Beosystem 5000 -- what's the deal?

[markallen]

I'm going to revive this old thread based on a discovery within this topic.

Browsing the usual junk at a local thrift, I spotted an unusual component amongst the mix of old clock radios and satellite receivers. At first I thought it WAS a satellite receiver, but it was mostly silver with a sleek profile and said BEOGRAM 5000. I think the left end said PUSH, the right end PLAY. On the back, none of the usual hookups, just an odd connector on the end of a short lead.

I pulled it off the shelf, and most of the front slid open to reveal a cool looking cassette desk drawer. So I plugged it in to a nearby outlet, and a few red lights lit up on the dark part of the front. Heard some small sounds, then pressed PUSH, and then PLAY, but got nothing. Shortly I smelled burning electronics, so quickly unplugged it . . .

I've learned here at AK that this is part of a system. Even though it is not working, is this worth anything? Apparently it can't be plugged into anything but a B&O system.

I'd appreciate any information on this item.

 

[efhjr]

Shortly I smelled burning electronics, so quickly unplugged it . . .

The exact same thing happened to me with one of those tape decks once -- it burned up the first time I powered it on. I believe it's a common problem with that unit -- and good luck finding someone to fix it.

I tried to sell a Beosystem 5000, but ended up giving it away. The components, and the tape deck in particular, don't seem to be worth much.

 

[BrassTeacher]

efhjr, feel free to PM me, I work on a LOT of vintage B&O equipment, you would probably freak out if you saw the inside of my garage right now!

Don
BT

 

[efhjr]

Thanks, Don, but you're too late. I've already given all my B&O stuff away!

 

[ampegdan]

I have a B&O beogram 1602 turntable. It sounds very good, tracks well, etc. but it doesn't sound any better than my old Fisher with the cheapie Shure on it. Also you can't touch the g@##$%n thing, have to trust it to go through its cycles. I like to drop the needle myself, and this thing's about as much fun that way as a CD player. No tactility. Nice for all that though and it does work flawlessly. Very minimalist design, which makes the silver Fisher with all the weights and bells and whistles look like a Rube Goldberg invention.
But I LIKE Rube Goldberg........

 

[Rybeam]

I played with B&O stuff in the mid '80's, IMO it is to be avoided at this time. Practically anything else offers better bang for your buck.

 

[BrassTeacher]

efhjr, It's weird, none of the "new" posts were visible when this thread popped up. oh well.:scratch2:

markallen, The Beocord 5000, and 5500, are outstanding tape decks. A lot of die hard audio guys look down their noses at B&O for some reason, but B&O made two things that were consistently better than just about anything else available: Tuners and tape decks. If you need/want a GREAT cassette deck, then that B&O 5000 is a good find. It will go toe-to-toe with ANY cassette deck out there, period (especially those beginning with the letter "N").

The burning smell, there's a 99.99% chance it's that 10ohm power resistor mentioned earlier, an easy fix, and re-belting that deck is one of the easiest I've ever seen. It will work with other equipment. If your preamp/integrated has a 5-pin din tape deck connector, you're all set. if it doesn't, there are plenty of adapters out there, usually available cheap.

Just curious, how much did they want for it?

Don
BT

 

[Brian]

One of the nicest cartridges I tried some years ago was the SP-12. Smoothness of a Type V15 but even silkier highs with better detail and smoother response curve. Bas every bit as good. Discontinued using it only when I went to the ADC XLM.

 

[mpena93]

I have two complete Beo systems I picked up a flea markets and such. The receivers would not work at all only if using the remote. I found a small clear ribbon cable connecting the built in control panel to mainboard. I had to improvise so I used a computer hard drive ribbon cable and replaced original with it. I have not had a bit of trouble since. I like their sound, the remotes are bulky but the units are clean with no visible controls and knobs.

 

[absolon]

I tried to sell a Beosystem 5000, but ended up giving it away. The components, and the tape deck in particular, don't seem to be worth much.

The B&O CD-X CD player goes for ridiculous amounts of money at auction, often over $200. It's an early Philips-based unit but very exotic looking

 

[markallen]

The burning smell, there's a 99.99% chance it's that 10 ohm resistor mentioned earlier, an easy fix, and re-belting that deck is one of the easiest I've ever seen. It will work with other equipment. If your preamp/integrated has a 5-pin din tape deck connector, you're all set. if it doesn't, there are plenty of adapters out there, usually available cheap.

Just curious, how much did they want for it?

Thanks for the information! Sorry took longer to respond, sort of forgot about this thread after the initial comments were not too enthusiastic.

It was tagged $10, but I am sure if I would demonstrate the defect, they'd take less.

 

[Layesera]

Wonderful system IMHO and one of B&O's best. Have you got the master control panel with it, only if not, there will be a lot of functions you can't access?

Points to watch for -

Turntable - cartridges as everyone's mentioned! Other than this, no big problems.

Tape deck - Belts both for the mechanism and the loading drawer, but these are readily available. I have also had problems on all 3 i've repaired with a 10 Ohm resistor in the power supply that is under-rated power wise and eventually burns out. This causes the 5V rail to plummet under load and means the drawer stops operating, as does the motor that moves the heads.

CD player - if it stops reading discs, everyone assumes the laser has failed. 95% of the time they are wrong - the spindle motor lubricant dries up and means that the unit can't quite spin the disc fast enough to read it. Motor can be stripped and rebuilt but it's a nasty job and requires careful alignment when reassembling.

Receiver - no problems known other than a propensity for the microprocessor to blow up if the unit suffers a lightning strike, leaving you with a stylish but large paperweight If it shuts off after half an hour or so, check the output DC offset on each channel, which should be 11mV - this can drift with age.

I have a 7000 tapedeck that is dead. No lights...nothing. I have another that is working fine. I changed over the transformer and had the same results. I now think it may be the Power Supply Board. I am not an electronics expert at any level. Any help would be fantastic.