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Bang & Olufsen Beolit 20 by Cecilie Manz: I think of this and prior iterations as as "B&O's picnic basket".
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Design icons in the hi-fi and audio sector
- Thread starter Audionaut
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Kloss's loudspeakers could look pretty nice, too -- at least with their grilles on.
Otherwise, well...
KLH5f by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
This is a KLH 5, also dating from the mid-1960s.
Otherwise, well...
KLH5f by Mark Hardy, on FlickrThis is a KLH 5, also dating from the mid-1960s.
Eric Natural
Active Member
several great(and not quite great) examples above but I think pure aesthetics begin & end with Bang & Olufsen.
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The only b&o piece here is a TX-2 turntable. Not in the same league as the truly iconic 4004 linear tracking tt, but still attractive and not bad as a record player, either.
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heh... speaking of iconic record players
I mean... Technics... c'mon!
Technics SL-1200 by Recordcase DJ Shop, on Flickr
I mean... Technics... c'mon!
Technics SL-1200 by Recordcase DJ Shop, on Flickr
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Well...
* Things don't (usually) become iconic overnight.
* Much of the design language for our household appliances (including hifi components!) dates back quite a while.
* Even obsolete items have left their mark.
Cf. the FM tuners that have popped up in this thread -- not to mention the "reboots" in recent years of classic designs - at least aesthetically - from NAD, JBL, Yamaha, etc.
... and I am almost certainly older than you -- likely considerably.
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In 1988 I was 16, my friend got the Beocenter 9000 and Beovox Penta speakers for Christmas. First time I had a whoa moment, he put together some car stereo systems that again did that for me a few years later.
His older brother got this
The 80’s were awesome!
In ‘91 I was in college dating a girl from Fairfax, VA. Her dad had a Nakamichi system that was more my speed style wise and left an impression. Similar to the stack below
His older brother got this
The 80’s were awesome!
In ‘91 I was in college dating a girl from Fairfax, VA. Her dad had a Nakamichi system that was more my speed style wise and left an impression. Similar to the stack below
BlackTalon
Addicted to Fun and Learning
You got me with a few items in your post. A friend in High School was from England, and his parents had two B&O systems -- I had never seen anything like them. They had the linear tacking TT, but the closest I was able to acquire was their entry-level TT. I still have it almost 45 years later. A couple years after that CDs were becoming all the rage, and I picked up an almost brand-new Nak OMS-7II. It served me well for close to 20 years before something died in side it; instead of getting it fixed I moved on to an Audionote CD player, which provided less than 10 years before crapping out. An Oppo took it's place and I never looked back. But I do still have the non-working OMS-7II -- I'd love to have it working again but with updated internals.
The '80s 911 makes all the audio stuff seem inconsequential. Mine is 39 years old, and I've owned it for the last 29 years. It fits in well with some of the old equipment though -- no power steering, no power brakes, etc., When you fire it up, it has a purpose and does not try to be anything else.
So are Audible Illusions designs iconic? The dual volume controls on the preamps were a bit our of the norm. I bought mine used somewhere in the late 1980s, and it was already modded/ updated at least once, so likely manufactured in the early 1980s. Sorry I do not have a good photo, as mine is packed away in the utility closet.
I’ve been doing “things” with machines on curvy back roads since I was 13 that are generally frowned on to talk about on the internet. Those widow maker 911’s are awesome for those that enjoy high consequence machines and the rewarding feeling of getting it right. So cool you have one, I hope you hammer it often! Your username brings back another memory for me. Late 90’s and I was managing a restaurant and had a great kid that worked for me that had a black Eagle Talon AWD. While he was building it with his dad and uncle he kept piquing my curiosity with his estimated power numbers for a 4 cylinder. After he finished it he took me for a ride one night after work, the damn thing spit fire out of the pipe he had exiting by the windshield and it was my first up close super loud blowoff valve psssssh experience. It hauled ass and was a local 1/8th mile flashlight drag monster. I’ve loved little Japanese AWD cars since then regardless of the awful interiors and NVH.
Yeah, B&O and Nakamichi equipment, well styled, for sure. I keep my Beomaster 4000 receiver around but it's not in active use. I do still use a B&O 1700 turntable with a 20en cartridge that's quite pleasing in my basement system. Several Nakamichi lower-end cassette decks that I rotate to keep running decently.
The Beomaster receiver is a pain to use because of the recessed back panel and tight spacing of the RCA jacks and the DIN jacks, and the special speaker plugs.
The classic Nak CA preamp that Pass designed is beautiful...always wanted one of those, but never found one at a decent price.
The Beomaster receiver is a pain to use because of the recessed back panel and tight spacing of the RCA jacks and the DIN jacks, and the special speaker plugs.
The classic Nak CA preamp that Pass designed is beautiful...always wanted one of those, but never found one at a decent price.
Nabussan
Member
Sweet youth memories, took me a couple of years of saving though they were not too expensive. I think I had the AU 217 with 2 x 50W, plugged into the quite efficient Electrovoice Interface A speakers and mainly fed by a Thorens TD-165 MK II. I sold the turntable and record collection about 10 or 12 years ago, and got nearly the money back I had spent 30 years earlier.the corresponding amplifiers are also quite lovely. Similar to the 'big boys', but svelte and nigh-on minimalist by comparison.
Random internet photo for the unaware.
View attachment 512663
Sansui AU-217 amp
Just won one of these in rather good nick on Ebay. £33 all in with P&P. Gets a good write-up on other forums, so I'll do a bit of a review when it's all plugged in and up and running. Sounds like it's in excellent condition, so let's hope the sound matches the looks!forums.whathifi.com
and the next model up, albeit slightly busier (AU-317)
View attachment 512664
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DSJR
Master Contributor
I have a thought the 5120 was made by what we now know as ProJect... I believe the same inner hub and flat-belt belt drive (Thorens belt?) as many of their lower cost models subsequently. Great little deck and very cheap at the time... Tunable counterweight system as well - very innovative design throughout.
Pic from Reddit - I can't believe how much these decks go for these days....
DSJR
Master Contributor
Bloody hell, I OWNED a CA7, OMS7, CR7 (later on), Dragon (for a short while) and a PA5mk2. Took the engineering totally for granted and switched the amp for MOS-FETs and valves FFS!!!! (ARC SP14 preamp and Tube Technology Genesis Mono amps which ate their EL34s in under a year of evening use... OMS7 can't be serviced if the laser goes down I gathered from the chap who bought mine and there was no digital out on it, so no potential upgrades even if it was working. Not sure the tuner ever came over here - I don't have any real memories of it.
I'd love a CA7 now as it has such a delightful phono stage, no obvious 'sonic personality' I believe and the mk2 PA amps apparently fixed an issue of bias going off after a few years. Prices (and power amp) service costs high - a pal bought a PA7 and paid as much as the amp cost (WELL over a grand in US dollars) having it properly serviced. He's delighted with it though and loves it dearly...
P.S. The Beocentre 9000 and Penta series were part of my audio life in the 90s, although I was snootier than then now and rather younger in outlook, judging them as all show and little to no 'go.' I do remember that set up in a domestic living space, they sounded really great, where the 'enthusiast-based tat' I used to sell, needed farting around with to get an acceptable sound (rather like older Ferrari motors that couldn't be driven around town for long because the engines clogged up - a design issue before computerised engine management, accepted by the cognoscenti because they were so wonderful on the open road)
Oh if I knew then what I feel I know now, I could have saved so much money and angst in other things...
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DSJR
Master Contributor
While I'm thinking turntables again, what about the one that spawned so many others in different styles but using the same basic suspended-sub-chassis and belt drive technology - The AR XA and XB. TOTALLY misunderstood by audiophiles with little experience, the arms regularly got ripped off the deck and rather (imo) inferior but more conventional alternatives fitted instead. I like the XB as it had built-in cueing. The arm was perfect for then 1.25g tracking pickups as bearing drag and cable dressing gave what 'bias correction/anti-skate' was needed and the matchbox headshell should actually be structurally good as it cannot twist easily. Since most pickups track at and around 2g now, there may not be enough bias correction, but an Ortofon OM20 may well be a great contemporary match. The later XB77 had a sloppy main bearing I recall, as did the 'The Turntable sample we had in the early 80s (it really *does* have a subjective effect I discovered). The 'Legend' latter version fixed the bearting issue and was again, a superb record spinner with a Rega RB arm fitted to it.
While I think of it and mainly for UK-based readers where prices are better, what about the good old Rega decks before prices started to rise? Here's the P3-2000 I'm currently having fun with in the second rig. the light-but-rigid ideals Rega use, tend to help bypass the feedback issues that many solid-plinth decks suffer, as long as the directly coupled lids are removed when playing -
While I think of it and mainly for UK-based readers where prices are better, what about the good old Rega decks before prices started to rise? Here's the P3-2000 I'm currently having fun with in the second rig. the light-but-rigid ideals Rega use, tend to help bypass the feedback issues that many solid-plinth decks suffer, as long as the directly coupled lids are removed when playing -
Seem to go for £80 - £120 which is about what they cost when new in the 1980s (£129.99 initially then discounted to £89.99 after the initial rush was over).
Allow for inflation that's about £300 today which is ludicrous. My neighbour has one, it is a bit nasty really. At the time I bought a Tensai deck instead, it was a third the price and not as plasticky.
Sorry but can't agree the 5120 was in any way a 'design icon' - it was overpriced tat that only looked good from a distance and with the lid down.
whereisbrian
Senior Member
Myst TMA 3
DSJR
Master Contributor
I remember it at £79.95 with cartridge and as I set up, demmed and sold a good few, so feel i can speak first hand here. Cheap tat it certainly wasn't, even if the more expensive Dual 505 series had a more solid feel. I grant you it's not a solid Technics-style product
The later tubular tonearm didn't seem as interesting, however and prices were rising by this time.P.S. - By the mid 80s, bottom line CD players comfortably outperformed cheaper decks like this and even the 'deluxe-plinth Dual 505s, so interest was moving away - apologies for the digression...
Reminds me of Sentec in appearance.Myst TMA 3
AI summary of what the company Sentec was but it is correct as far as I can see:
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