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Beosystem10

isolator42 - 2009-02-18 14:06

I just won a Beosystem10 Smile

Is there anyone out there who has one who can tell me all about it?

I've had a look on the BBDB...
6½" woofers & 2" tweeters hiding in there (apparently) & 2 x 4watts output.

...oh, and a truly staggering original purchase price in 1989 of £249 Red Face

litfan - 2009-02-18 14:10

I have seen one, but, not heard it. I think, you`ll be pleased with it.

isolator42 - 2009-02-18 14:48

cheers, lit.
I think you're right - I'm hoping it'll be quality sound for the size.
I'm glad I didn't pay the sort of money they went for when new. It's pretty basic for features - only a single tone slider...

The people over on the B&O websites don't exactly rate it, but they're all upset that it's mainly Japanese (which, for them, is a bad thing apparently), & fairly enraged about the lack of Dolby.
Meh, they're used to the sound from a multi-thousand pound B&O home system.

tpr - 2009-02-18 15:08

congrats Paul!


info:



link

link2

different facts about power output...





enskanker - 2009-02-19 04:11

FINALLY!!! Super Duper Yay!

viennasound - 2009-02-19 05:23

I remember this pretty stylish box from a flea.
Would like to take it, but the dealer won´t sell it. He means, he need it for listening music himself...

928gts - 2009-02-19 10:13

What a really beautifully designed box. I hope it sounds as good as it looks. Smile

erniejade - 2009-02-20 10:09

I have one. It is ok. You know,,, i got it and only listened to it once.... I will try to turn it back on this weekend and report.

isolator42 - 2009-02-21 09:23

Not meaning to worry you Jens, but that spec page with the yellow highlighted bit isn't for the Beosystem10. I have the manual (from here:
http://www.bang-olufsen-deboer...osystem10_engels.pdf) & it doesn't match.

It arrived yesterday - quick delivery.

Unfortunately it wasn't brilliantly packed, despite my pleadings.
However, it survived intact (apart from one small bit of casework) due to it's outstanding build quality - the best I've ever seen in a boombox, no word of a lie. I left positive feedback anyway, cos I'm happy with the deal overall.
The rear case had unclipped at one end, so I popped it back in - a bit tricky, but no drama, thankfully.

One thing that's apparently common with this boombox is the tape deck door cover being mounted slightly too low, so you can't open the deck unless the flap below is open. Easily rectified by carefully prising the door cover off (it's attached with some sort of double-sided adhesive strip) & reattaching it properly. Strange - it must've been like this from new, 20 years ago.

Anyway, here it is in all it's B&O elegance:

How's that for a minimalist look? Smile
It was available in a black & silver finish too, which I thought I preferred, but now I have this all-black stealth-look version, I think it's great.

More on the truly astonishing build quality & also the quirky bits, true to B&O form:
It's as heavy as a boombox more than twice it's size. The handle is a fixed piece of metal with a slightly cushioned pad underneath, so carrying it is very comfortable.
There are precisely NO exposed screwheads anywhere:

The rear case hooks on at the top & there are screws inside the battery compartment.

Tuning is done with this thing:

a 10 inch long slider with a little thumbwheel built in for fine tuning.

Also, this has got to be one of the longest volume sliders around:


More strangeness under this flap:


- 3 analog FM presets
- Mono/Stereo/Wide switch (which is quite subtle & very pleasant, like Philips Spatial)
- balance & CrO2/Metal switch fairly normal
- A single tone slider?! But it's one of those that actually boosts bass as it cuts the treble (most single tone controls are simply variable treble-cut devices). So use a chrome tape, leave the CrO2 switch off, turn the tone to boost bass & it's sounds great.

A pic to try & show you how slim this thing is:


Removable grilles:

...not sure why when you see the speakers. Only 4½" full-range drivers, but with cloth roll-edging, so they don't half move alot when you crank it a bit.

Other stuff:
It has proper aux in (2xRCA), external speaker jacks (the old fashioned flat& round ones), a quarter-inch headphone socket, a DC input jack.

Soundwise, its very easy on the ear, but no heavyweight. It has a pleasing sound, that is bigger than its dimensions, but don't expect miracles from those 2 little speakers, B&O or not.


So, average for features, above average for sound, but several million out of ten for style.

...& the clincher for me: the wife thinks it looks gorgeous. So it's in the dining room as of right now Smile
That's 3 I've got her to like now...

viennasound - 2009-02-21 09:52

This flat thing reminds me my SIEMENS Planar411 in the kitchen.
The frequency slider goes over the whole box.

appleknocker - 2009-02-21 13:54

Cool!! Thanks for posting up your review and pics. It's really nice

jameswp67 - 2009-02-21 18:46

I have one and it also has a cool accessory: A bracket that screws into the wall and fits the curved handle perfectly, so it can be suspended! Only B&O!

skippy1969 - 2009-02-21 19:15

I've always thought that was a cool looker. Eek

tpr - 2009-02-22 00:41

half a year ago:

riddler - 2009-02-22 18:32

That IS a slick looking box. Something that doesn't look out of place even to this day.

isolator42 - 2009-02-23 00:32

Bloody hell Jens, over 300?
I paid £40 for mine & didn't think I'd got a bargain.

...wife still likes the Beosystem10 - it's all good Smile

tpr - 2009-02-23 04:36

quote:
Bloody hell Jens, over 300?


that`s ok- I`ve seen an original boxed one sold for 600€.... Big Grin

isolator42 - 2009-02-23 05:51

They're all mad on that there eBay.
Mine is on top shape, for less than a tenth of that price.

Also, speaking as an owner, it just isn't worth that much. Yes, it's very elegant looking (if you like that sort of thing) & even allowing for the B&O factor... it's a boombox with average features & above average sound.

I really like it, but I'm a bit of a sucker for smaller boomboxes with a little extra something...

mehyar - 2009-02-23 07:04

The Beosystem10 is made is Japan, but
it is defenetly a Danish designer box.

It has two other features not yet mentioned:

It can be connected directly to your
Auto cigarette lighter for power, even
though it runs on 9 volts inside....it
has a voltage regulator to step down the
12v to 9v.

It can accept and play PHONO input just
like an M70 by flip of a switch near
the RCA Auxilary inputs.


And it has only a 2.5 inch case depth which
is the sleekest boombox in my view.

isolator42 - 2009-03-27 04:33

Just when I thought I'd seen all the weirdness this boombox had to offer...

My Beosystem10 had been mocking me daily, looking down from it's shelf: "you haven’t had me to bits yet, have you?".
It had battery leakage on the terminals, the handle/casework needed straightening (another previously unnoticed
consequence of the poor packing), & the bloody tape door had slowly worked it's way down again so it wouldn't open. I was
reminded of the fact that some adhesives don't "cure" & are effectively very viscous liquids.
So, with the wife firmly ensconced in front of hours of back-to-back Thursday night TV (Hollyoaks > Grand Designs >
Friends > ER > Graham Norton) I set to work.
The battery leakage had attacked one of the case screws, which gave me some frantic moments... Anyway, all cleaned up now so I took the back off. B*gger me if they haven't gone & mounted the speakers all skew-whiff:

Look at that electronics, packed in there. Hardly a cc to spare.

I whipped the grilles of to have a look from the other side. It looks even sillier from the front:

Clearly not one for displaying with the grilles off then Smile

Anyway, I sorted the "handle" (which is one piece of brushed metal almost the entire depth of this slim boombox, running from the bottom left corner up, along the top & down to the bottom right corner) & I also superglued the damn tape door on this time - that should cure the slow slippage issue.
It's a lovely boombox, this one. Not really for sound, but for looks & the "B&O experience"...