Beogram RX turntable

rajacat · « **on:** 9 Mar 2007, 05:26 pm »

I just came into possession of a Beogram RX TT. Does anybody have an opinion/experience with this unit?

Thanks,

Raj

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #1 on:** 9 Mar 2007, 06:59 pm »

All that I have heard of B & O tables are that they are beautiful to look at....and their cartridges are very good performers. The tables themselves are sorta' middling, tho Scandinavian chic.

The B & O cartridges don't seem to stand the test of time (they are shot after 10+ years even if you don't play them), so getting a new cartridge is needed. www.sound-smith.com sells newly manufactured versions of them.

You have to use a B & O cartridge (which really are very, very good moving iron cartridges so sonics are good, tho choices are limited) as the mounting system to the arm is unique to B & O. If you don't enjoy the table, the cartridges can be mounted to any table with an adaptor.

Very little information on the usually informative AudioTools site: http://audiotools.com/oldlp.html

You might want to do a search on your model over at www.VinylEngine.com, too.

rajacat · « **Reply #2 on:** 9 Mar 2007, 07:39 pm »

TCG........Thanks for the info. The cartridge is supposed to be still good on this unit so it might be a good TT for a relative newcomer like me to enter the vinyl world. Presently, I don't even have one album to test the TT.

Years ago I had a nice vinyl collection and a manual TT with a Hafler integrated. Must start to search garage sales and flea markets.

Raj

BobRex · « **Reply #3 on:** 9 Mar 2007, 07:43 pm »

One of the best features of the B&O tables is that they have the best isolation system of any sub $5000 (dollar amount somewhat arbitrary) table I can think of. Back when I sold them I used to demonstrate the effectiveness by banging on the plinth while a record was playing. The playback was unaffected. Even a SOTA Star wasn't as good. Additionally, the mass of the tonearm was so light that there was virtually no tracking errors, the Telarc 1812 could be played without incident. You could also finger flick the arm during playback and not scratch the record - it would just slide in and out of the groove. Noisy, but not destructive. Try that with any other turntable out there and you will lunch the cantilever at the very least, and more than likely total the album too. Not the case with the B&O.

Personally, I felt the tables were better than the Technics, Pioneers, and Denons of the time. And they looked better too!

rajacat · « **Reply #4 on:** 9 Mar 2007, 07:51 pm »

Quote from: BobRex on 9 Mar 2007, 07:43 pm

One of the best features of the B&O tables is that they have the best isolation system of any sub $5000 (dollar amount somewhat arbitrary) table I can think of. Back when I sold them I used to demonstrate the effectiveness by banging on the plinth while a record was playing. The playback was unaffected. Even a SOTA Star wasn't as good. Additionally, the mass of the tonearm was so light that there was virtually no tracking errors, the Telarc 1812 could be played without incident. You could also finger flick the arm during playback and not scratch the record - it would just slide in and out of the groove. Noisy, but not destructive. Try that with any other turntable out there and you will lunch the cantilever at the very least, and more than likely total the album too. Not the case with the B&O.

Personally, I felt the tables were better than the Technics, Pioneers, and Denons of the time. And they looked better too!

Hmm... This is good to know since it seems that most vinyl aficionados go to great lengths to effectively isolate their turntables.

Raj

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #5 on:** 9 Mar 2007, 08:29 pm »

Very interesting stuff BobRex

I bang my plinth with a couple fingers hard (just did it now) and not a skip to be had. Once you fill any table with 9 lbs of Plast-i-Clay the isolation factor increases measurably

The low mass of the tonearm and, subsequently, excellent tracking was unknown to me.

Which, in your opinion, was the best B & O table?

macrojack · « **Reply #6 on:** 11 Mar 2007, 06:07 pm »

As I recall, B&O didn't have a good, better, best hierarchy like most companies. They offered a table with pivoting arm and a table with tangential tracking usually, but added other models occassionally that matched specific systems cosmetically and/or linked with other specific pieces remotely. As far as I know, all of their tables were pretty close in performance.
I would start out with the B&O you have and progress from there as needed. What BobRex said is true. They were well isolated, tracked exceptionally well and sounded quite decent if somewhat lightweight. The user friendliness and beauty of B&O turntables has never been surpassed.
Bang & Olufsen was never interested in high end but made consumer products that excelled in innovation and design and performed well above the mid-fi level. Most of their designs from the 70s and early 80s are on permanent display in the Smithsonian.

BobRex · « **Reply #7 on:** 11 Mar 2007, 06:59 pm »

Macro is right, the basic differences between the tables was the amount of automation and whether you went pivot or tangent tracking. The RX series was pretty good, I'd stay away from the older tables though. If the arm is tubular (round) don't bother. They didn't track as well and use a different cartridge mount. You'll have difficulty finding the proper carts for them.

One of the other novel features was the automated speed sensor built into the 45 adaptor. If the adaptor (which was permanently mounted and spring loaded) was up, you were playing a 45. Otherwise a 33. You could change the speed manually for those early Reference Recordings or dance mixes.