Are Bang and Olufsen turntables any good?

I worked at a store that sold B&O and we had a linear tracking Beogram as one of our source components, along with a Marantz 6300 with Fidelity Research MC cart w/Supex step-up transformer.

The B&O was pretty good and presented the meat of the music pretty well, but it's a bit light in the bass extension and rhythmic slam department as I remember them, especially next to a good DD turntable of the day. Their cartridges and Soundsmith's recreations of them are very good, and they don't hurt the records.

If you got a new Soundsmith cart for your B&O and later decided to upgrade the TT, I would think you could get a Soundsmith adapter to enable mounting the B&O style cart in a standard 1/2" spaced headshell.

The very good news: The TT works perfectly.
The cartridge in the TT is a MMC 20EN, the big mamma jamma from what I read.
Being the obsessive I am I bought a spare cartridge with the TT when I bought it.
Also I examined the stylus using a Zeiss microscope and I cannot believe what excellent condition it is in.
I find it is a bit light on the bass, but the dynamics!
Thanks for all your input and Soundsmith seems a great resource.
Anything else?

Although your stylus condition is critical for good sound I have found that the suspension is more prone to failure with vintage cartridges. If things take a turn for the worse that is where I would look first.

For your situation as described, I wouldn't worry too much about the debate.

As for B&O damaging records, that was clearly a criticism and rumour started by a DEALER who did not carry the line.

The really good news - regardless of higher or lower fidelity - is that the B&O equipment was very sleek and beautiful.

So good luck and have fun.

cwlondon

My B&O 1700 works and sounds beautiful(ly) after 20+ years.
I was fortunate to buy two cartridges for it when I bought it.
I am still using the original though.