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Aha I see, I didn’t know all that. And for anyone who hasn’t found it yet, there is an excellent write-up of the Beocord 9000 in the Products section of the main website.
I had no idea that deck was so capable!

What I failed to mention was if I use a normal position tape, like a TDK AR, the Beocord 3500 produces some fabulous recordings. Rich in tone and with a clear non-spangly treble. The ferro recordings from this deck can sound very close to the cd I’m recording from when played back through the Beosystem. Very impressive.

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Mr10Percent wrote:

B&O are changing their target audience. Moving away from those middle-people who buy mid-tier BeoVisions, and Beolabs repeatedly every 4-5 years and looking instead to the kids to buy headphones and bluetooth devices and the VHNWI’s who will buy 97inch Harmony’s and 7.0.4 surround systems with 6 Beolab90’s coloured in atelier multi-coloured turd-sprinkles for that individual look in the NY and Miami penthouses at “whatever the cost”

The problem is the kids will give Beoplay’s 3 to 4 star ratings and the VHNWI’s will find the flagship gear so full of repetitive software bugs….they will be too dumb to fix, get frustrated and have the landscape gardener throw it all in the trash bin. It will be a tax-deductible (but profitable) loss and an “oh-well, who’s next” thing.

I read that reply as a tongue-in-cheek jibe. But then I thought about it for a bit and my heart sank. You may be right in one respect – the new target audience my well indeed be less patient and quick to criticise.

Is it true though that all new products are exposed to the same lack of understanding as now so many people expect so much so quickly?

I hope the brand survives its transition and its new audience learns to love it as much as we do.

Is it a good time to buy into B&O?

Julian

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Final photo of the Beocord reunited with its siblings and pumping out a bit of Prodigy 😀

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Dillen wrote:

Carefully remove the locking washer on the top of the spool. It has a slit so is usually not difficult to remove.
Then take off the spool – note the small anti-vibration insert. It’s a tiny round bronze plate, wedged up against the spindle – easily lost.
While in there, I suggest you clean the spindle and inside of the spool off old grease and add a small amount of fresh white lithium grease.

Martin

Thank you so much Martin! I followed your instructions and everything now works beautifully!
Those little copper discs really are quite delicate and without your advice I would no doubt have lost them.
Beoworld saves the day again!

The photos show the spindle after the split washer, trident thingy, spring and spool had been removed. It was very dirty and received a good clean with isopropanol. I lubricated it with a silicon spray applied carefully with a cotton tip – my town doesn’t stock white lithium grease so I may have to go back and redo the lubricating.

Another photo shows all the little parts – however at this point I didn’t know that the little copper anti-vibration plate was concealed inside the spool. I was lucky not to misplace it.

The other photos are of what caused my Beocord to stop winding tape. The donut-shaped magnet had indeed come away from the spool. It needed cleaning and re-glueing. I chose a gel superglue and applied it sparingly to the spool. Once seated I drank a tea then got to work cleaning up the transport. I went over the capstans and pinch rollers again and wiped Isopropanol over the large drive wheels. They were clean but I thought I may as well clean everything I could get to. I also cleaned and relubricated the worm drive which I think controls the auto reverse action.

This Beocord is now back to good health and will keep the tapes rolling for a good long time 🙂

Julian

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Dillen wrote:

Yes, the magnet has come lose.
You must take off the the reel table and glue the magnet back onto it.

Martin

Aha! Thank you. I shall endeavour to do just that. Having checked under the manuals section I can’t see instructions on how to safely dismantle this assembly.
I’ll check on the Tapeheads forum but you may find me back here again asking for more help.

Have a cool weekend!

Julian

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andy_js wrote:

I will also say that mine sounded much better after listening to them for a while so I believe there is a break in period regardless of what some people say.

I agree, headphones do need to be left playing music to themselves for a few days before they finally relax into their own groove.

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Dillen wrote:

The reel tables carry the spindles with tridents that grips into the spools with the tape.

Martin

Actually on even closer inspection the reel table, as I understand it, appears to have become seperated from the plastic gear wheel just beneath the spring and the trident. Perhaps I can gently prize the reel table off the mounting plate and squeeze it and the plastic gear wheel together?

Julian

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Dillen wrote:

The reel tables carry the spindles with tridents that grips into the spools with the tape.

Martin

Here is a photo of the rear of the mechanism. It shows a very small almost cross-headed screw (v small) which appears to be the spindle on which the take-up reel table is set into the mounting plate with.

I feel quite sure I should not be attempting to adjust that!

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Dillen wrote:

The reel tables carry the spindles with tridents that grips into the spools with the tape.

Martin

Hi again. Cool thank you for that – I feel certain you’re correct. I just checked both sides: the take-up reel is stiff and the reel table appears to be dragging on the mounting plate.
The supply reel moves a lot more freely and is looks to be sitting almost 1mm away from the mounting plate.
Photos below.

So how can I release the position of the take-up reel table so it isn’t in contact with the mounting plate?

This is a mega challenge 🙂

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Dillen wrote:

In order to check: Bad tape. Seized reel table. Take apart, clean and relubricate. Problem with reel table brake. Martin

Hi Martin, thank you for the pointers. I’ll check the ‘reel table’, once I find out what this is precisely. Is this the plane upon which the idler control wheels make contact to create drive?
The tapes appear to be good. They play well in other decks.

Julian

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In my living room I currently have Penta L&R, BL7.4 C and Beovox 3000 (flat panel) LR RR.
I have written on here before about my surprise and delight at how perfectly matched the Beovox 3000 are to the Penta mains. Tonally they are a match made in heaven, so to speak.

Julian

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@ravsted This is glorious! Thank you so much for sharing – I’m inspired to do something similar with my old BV6. The Lintronic world is a whole new thing but sounds like something which could help in my main room also. Thanks for sharing this!
Julian

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Hello. Sounds like a nice project you have there. Did you also find crackles on the headphones output at the same time as the right speaker output fails?

 

 

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Mr10Percent Why don’t B&O just make a new, modern but retro-style Beogram?

This. Now I agree that a new Beogram could certainly help top up the coffers and bring B&O right back out there into the new vinyl lovers homes with a modern record player.
But I fear the market is already busy with Rega and Project equipment, amongst others. The ‘affordable but good’ sector isn’t B&O, and I don’t want it to be so.
Personally I will never be able to afford a new B&O hifi, but I like the thought of these special products being designed and built to furnish the top end flats in our cities around the world. I love to spot them in tv shows and films.
I guess I admire the new products from afar, and at home I love my 90s B&O.

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Good luck with that repair @herrit and let us know how you get on.

Julian

 

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Hi Steve – thanks for your comments regarding the stylus. Makes sense to use a tried and tested marriage. How cool to have been involved with the functionality of the system!!

Hi Matador – I think personally I find this new product cool because it was only last summer that I visited the Struer museum and saw first hand so many examples of music centre cabinets. So when I saw this 72-23 I was taken straight back to some of those beautiful old designs.
It makes me feel happy that B&O have done this because I couldn’t help feel that after the demise in popularity of “hifi systems” in the early noughties, they didn’t have much to offer.
I hope those who are in a position to buy one of these do so and learn to love it for many years. It’s a brave move and won’t please everyone. But this firm we all love has never feared being a little controversial.

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Thanks Botty – the very same sentiments to you!

Enjoy your prizes Beoworlders!

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Drum rolllllllll

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Such a fab collection of prizes tonight!

A fab set for a final blast 😀

Congratulations to all the winners!

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Congratulations this prize is a beauty!!

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