them. On Beolab 4000 it can be avoid by selecting  a pair beyond a certain serial number (15xxxxx IIRC).
Beolab 8000 are iconic indeed but first, thye’re very tall, they’re big and are floor standing so you need to think it. Second, there are various iterations of the model, MK1, MK2, MK1 early/Late… Well model with constant changes. I’ve got a pair of MK1 with cup woofer, so far it’s a dissapoinment: they have bass but it’s like if they lack attack. My 4000’s are more punchy. Seems like it’s what justify the evolution of the model. I beleive MK2 with dome woofer are more what people expect as rendering or at least me.
Finally, 8000’s are prone to foam rot and I dont know if this has been corrected over the years like it did for 4000’s.

[gerard]

@matador

As it is possible to change the clamper from small to large, is there a list with serial numbers to know which are the original big Clamper ones?

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