Beocenter 2000

A misguided attempt to add a low cost Beocenter to the range. The only part made by B&O was the turntable mechanism and the pickup. The mechanism chosen was very similar to that of Beogram 2202, available in the same year. The pickup supplied was an MMC 20 S. The rest of the machine was made in Japan by an unknown manufacturer, and was of a considerably lower quality than would normally be expected from B&O. The cabinet, for example, was moulded in low grade plastics, and the ‘wood’ trim around the edge was simulated, not real as one would expect. Text copyright © Beocentral. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.

The turntable however looked the part, using the same platter as Beogram 1700, and a slim, elegant arm. The record was started by pressing a small aluminum button, which stood out as all the rest of the controls were black plastic. The cassette mechanism and the tuner were all unfamiliar in construction and technique, and were not based around any existing B&O designs. The cassette deck featured Dolby B NR and worked with ferric and chrome tape, and the radio offered FM preset stations. The amplifier was novel, in that it used hybrid chips as output devices, a noticable move away from the now traditional Darlington power transistors that would normally be found in B&O equipment. It has to be said that the quality of the amplifier was nowhere near as good as a B&O should have been, but this did not stop the hybrid devices being used more and more in all B&O models as the years went on. Now they are used in most of the current range, but in a much improved form. Text copyright © Beocentral. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.

Turntable aside, the Beocenter gave very ‘ordinary’ results, and did not feel special to use, but it had the edge over systems from other brands, as the supplied loudspeakers were genuine B&O. Beocenter 2000 came equipped with a pair of Beovox S 35s, made in Denmark and covered with proper teak or rosewood veneer. These helped greatly to improve matters, but were in truth wasted, as the S 35 was an excellent loudspeaker deserving the very best of signals. Text copyright © Beocentral. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.