Beogram 4002

Beogram 4002 replaced Beogram 4000, but beneath a minor restyle there were major changes. The changes were in the direction of simplification, B&O were clearly finding that producing such an over engineered product as the Beogram 4000 profitably, even at its high price, was not easy!

The Beogram 4002 was most easily identified by its new keys, made from thin brushed sheet cut with strips. These matched the new top line models, such as the Beomaster 6000 4 channel and the Beocord 5000, nicely. Another change was that the fine speed controls were now tiny scales with a thumbwheel next to each, the centre position being marked for reference. The neon strobe display had gone though, a victim of the simplification. Even though a substantial amount of both Beogram 4000 and Beogram 4002 remained powered even when the machine was switched off, the designers felt that Beogram 4002 needed a “standby” indicator, in the form of a tiny red LED near the bottom of the plinth at the front. This was fitted in a clumsy plastic clip and looked like an afterthought on what was otherwise a superbly styled product. Text copyright © Beocentral. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.

Inside, all was new. The most important change was that by refinement of the mechanism the electronic logic unit beneath the keypad was dispensed with. Extra contact switches and individual transistors replaced it, though it looked like a backwards step. The excellent electronically regulated AC motor of the Beogram 4000 was replaced by a simple DC servo of a similar type to the one which later appeared in the Beogram 1902 range. Since the parts now came from Japan, as opposed to Switzerland, the cost savings must have been large! Finally, the platter and bearing were completely redesigned into a smaller and lighter assembly, a change perhaps made necessary by the less powerful motor. Text copyright © Beocentral. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.

What was remarkable about the Beogram 4002 was that despite all the changes it still performed pretty much as well as its predecessor. Perhaps this demonstrated that the Beogram 4000 was indeed over engineered? It formed the basis for systems of the very highest quality, working with such models as the Beomaster 4400 and the Beocenter 4000. A long life meant that there were many detail changes along the way, though the excellent performance remained unchanged. There were however two special derivatives, the Beogram 4004 and the Beogram 6000, both intended for use with particular systems. Text copyright © Beocentral. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.

Beogram 4002 was replaced by Beogram 8000, which brought technology and complexity back into view. However, the real successor to the Beogram 4002 arrived a few years later, in the shape of the Beogram 6002. Despite looking much like the Beogram 8002, this model was technically very similar to the 4002. Text copyright © Beocentral. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.