B&O - is it a turntable, a reel to reel ?

[stuartypoorty]

What was in the water at R&D the day they "conceptualized" this one, the anthropomorphically clownish look might be a clue...........

[ferriteman]

I see the platter...but no tone arm! So is this for real or is it some type of digitally enhanced photo?

[todd33rpm]

I see the tone arm - it's white, and looks a little "sixties-plastic-kid's-record-player" to me.

Some fairly crafty engineering there. I wonder if you could use the same motor to drive both the reels and the turntable at the same time. (Admittedly, gearwork isn't my strong suit, but I could imagine it's possible, anyway.)

[Web Police]

Maybe it is old version of todays CD/Cassette Dubbing Decks, except in this one you could dub from the Turntable to the Reel to Reel. :-?

[Scorpion8]

The first all-in-one of it's day! Very cool!

[Jay Pemberton]

Crazier still, the US company General Industries, who made OEM phono motors for a lot of companies, briefly offered a mechanism in the early 1950s which combined a half track mono, 3 3/4 ips tape mechanism (5" reels max) with a 78 rpm turntable whose tonearm could either play records or cut up to 10" blanks! The tape threaded under the turntable, and a part of the underside was the capstan which drove the tape.

It was built into consumer equipment sold by Allied Radio under the Knight brand, and quite possibly Wilcox-Gay offered a version of it as well, as one of their Recordio range.

[MacGyver]

huh. so this is about the very first prototypical iteration of the "all in one for everyone" trend. so, B&O were the yahoos responsible for lighting the fuse on that crap!! i have never personally cared for their products, and now i fully realize why!! they must've been the ones that gave BOSE all their ideas...

[stuwee]

huh. so this is about the very first prototypical iteration of the "all in one for everyone" trend. so, B&O were the yahoos responsible for lighting the fuse on that crap!! i have never personally cared for their products, and now i fully realize why!! they must've been the ones that gave BOSE all their ideas...

OUCH! *headache*. B&O has some of the finest engineered "alien contraped works of art that play music for folks who have too much money" (yuppies in 80's speak). My old roomate in NYC had the entire 8000 or 9000 series, I don't recall exactly which, the cassette deck looked just like the one 'dolph' showed in another thread. He had numerous problems with most of the units. B&O lovers who understand the designs, think the world of them, very exotic stuff, needs proper care to be fully appreciated. I wouldn't throw my hat in the ring living in powdunk AZ.

[MacGyver]

OUCH! *headache*. B&O has some of the finest engineered "alien contraped works of art that play music for folks who have too much money" (yuppies in 80's speak). My old roomate in NYC had the entire 8000 or 9000 series, I don't recall exactly which, the cassette deck looked just like the one 'dolph' showed in another thread. He had numerous problems with most of the units. B&O lovers who understand the designs, think the world of them, very exotic stuff, needs proper care to be fully appreciated. I wouldn't throw my hat in the ring living in powdunk AZ.


i suppose i am a little harsh, but, the way i see it, that crap has done irreparible damage to the Hi-Fi industry. it has ravaged and all but destroyed so many once respectable companies, and set the public's expectations so low that what is left of those companies are getting away with virtual murder, and and today, bargain basement brands like SAMSUNG and LG (Gold Star) are now ruling the roost. naturally, i am more than a little resentful...

[Fast Forward]

i suppose i am a little harsh, but, the way i see it, that crap has done irreparible damage to the Hi-Fi industry. it has ravaged and all but destroyed so many once respectable companies, and set the public's expectations so low that what is left of those companies are getting away with virtual murder, and and today, bargain basement brands like SAMSUNG and LG (Gold Star) are now ruling the roost. naturally, i am more than a little resentful...FYI B&O units are displayed as art in Modern art Museums through out the world,, whether you like them or not, they are very handsome systems,,after all some people consider tape to tape duping units crap

[TheReeler]

B&O don't make always the elctronics, they tell some brands to make electronics for them, like Philips, Samsung for example.

I've a friend that works in that company and well... all the equipment is really expensive due to the art design.

Have you ever asked how much costs a simple wired phone? *eyepop* (look here, for example (http://cgi.ebay.com/Bang-Olufsen-BeoCom-2-Telephone-Base-beoline-more_W0QQitemZ250287207237QQihZ015QQcategoryZ41357 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem))

Their prices aren't for the electronics, you're paying the design.

But talking about r2r, some brands tried similar things in the past. Even a machine with both reels one over the other and it looked as only one reel...

[Eldorado]

FYI B&O units are displayed as art in Modern art Museums through out the world,, whether you like them or not, they are very handsome systems,,after all some people consider tape to tape duping units crap

That doesn't necessarily validate it as good audio, as good design, or as art. I'm neutral on B&O though - at least in the sense that it doesn't anger me. I just wouldn't consider buying or even auditioning it.

[Fast Forward]

B&O don't make always the elctronics, they tell some brands to make electronics for them, like Philips, Samsung for example.

I've a friend that works in that company and well... all the equipment is really expensive due to the art design.

Have you ever asked how much costs a simple wired phone? *eyepop* (look here, for example (http://cgi.ebay.com/Bang-Olufsen-BeoCom-2-Telephone-Base-beoline-more_W0QQitemZ250287207237QQihZ015QQcategoryZ41357 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem))

Their prices aren't for the electronics, you're paying the design.

But talking about r2r, some brands tried similar things in the past. Even a machine with both reels one over the other and it looked as only one reel...Agreed,, But it when the first B&O,s came out ,their design was such a departure fom the norm the true audiophiles just shrugged their shoulders and bought Macs but the Yuppiies loved them,I liked their looks but spec wise they really wern,t all that much as I remember