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To get or not to get: B&O TX2 with broken cartridge

S

sames89

New Member
Hello! I am completely new to this so any and all feedback is helpful. I am strongly considering buying a B&O Beogram TX2 off Facebook Marketplace. The seller has it listed for $200 and I could easily pick it up, but it seems that the cartridge is broken.

Here is what the listing says:
"Took it to a repair shop, the guy said he looked at everything for 3 hours and couldn't find anything wrong so he's '100% sure' (his words) that it just needs a new cartridge. He did not have a replacement on hand to test/install however."

I looked at a couple of the old AK forums on this and I was a little intimidated by the mention of soldering as part of the cartridge replacement process. Also it seemed a bit unclear what the best place to get a replacement for the MMC3 cartridge was, especially since online listings vary dramatically in price. The seller himself sent a link to one that was $230, but it feels a bit ridiculous to spend more on the cartridge that I do on the turntable. What do you guys think? Does this sound like a good deal, and how would you recommend going about the cartridge replacement (ie. could I do that myself)?
 
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These tables can be 35+ years old. First introduced in 1985. It certainly will require some service. The cartridges are specific to B&O tables.
You state the cartridge is broken. Broken could be any number of things. Is it just the stylus? Is the issue no output from the cartridge? What condition is the dust cover?
I’d be curious what was looked at for three hours if he couldn’t play a record.
Don’t be attracted by what seems like a low price.
There are plenty of turntables out there, less complicated, for not a lot of money.
Good luck
 
As far as I know MMC3 cartridge just plugs in, no soldering required. $230 from Soundsmith for SMMC4 (their cheapest) is the only option you have (other than used deals, but not worth the difference in money saved). It is a clean, very nice sounding cartridge. On these cartridges stylus is not replaceable.
I think the turntable is worth it if it is working properly. It has great chassis vibration insulation.
 
SoundSmith is not the only option. I had 2 cartridges retipped by the company below, but there are a couple of others. The original owner was Axel but it has passed on to his one-time employee, Franz Josef. At the time it was about 100 Euros each, though it has gone up. I was very happy with the service. They can't repair everything but also sell complete cartridges.

www.tonabnehmerservice.de

Tonabnehmerservice.de | Home page | Pick-up service. Buying, selling and restoring B & O and all other MM and MC cartridges

Restoration, sale and purchase of B & O systems. .
www.tonabnehmerservice.de www.tonabnehmerservice.de
 
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The TX2 is very much a no muss-no fuss turntable. If it's in good condition it will be very usable. And as previously mentioned, its suspension is incredible.
 
I'd add to the above comments - it's a good turntable and the only limiting factor is the price of those cartridges. I'd still say go for it, though.
 
Unless you are strongly motivated by design/decor considerations, B&O tables don't really make a lot of sense at this point. They look good (or most do), they sound pretty good, and if it is working now, it will probably continue to work (and when it doesn't, junker tables are (or were) very easy to find, though that in itself ought to tell you something).
But the cartridges haven't been made by B&O for decades, and Soundsmith versions are expensive (at least relative to the tables), and retipping, though less expensive doesn't neccessarily address the most common problem (in my experience) of collapsing suspensions.
There are people who will find the expense of keeping these elegant tables running worthwhile (and if they have one of the linear arm tables, the convenience and lack of inner groove distortion may actually justify it, at least until the unobtanium ICs die). But it is a general opinion that the low bass of the B&O cartridge/table systems is lighter than it should be, which is not surprising given the lightness of the construction. In an affordable system, this might be acceptable, but given the expense of the cartridge, you might want something with a little more oomph.
I've taken many tables like the one you are thinking about to the dump - not happy about it, but I couldn't figure out what to do with them.
 
Nat said:
(and if they have one of the linear arm tables, the convenience and lack of inner groove distortion may actually justify it, at least until the unobtanium ICs die). But it is a general opinion that the low bass of the B&O cartridge/table systems is lighter than it should be, which is not surprising given the lightness of the construction. In an affordable system, this might be acceptable, but given the expense of the cartridge, you might want something with a little more oomph.
I've taken many tables like the one you are thinking about to the dump - not happy about it, but I couldn't figure out what to do with them.
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There are no “unobtainium ICs“ in any B&O turntable. Even if you‘re thinking of the main control IC in something like the Beogram 8000, you can still buy them, although I doubt B&O would still have any copies of the software to go in it!

The thought of you taking decks like this to the dump makes me very sad, as there is always someone out there who will take them on. Equally, the TX2 and its related brethren are some of the easiest to service and most reliable B&O designs. Next time you get one, send it to me - I’ll happily pay postage.
 
It made me sad to take them to the dump. But, as you may have noticed, shipping has gotten fearfully expensive if you aren't a major seller. And given that you are in the UK and I am in the US, I suspect that even you might blanch at the price of receiving turntables. But if you are stalwart, I'll certainly consider it.
And I acknowledge your vastly superior knowledge about B&O, so I retract my comment about unobtanium ICs.
I still doubt if the OP really would be well advised to get involved with a B&O turntable unless its qualities are vitally important to him or her. There are so many less complicated and costly tables out there that can sound as good, though it is true that looks matter.
 
I am not sure that are many less costly turntables sounding better than TX-2. They all come with sometimes vastly inferior cartridges to SMMC4, which is better than all famous sub $300 cartridges I heard (except maybe Opus3).
 
This isn't a screaming deal. Nice turntable, but without a cart, without being able to test it fully it's a risk. Make the seller an offer.
 
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