[etype76]

Well, that die-cast bottom chassis looks pristine now!

I measured my Beogram 4000 plinth and I get:

485 x 345 x 25mm

I’m not a carpenter so definitely verify that.

 

[etype76]

I’ll check the dimensions of the 4000 this weekend and post pics.

[etype76]

18s + Core would work very nicely with a Beogram and you could multiroom to other compatible speakers. I believe B&Os expensive 4000c connects via a core hidden in the cabinet.

As for turntable, so many Beograms to choose from but buyer beware there can be a lot of nightmares out there in terms of issues (such as needing lubrication, recapping). Unless you are a hobbyist and want a project I would get one properly restored if we’re talking tangential Beograms (400x, 800x,) some more modern ones look quite nice such as the 4500 and I think there’s a built in RIAA. With others, any reasonable mm phono preamp will be good. Steve at sounds heavenly or Soundsmith are good choices but really so many out there. What’s your budget? Do you intend to buy a lot of vinyl? How much use will it realistically get? I use mine from daily to 2/3 times a week.

Aesthetics will also play a role in your choice I’d imagine.

[etype76]

Nice work! You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into not only the plinth and wood choices but also the practicality of shipping them around the world. It would be useful if you could show sample wood grains/colours etc. When my 4000 has been working a while without issue 🙂 I’d be interested if they are also compatible with the 4000.

[etype76]

I adjusted the screw on the cylinder, gave it 4 slight turns totalling a quarter turn in all. I don’t notice any difference at record level but when I removed the platter the arm is definitely lowering gently just not the short distance to the LP surface. The arm also springs back up very quickly. Should I go further and keep turning the damper cylinder screw?

Another odd thing is that the scraping sound has disappeared now, even after removing those coins so whatever was the obstruction has cleared.

 

[etype76]

Thank you for the input! I’ll take another look at that. I did check it and it looked quite snug in there but not sure when the carriage is under the platter.

I have also noticed that the arm drops too quickly, no damping. This drop causes some pop on touch down and lift off. This seems more pronounced after raising the platter height today.

[etype76]

I think you’re right, Martin. With the plates off again I can hear the noise begin when the “guts” of the tonearm assembly are fully under the platter. An inspection doesn’t show anything specific sticking up although I expect it to be the thickly shielded yellow cable. I’m not messing with those! As a test, I place 3 thin coins on the platter hub to shim it up and the noise disappeared. I also adjusted the springs again and the floating chassis feels better now with the platter bouncing back to centre suggesting it has fully cleared the bottom. I have leveled the platter with the surrounds too. For now, I’ll keep the coins in place.

I notice that the bearing on this 4000 is different from the manual. It’s a brass fixture so am not sure if the vertical height can be adjusted there.

[etype76]

I’ll check tomorrow. The sound is intermittent with the rotation of the platter. I also think the sub chassis might need raising as it may be touching the bottom even though there is a 1mm or so play when I push the platter down at the spindle. But a gentle side to side wiggle of the platter I can hear/feel some friction.
thx

[etype76]

Some progress has been made. The platter is sitting much flusher with the surrounds. There is a scraping sound when the tonearm reaches just past halfway point. At first I thought it was the stylus in the groove but I can hear the sound even when the tone arm is raised over the record.

[etype76]

Thanks for the reply. I opened the fuse box to take a look. I think I’ll order a few at 0.5a and just keep them in case. I’m not ready to turn it on yet as I am not in the final region but here in the UK the 4000 is working perfectly.

 

[etype76]

Nice well-considered review on all aspects of the 8s. I have mine as rears to the Theatre and I also enjoy music from them as well. The narrow mode was excellent while I’m not a huge fan of the wide. The whole L/R swap needs clarifying I agree it was very confusing. Keep enjoying them and congrats!

[etype76]

Great work there. Very neat and clean looking.

[etype76]

My 3000’s were placed about 2/3 the height of the room, connected to a Beogram 8000 and Beomaster. I only took them down late last year when the theatre arrived. I never had the original mounting bracket so I used hooks that required 9 tiny pins on each side, each hook could hold 16kg, overkill but kept them safe through 7 years of use.

The right speaker was closest to the window and after several years B&O lettering flaked off.

 

[etype76]

Essentially, a B&O mmc cartridge is a moving magnet “mm” so you need a phono preamp that can handle around 3.0mv output impedance from the cartridge. It depends on budget too, there are preamps with both mm/mc settings.

[etype76]

I wonder if dark oak will be available from October 30? As a match with silver. I see the anthracite is coming Feb 2024 so substantially later.

[etype76]

I think there’s a good case for going for the cloth version too, perhaps more versatility. I have the Theatre with dark oak/silver combo and although that aesthetic on the Beolab 8 would be great it kind of locks you in that given the fret cost.

[etype76]

I like the look of these very much. Not too interested in the top controls if you had a pair or full surround but that’s how Mozart goes I guess. For a pair, the cloth version is around ok but those frets, super pricey. Although, they kind of make the price I paid for the Theatre last Nov a bargain as a pair with frets is not far off.

[etype76]

.

[etype76]

”AdamS wrote:
I love them, but why on earth would you provide an analogue line-in using a USB socket? What next? Mains in via an 8 pin DIN socket?!”

 

i agree but that’s how it is in the Theatre. So I had to buy the cheap looking adapter which I quickly dumped and now have line in from a pre-amp to an M3 then multiroom to the Theatre and BL3s.

[etype76]

As I recall when I had a similar issue was making sure to add each BL3. It’s not always abundantly clear on a phone screen. I have a rj45 splitter too.

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