Bang & Olufsen Beogram 1900 B&O Vintage Turntable Audiophile Record Player Phonograph MMC 10 E Cart

Handmade record players my specialty! Check out my shop for custom turntables and receivers, hand-built speakers, radios, vinyl and other vintage audio goodies!

Bang and Olufsen Beogram 1900 Belt-Drive Turntable

Danish form meets function. Just like their furniture, the Danes build their audio products to be simple, streamlined, elegant and perfectly functional.

Perfect working order; all functions and buttons work as intended. Push-button control; you never have to touch the tonearm.

Brushed aluminum top is near flawless, with just a few scratches at the very back. Wood trim is excellent, with a chip here and there - minor. The dust cover is scuffed and scratched, but still quite presentable. It works as intended and stays up or down, as its supposed to. The chrome and textured platter is gorgeous.

The ground and RCA plugs were badly oxidized. I replaced the ground connection and put gold-plated RCA plugs on the original wires. Tested on a multi-meter with great results.

A new belt is included.

The table is offered with the MMC 10E cartridge (Moving Micro Cross Model 10, Elliptical Diamond, Aluminum Cantilever). Tracking Force, 1.5g (same exact cartridge as the MMC20E - just the prior model)
I have others available, if you want an upgrade just ask.

      Many design innovations and the creative use of new materials have kept B&O's cartridges at the forefront of audio technology. By 1979 - 80, Bang & Olufsen's cartridges were represented by the MMC series. MMC stands for 'Moving Micro-Cross'; the patented moving-iron principle upon which all B&O cartridges were based. This unique system employed a cross-shaped armature which, among other advantages, guaranteed exceptional stereo separation since each channel moves on a separate axis.
      The job of any pickup cartridge is to transform the record's physical profile (groove modulation) into corresponding electrical signals (which are then amplified or enlarged by the amplifier and turned into audible sound waves by the loudspeaker.
      A cartridge must perform three separate and exacting tasks if it is to do this job successfully. It must function mechanically (the movements of the stylus in the groove); it must function magnetically (using the physical movements to create changes in a magnetic field); and it must function electrically (using the changes in magnetic flux to generate an electrical current). At each stage, one type of energy is transferred into another, quite different, type. And the transfer must be perfect, with no energy lost and none added from extraneous sources.
      No cartridge will ever reach this ideal unless the Laws of Physics can be repealed. However, by understanding the relationships between the three transfer stages and continually applying refined engineering techniques, B&O's belief was that each stage of cartridge improvement would bring each successive cartridge closer to the ideal. The MMC20 series therefore represented the closest that modern technology at that time, could possibly afford.

Record wear and the cartridge:

      If you take music seriously the value of your record collection is likely to be high. Many of your records are likely to be irreplaceable. You will also know that the signals pressed into your vinyl discs are very fragile indeed. The pickup cartridge can be the disc's worse enemy since an ill-suited cartridge can mark a record for life in a single play.
      While B&O is aware that cartridge specifications are inter-related, their research shows consistently that Effective Tip Mass (ETM) is one of the major factors affecting record wear. ETM is the equivalent of the amount of inertia the groove 'sees' in moving or accelerating the stylus tip. Consequently, the higher the ETM value, the higher the force required for a given constant acceleration. Obviously, more force results in more wear.
      Three elements contribute to ETM. The stylus tip (diamond) contributes with its entire weight and mass. The armature contributes between 5 - 20% of its weight and mass; the cantilever around 30%. B&O has been able to reduce ETM substantially by refining these elements and building them into an integrated unit. The result is a system which not only reduces damage to the groove walls dramatically, but also provides exceptional performance at all frequencies.
      Bang & Olufsen cartridges have always been highly acclaimed for their low ETM values. The ETM of the MMC 20CL is a mere 0,3mg and in the standard MMC 20 range,, only 0,5mg.
      MMC cartridges were manufactured by Bang & Olufsen as totally integrated units. This means that the elements were matched, balanced and sealed at the factory. Using a computer-supported testing programme,, each sealed unit was meticulously tested and it's performance information automatically registered and packed with each cartridge. The information given included output voltage, relative voltage output (channel balance), channel separation and frequency response. Individually-calibrated frequency response curves were also supplied with the higher-specified MMC 20CL cartridges.

Specifications:

Speeds: 33 and 45rpm

Tonearm: radial

Auto record size: 17 and 30cm

Wow and flutter: +-0.03% wrms

Rumble: >63dB

Dimensions: 440 x 85 x 330mm

Weight: 6kg

Work performed on this turntable:
• Disasembled
• Dust blown out with a compressor
• Cleaned inside and out
• Electronics cleaned and lubed with DeoxIT
• Mechanicals lubed with lithium or silicone grease
• Side veneer pieces hand-rubbed with marine-grade teak oil
• Reassembled ☺

******Shipping is for the Contiguous United States ONLY. For shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. Territories, Canada, or the rest of the world, please contact me for a quote first!******





I DO NOT GUARANTEE VINTAGE EQUIPMENT. PLEASE BE AWARE THERE IS ALWAYS INHERENT RISK WHEN PURCHASING 40-50 YEAR OLD EQUIPMENT. THIS UNIT MAY WORK FOR YEARS TO COME WITHOUT ANY ISSUES, BUT MAY REQUIRE IMMEDIATE TO FUTURE SERVICING. THIS IS THE RISK ALL OF US TAKE WHEN PURCHASING ANY MECHANICAL OR ELECTRICAL VINTAGE ITEM.