[matador]

Found it, Thanks BeoFrederic, it will help.

[matador]

Bought today two set of B&O white replacement foams: 10€ each.

Even for a raddish like me it do not worth spendind time for DIY’ing an alternative solution.

I will document the replacement operation here.

PS: at least here in Paris, the most complicated step was to find a dealer selling spare parts. Most of the dealers don’t do after sales and can’t order parts references.

[matador]

Hi, Yes you deck was altered.

As far as I know, every B&O deck comes with DIN plugs and the 400x series for sure.
On the picture from Craigslist you can see it’s actually a DIN plug with a DIN to RCA adapter (note the two DINs one inside the other).

If you need to put it back to original you should find wiring diagrams quite easily.
If RCAs are good to you, the same diagram can help you check they’ve been wired correctly.

[matador]

Hi Mark, Me again!

It happen I have two replacement relay already: some times ago I edited the BG4000 paperwork for a forum member and he gifted me in return with various part including two relays!

They seems to have the large footprint (Siemens) and my deck have National relays.
I remembrer they were a lot of holes on the PCB and I wonder if the PCB still have the traces to use the old relay or was the PCB completely redesigned?

Do you know that? Thanks.

[matador]

Ok, I can see now, National or Siemens, you avoid me a mistake in the rush!

– and of course it’s the one I need the most expensive 😀 –

[matador]

Hi, me again,

I’ve taken out the main board just to see. The two speed trimmers where black of dirtiness like burned. I’ve cleaned them with contact cleaner. It make things a little better but not good still. Then I’ve looked at the relay: it means nothing but to looks quite clean and new.

Anyway, what concernes me is that the relay doesn’t look like those I’m use to see on other boards, it looks smaller and not consistent with the footprint of the usual replacement relay.

PS: I know whatever I do to play the clock I’ll need to change the relay, the trimmers and certainly other things, but I would fancy temporary fixes that also would make me understand how all this work.

[matador]

Will do that, Thank you.

[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.

[matador]

That makes sense, thanks for the explanation.
The relay are quite difficult to source I believe.
Just to rule out that part and be sure, would it be possible to short some pins from the relay and check for speed stability.

[matador]

That’s a fast reply! Thanks.

Ok, I will look a this.

Just for my own knowledge: how is that?
I mean a relay is contact or no contact, haw can he create variations in speed?
Components like capacitors, resistors etc may have their characteristics evolving with heat, time… but a relay, it sticks or it don’t, right? How could he make the speed unstable?

Thanks again.

[matador]

Hi alls,

Now the OP problem is solved I’d like to add my case.

I’ have two BG4002, one (A) is spinning fine the other (B) not so much. The second (B) was wowing mostly in 45 rpm but now it wows also in 33 rpm. Note that it may be that wowing is more noticeable in 45 than 33 and was ever there.

I know I need to reinfuse the bearings as a starting point but frankly, I’m afraid of this step. So I tried another way.

I swapped parts between A and B: belt, motor, keyboard. B is still wowing.

I did’nt swap the main board because the BG are different types and on the B, there is one of those round flat orange capacitor that is not present on the A board. So there comes my questions:

• Can those old trimmers be responsible for fluctuations? I beleive they can cause imprecise adjustment but once they’re set, they’re set, right?
• what can, as th OP asked, cause fluctuations when the usual suspects (belt and motor) have been ruled out.

Thank you for your advices.

[matador]

Hi,

If the question is “in the current range”, Beolab 18: That’s B&O, period. Maybe that 72-22.

If the question is “your favorite in what you own currently”, I think it is my Beosystem 1001 made of BM1001, BC1200, BC2200, BG4002, U70, S45-2 front/C30 Rear. Maybe my simple BC2300 with BL4000 that recently get a new shine compared to 8000’s.

[matador]

Perfect, all I wanted to know.

Thank you Kolfmaker.

I Will update the forum when I’ll do it.

[matador]

Thank you for the comprehensive answer. Obviously note the one I was wishing the most!

I’m good to open them and what I fear is the glue the seems to hold the front panels.

I’ll do it as soon as I get or make new foam. In the meantime do you know if not using them will slow down the process (less heat) or as this nothing to do?

[matador]

Yes, I saw that.

But not in the movie or the web pages.
I reckon the 18’s are more photogenic than any other speaker but they’re also the oldest.

[matador]

I’ll reply myself:

In the packshot pictures from the media kit (go to “press release” at the bottom of the main site and browse dates until it appears…) the logo is still there.

But it can’t be seen illuminated in the promo film (which, by the way, can’t be compared with the previous one “Memories” which stands to me as the pinnacle of the B&O promo films.

Another thing that questions me: Why Beolab 18?
I love Beolab 18, and I’m so sad their second hand price don’t drop as fast as I want.
But why 18’s when you know the brutal EOL habits of the brand, the age of those speakers and their, after all, average rendition.

Why not 20’s, or 50’s.

(Note that the press kit include pictures of 50’s as packshot, but not in “lifestyles” shot that for me at least would me the main (marketing) trigger.)

[matador]

Did the B&O logo on the sensor arm disappear ?

[Author]

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