My Dream Turntable the Beogram
I was flipping through Monoscope the other day and it reminded me to write about the Bang Olufsen Beogram Turntable. Pictured to the left is the Beogram TX 2 from 1985.
The Beogram turntable was first designed in 1972 by Scandinavian industrial design superstar, Jakob Jensen. In a time where technology is dated about a week after it comes out, it’s amazing that the Beogram can stand a 30 year test of time, and still be remarkably more gorgeous than most household electronics.
In doing some research I wasn’t surprised to find that the Beogram is part of MoMA’s permanent collection. MoMA notes that the tone arm moves tangentially rather than diagonally, and Jensen takes a non-conventional approach to knobs and dials.
From Beocentral:
Perhaps the definitive B&O product. Combining innovative, cutting edge technology, precision engineering, superlative performance and outstanding appearance in a tasteful, usable, relevant package, it set the standards for top end Hifi. For a small organization like B&O to release a product like this stunned the audio industry, who were used to seeing a lead from the likes of Technics and Sony. Both these companies, and many others besides, tried in vain to imitate the Beogram 4000, but none ever offered a convincing alternative.
[…] while back I wrote about my love for Bang Olufsen and the Beogram. I regularly check eBay for them, but they’re always missing the stylus or the hinges are […]