Beogram 1700 diagnostics

 

New member
Username: Corvus47

Post Number: 1
Registered: Jan-09
Hi - total n00bie here - just getting up to speed. I inherited a Sansui 8080 receiver and a B&O Beogram 1700 TT, and I am trying to make do with "vintage" rather than sell it all and get new stuff.

That said, the TT has been exhibiting poor audio on one channel, and when I touch or move the signal cable, I get loud fuzz and popping. Is this reasonably easy to repair, or is it scrapyard time for the B&O? I took it to a repair shop and the guy didnt even want to look at it (reinforcing what I have read on other threads about the general opinion of hte B&O TTs). He said either $200 knock off cartridge or a few hours of tech time at $50/hour, or maybe both. But I thought if I can just swap out the signal cables I might get another few rounds out of thing.

Any hope other than a new rega?

thanks in advance.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Nuck

Post Number: 11421
Registered: Dec-04
DR, you will never, ever regret picking up a new table. They are plentiful, beautiful (to some), and relatively cheap for the quality and SQ and compliance that is delivered. Supply quality vinyl, own a record cleaner.

The BO was never good when it was new.
 

Platinum Member
Username: Jan_b_vigne

Dallas, TX

Post Number: 13282
Registered: May-04
.

The Rega will run circles around the B&O for most listeners's tastes. If you are in the minority who do not hear the difference in tables and just want to hang on to the B&O for a bit longer, you can try the repair yourself. You have nothing to loose since the alternative is to scrap the B&O anyway. (It's not unusual for a shop to refuse or at best graciously decline to work on B&O, even of they are a current or former B&O repair shop - especially if they were a former B&O repair shop.)

Pull the platter off the table, lock the suspension down and turn the entire table upside down. (If you can't remove the platter, then you shouldn't be attempting this repair.) Desolder the old phono leads and solder on a new cable. You have about a 50/50 chance this will solve the problem. You might have a bad cartridge after all these years and you certainly would need a new cartridge after all these years. The rubber suspension parts of B&O cartridges will dry out over time and twenty plus years is sufficient time for this to occur.

B&O doesn't produce cartridges for their old tables. B&O doesn't produce any parts for their old tables. No new switches. No new belts either.

You can troubleshoot the cartridge but by now that Rega should be looking better than ever.


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New member
Username: Corvus47

Post Number: 2
Registered: Jan-09
Bye Bye B&O. Thanks for the input - sounds like more work than I am willing and able to do. I will check the forums for other good recs for new TTs, and keep my eyes peeled for a rega.
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