The Marco-boy main system, as of August 2020

[Beobloke]

I think what I hate most about the looks of B&O gear is their turntables, with their skinny, tinny looking platters/horrible 'shiny plastic' looking mats and lightweight arms, as they're the complete antithesis of how I like T/Ts to look, and that's PURPOSEFUL/high-mass, rather 'soberly' styled, built like a brick shithouse and MASSIVELY over-engineered!!

Hence why I love vintage broadcast T/Ts....

Marco.

I’m busy for the rest of the morning babysitting a 55kW PSU soak test but I’m not going to let that go un-responded to!

However, I heartily approve of the new cassette deck - very nice indeed!

[Marco]

I’m busy for the rest of the morning babysitting a 55kW PSU soak test but I’m not going to let that go un-responded to!

Lol - when I wrote that I was thinking of you!

However, I do mean what I said, lol... Ultimately, it's a personal taste thing

However, I heartily approve of the new cassette deck - very nice indeed!

Lol - cheers... I'm loving it.

Marco.

[Beobloke]

Right, I'm out of the lab and the PSU didn't go bang, which is good news...

It might actually surprise you to know, Marco, that I know what you mean about the arms on B&O turntables. They do look a bit spindly and weedy! However, they are that way for a reason, namely to minimise the effective mass that is seen by their proprietary cartridges, and it works well. Also, if you haven't heard a good one, you should try and to have a listen to a good one, one day as I think you'd not only be surprised, but would like it. As you often mention, you don't like the colder, clinical "hi-fi" sound, but a warmer, more mellifluous and musical sonic presentation, and this is what B&O does so well. I know you don't like heading south of the M42 but if you are ever passing Hampshire, you're welcome to clap your ears round my Beogram 8002/MMC2 - you might just enjoy it!

And anyway, I'm confident with my spindly B&O arms - I've no need to compensate!

I'm also with you on the good old analogue VU meters on cassette decks, so It's a surprise to no-one more than me that I recently sold my Aiwa AD-6900 which, as you may know, has double needles, with peak and VU meters in the same housing. The trouble is that my recently acquired Yamaha KX-1200 was just a bit better than it, has remote control and, most importantly, has LED meters that I can see from across the room, unlike the Aiwa's VUs!

Still, my main cassette deck is still a B&O Beocord 8004 - lovely big LEDs and there ain't nothing spindly about it at all!

[Marco]

It might actually surprise you to know, Marco, that I know what you mean about the arms on B&O turntables. They do look a bit spindly and weedy! However, they are that way for a reason, namely to minimise the effective mass that is seen by their proprietary cartridges, and it works well.

Lol, I know... Thing is, my approach to vinyl replay is all about MASS - and PLENTY of it, judiciously applied in the right way!

High-mass T/Ts and arms, combined with low-compliance/high-VTF cartridges, has always produced the best sound to my ears, so that's the way I'll always go.

Also, if you haven't heard a good one, you should try and to have a listen to a good one, one day as I think you'd not only be surprised, but would like it. As you often mention, you don't like the colder, clinical "hi-fi" sound, but a warmer, more mellifluous and musical sonic presentation, and this is what B&O does so well. I know you don't like heading south of the M42 but if you are ever passing Hampshire, you're welcome to clap your ears round my Beogram 8002/MMC2 - you might just enjoy it!

Nice one, thanks, and yes I appreciate that, and indeed I may well enjoy it. However, let's not lose sight of the fact that the discussion was revolved around LOOKS, not sonic performance. I didn't say that I hated the B&O SOUND... However, no matter how good the T/Ts sounded, I couldn't live with them because of their appearance

I'm also with you on the good old analogue VU meters on cassette decks, so It's a surprise to no-one more than me that I recently sold my Aiwa AD-6900 which, as you may know, has double needles, with peak and VU meters in the same housing. The trouble is that my recently acquired Yamaha KX-1200 was just a bit better than it, has remote control and, most importantly, has LED meters that I can see from across the room, unlike the Aiwa's VUs!

Lol... The thing is, I just think that VU meters are *SO* much sexier looking than LEDs (frankly there's no comparison), and also plenty accurate enough for my purposes. A professional recording engineer I ain't.

Ultimately, it's about what sounds good and is the most FUN to use!

Marco.