Karl Smith
Denmark’s Bang & Olufsen have a reputation in the sonic community; they have a legacy, a history, a commitment to doing things the B&O way.
What the “B&O Way” means in terms of a philosophy will always remain the same: pushing forward with new technologies, new designs, and new ideas to create the best possible audio technology they can within the framework of distinctly Bang & Olufsen hardware. It’s an ethos they’ve stuck to for ninety-six years, now. And, no doubt about it, it’s a code that works for them.
But, while the principles are more-or-less carved in stone, handed down through the years from the company’s founders, Peter Bang and Sven Olufsen, all the way to the present day. What it means in practice, however, is ever-changing – a molten, flexible methodology and design process, spinning around a steadfast iron core of values. It’s a beautiful thing, really. But then, that’s what B&O do.
Sometimes, though, to move forward you have to look back. And, when you have a lot to look back on, what you find staring back at you is something wonderful. In this case, the pioneering and instantly recognisable Beogram 4000 turntable – reborn now as the Beogram 4000c Recreated limited edition.
Like its ancestor, the 4000c is visually iconic. Like its ancestor, the 4000c is a pioneering piece of audio technology. But this is no imitation – no pale, nostalgic reboot. Every one of the ultra-scarce collection of 95 4000c turntables, numbered to mark 95 years of B&O, is an original Beogram 4000 – each one restored for contemporary sound systems by a dedicated team of not only engineers and technicians, but craftspeople too; because a Beogram 4000 isn’t a Beogram 4000 unless it feels right, looks right, and sounds right.
A frequency range of 50hz, 60hz. A nude contact line diamond stylus. Tangential tracking. Contemporary sonic credentials in oak, wood, steel and aluminium – a design conceived by Jacob Jensen in the 1970s.
Because the fact is, a good idea is a good idea. No matter when you had it. Looking back doesn’t have to mean you haven’t got your eyes on the future. That’s the B&O way.