Beomaster 901

The Beomaster 901 marked the start of a long overdue tidying up of the B&O “Audio” range (as opposed to “High Fidelity” range). Before Beomaster 901, the lower end of the range comprised models which were elderly, difficult to make economically or styled so as not to match anything else currently in production. A new model to simplify things was welcome. Text copyright © Beocentral. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.

The Beomaster 901, styled to look discreetly expensive and elegant, was just what was needed. In some ways it looked like a smaller, simpler Beomaster 3000, a clever trick indeed. The Beomaster covered the FM, MW and LW bands, offered 2x20W of output power and could be used with a turntable and a tape recorder. An FM stereo decoder and magnetic pickup RIAA stage were not only included, they were integrated into the design and were part of the main assembly. The bulk of the electronics were in fact assembled into one large printed panel, greatly reducing the amount of wiring and interconnections and thus making mass production easier and more efficient. The simple cabinet comprised three machined aluminium sections for the front and rosewood or teak for the top and sides, finished with a matching aluminium trim at the back. Elegant slide controls and slim keys protruded through the slots between the aluminium bars at the front, and everything that one would expect from a receiver in this class was included, with the addition of a “balanced light” tuning light which doubled as a power indicator in the other operation modes. This, along with the matching FM stereo indicator, were fitted discreetly into machined slots in the fascia. The tuning and volume sliders were large and had clear plastic indicators to aid accurate adjustment. Both used cord drives inside, this was made necessary for the volume control as slide potentiometers were not made in the length required. Text copyright © Beocentral. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.

At the rear, two sets of loudspeaker sockets were fitted, along with a headphone socket. The latter item was badly placed as it restricted where the set could be placed if the socket were to be used, but at least it was fitted in an upward facing recess so the plug could be inserted blind—by feel alone. Inserting the plug switched out one pair of loudspeakers. Text copyright © Beocentral. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.

A complete system could be built around the Beomaster 901. Beogram 1202, Beocord 900 and Beovox 1702 would have been suitable choices and were all available in matching finishes. The Beomaster 901 also formed the basis for B&O’s first cassette music centre, the Beocenter 1400. The 901 was a very popular and successful model, and after a long production run it was replaced by the Beomaster 1500. Text copyright © Beocentral. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.