I am in the process of repairing/restoring my B&O equipment from the 80's. I have a Beogram 8002 with a MMC1. Both the turntable and the cartridge have very low hours.
I am looking for a second cartridge to use while servicing the turntable. I don't want to take the risk of something unexpectedly happening and damaging the MMC1. I don't expect to use this cartridge for anything other than servicing the turntable or possibly playing an album that is bad shape. With this in mind, price is more important than quality.
Can anyone recommend a low cost cartridge for the BG8002 and possibly a source?
Thank you,
Glitch
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Beogram 8002 Cartridge Recommendation
11 replies
Unless you can find an MMC4 used your best bet is Sound-Smith SMMC4: https://sound-smith.com/cartridges/bo/smmc4 at $200.
https://sound-smith.com/cartridges/bo/smmc4 at $200. ... plus $55 shipping and packing. Plus about £55 import duty (payable direct to UPS) if shipping to UK. Anyway, once I'd recovered from the shock I was very pleased with the performance of the SMMC4 (in my BG6500). I did make a mental note for next time to check whether SoundSmith have a European agent/reseller, thus reducing costs a little.Location: Warwickshire, UK
My B&O Icons:
Mark: Thank you for the suggestions. I've started watching eBay for used B&O MMC's. I looked at the Sound-Smith website and the SMMC4 seems like it would be a good candidate (and likely what I'll get). However, it is at a price point where I'll have a hard time justifying the purchase to my wife. I'll also keep my eye out for a used SMMC4.
Guy: I'm in the USA so the duty and shipping won't be an issue.
Are B&O and Sound-Smith the only sources of compatible cartridges? I suspect that other sources are unlikely, but wanted to ask to be sure.
Thanks,
Glitch
I haven't been paying attention to anything related to vinyl for over 25 years and have no idea of how the technology progressed. I was hoping that sometime in the past a company made MMC compatible cartridges that were very unpopular and could be picked up cheaply on the used market. This was wishful thinking on my part. I think my Beogram is in pretty good shape considering that it hasn't been used for a few decades. The first thing I did was remove the MMC1 and place it in its original case. I've spun the platter with the "turn" function, changed speeds with the speed presets and with the +- buttons. I've moved the carriage with the "<< <" and "> >>" buttons and it works smoothly. Hitting play without a record on the platter correctly detects the absence of the record. It also seems to be communicate properly with the Beomaster. The only possible issue that I've noted is the speed indicators sometimes blink. I don't know if this is an actual speed mismatch problem or just the turntable's way of warning me that there is no cartridge or record detected. I'm hopeful that the restoration is as simple as replacing the belt and caps. My concern about the cartridge is related to the machine doing something unexpected, like dropping the cartridge hard, due to something like a broken solder joint or other loose connection. It is hard to predict what could happen due to servicing. I'd rather risk a cheap or $200 cartridge than my MMC1. To me, a lot of the value of my own MMC1 is that I know the provenance of it. I'm probably worrying about nothing. My Beogram has been one of the most trouble free pieces of audio equipment that I've owned. GlitchBeocenter 2000 Cartridge Recommendation I know that the mmc20s goes with the tone arm in Beocenter 2000, but are there any other, possibly better, fits?Location: Scania, Sweden
My B&O Icons:
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