Bang & Olufsen has just presented a new music system, Beosystem 9000c. The content is remarkable in a number of ways. And so is the price.
The new system is a fully restored and reimagined version of the classic Beosound 9000 CD player from 1996, paired with Bang & Olufsen’s Beolab 28 speakers from 2021. Every single component of the 28-year-old CD player has been tested and cleaned before being reinstalled in the player.
The system was shown at a sneak preview in Copenhagen on Tuesday evening, which we attended.
This is the second time Bang & Olufsen has launched a restored version of one of its classic products. The first was the Beogram 4000c turntable, which, after many years of vinyl renaissance, was rejuvenated in 2020. Now it’s time to give the CD medium a new lease of life.
Bang & Olufsen has bought used Beogram 4000 turntables, refurbished them and modernized them, and put them all up for sale.
“We want to show that a second-hand product can be just as attractive as a new product and that a high-quality sound system like Beosound 9000 doesn’t have to have an expiration date,” says Mads Kogsgaard Hansen, Head of Product Circularity & Portfolio Planning at Bang & Olufsen.
He won’t go so far as to promise that the CD is on the verge of a renaissance to rival the vinyl revolution. It’s all about opportunity.
“As well as showing our dedication to product longevity, we also wanted to celebrate the resurgence of physical audio media that has taken place in recent years. Vinyl and CDs have become something special again, with people investing time and energy in being more connected to the music and artists they love. It’s about keeping listening opportunities alive.”
200 units
Bang & Olufsen has sourced 200 units of the original Beosound 9000 CD player and sent them back to the company’s
factory in Struer. Here, the CD players are disassembled and thoroughly inspected by a team of service technicians, many of whom helped build the Beosound 9000 in the 1990s. The player gets a new look with a deep black finish that B&O calls Cosmic Black.
Instead of sourcing and refurbishing speakers from back then, B&O has chosen to combine the player with active speakers from the current programme. These are the Beolab 28, which for this occasion is made in the same black colour as the CD player. As you may know, the speakers are active and include modern streaming options. So you have the freedom to choose between all kinds of signal sources and everything can be controlled from the speakers.
Playlist from 1996
Nowadays, it’s commonplace for us to put together our personalised light tracks for everyday life from an infinite number of music tracks. Not so in 1996. Beosound 9000 was among the first to provide some of that freedom of choice, with audio fast switching between tracks on six CDs.
The automated glass door on the Beosound 9000 opens and closes in the same smooth motion whether it’s lying down, standing up or
hanging on the wall. Two optical sensors and a digital timer constantly monitor the door, which opens and closes within the set
time limit of 3.5 – 4.0 seconds.
Price and (in)availability
The Beosystem 9000c Recreated Classic in Cosmic Black / Natural Aluminium will be available in a limited quantity of 200
units globally. The price is €50,000.
A set of Beolab 28 costs from €18,000, so if you’re wondering if that means Bang & Olufsen is asking €32,000 for a used CD player, the answer is yes. They do. But in all fairness, a used CD player that has been rebuilt by hand, component by component.
