BEO.ZONE

BeoGram CDX

BeoGram Compact Disk Players

Production: 1985 - 05/1988

Documents: Service Manual, Owners Manual

Beogram CDX was a beautiful-looking free-standing compact disc player designed from the onset to be used within any system with the correct inputs. In the case of Bang & Olufsen products, it was those which had a separate tape socket, or even a phono connection designed for use with a Beogram together with a built-in RIAA preamp.

The CD format in the early to mid-1980s was still a fledgling format.  No one was particularly sure whether it was going to take off or not as the price of compact discs was still relatively high and the number of available discs very low.  On top of that hi-fi manufacturers had just been through the VHS/Betamax/V200 debacle with many companies losing both face and money.  Laservision was fighting a (losing) battle with other manufacturers of video discs and the whole market was very much up in the air. No one was really sure what was going to happen and manufacturers became a little coy when it came to investment in new technologies.  Hence the use of other companies’ products came about.  It was often a safer and cheaper option to use a tried and tested product rather than spend umpteen millions on the research and development of a product or a format which was possibly not going to sell.

Hence the use of Philips CD players came about. In the case of the Beogram CDX it was Philips CD104 which was used as a basis.  Built in Belgium by the Philips giant the CD104 was one of a whole range of Philips’ products which lent themselves to other companies badges including that of the Marantz CD-34, the Mission DAD7000, and the Schneider CD1104. Not forgetting Bang & Olufsen’s CDX, of course.

The CDX was a lovely machine, reinventing itself as the Beogram CDX2 a couple of years or so later, and many fans of CD music owe thanks to this little machine. It’s interesting to note that for customers with no spare sockets available to connect their CDX, an add-on, the CD/Tape adaptor, could be bought separately allowing one to connect up their CDX to the tape recorder lead, using it that way. It fit under the side of the CDX where there is a small push-button to enable its selection.

BeoGram CDX technical specifications

Types: 
5121 (1985 - May 1988) 
AUS 5125 (1985 - May 1987) 
GB 5122 (1985 - Nov 1987) 
USA 5123 (1985 - May 1988) 
Frequency range: 3 - 20,000 Hz +/- 0.3 dB 
Signal-to-noise ratio: > 96 dB 
Dynamic range: > 96 dB 
Harmonic distortion: 0.003 % at 0 dB 
Channel separation: > 94 dB 20,000 Hz 
Channel difference: < 0.5 dB 
Converter system: 14 bit, oversampling 176.4 kHz 
Low pass filter: Digital + analogue 
Damping: > 20,000 Hz > 50 dB 
Output: 2 V RMS at 0 dB 

Power supply: 
5121: 220V 
5122: 240V 
5123: 120V 
5125: 240V 
Power consumption: 25 W 
Dimensions: W x H x D: 42 x 7.5 x 31cm Weight: 6 kg

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