Bang & Olufsen Beogram CD-7000 (1991–1993)
The Beogram CD-7000 holds a notable place in Bang & Olufsen's history: it was the first CD player designed entirely by B&O's own engineers, after years of sourcing Philips-based designs. Introduced in 1991 and produced until 1993, it was a top-loading, fully suspended design with a damped sliding cover that opened automatically when a disc was placed or removed. The swing-arm laser pickup was developed from the earlier Beogram CD-X, and the whole transport was isolated from the chassis.
Inside, the CD-7000 used dual Burr-Brown PCM64 DACs in a dual-differential configuration — two per channel — specifically to reduce converter-induced noise, paired with an 8× oversampling digital filter and a DC-coupled, discrete output stage. The result was a machine that measured exceptionally well. A contemporary review in Hi-Fi Archive called it "one of the most accurate CD players we have tested," noting that it "single-handedly raised the standard" for measured performance in its class. The same review praised the sound as "clean, smooth and uninflated," with excellent very-low-level linearity and no de-emphasis errors at 16kHz, since the PCM64 DACs handled all filtering digitally. B&O claimed a signal-to-noise ratio above 100dB, a figure the review did not dispute. The design was also noted in Hi-Fi-Stereo (February 1994, p.99) as a CD player with variable-length fade and tape edit capabilities, among its extensive programming features.
The CD-7000 was designed to match the Beosystem 7000 stack, sharing its 75mm height, and weighed 7kg — the review described it as "built like a tank" and "as much a piece of furniture as an instrument," the latter being a mild criticism since the sliding lid could obstruct placement on low shelves. The front panel was fully featured, with all controls duplicated on the Beolink remote, and the fluorescent display showed track count, elapsed and remaining time, plus programming indicators. Connectivity included analog outputs (fixed and variable), a digital output, and a Beolink/master control link socket for full B&O system integration.
Original pricing varied by region: £899.95 in the UK, 3,000 German Marks in mainland Europe, and $1,400 in the US. It was offered both as a standalone unit and as part of the Beosystem 7000 family.
Known specs:
- Frequency response: 4 Hz – 20 kHz (BeoWorld); the 1991 review cited 2Hz–20kHz
- THD: 0.003% claimed (BeoWorld); 0.008% measured at 1kHz in the 1991 review
- S/N ratio: 100 dB (manufacturer spec)
- Dynamic range: 100 dB
- Channel separation: 100 dB
- Output level: 2V RMS
- Dimensions: 445 × 75 × 330 mm (17.5 × 3 × 13 in)
- Weight: 7 kg
- Power consumption: 20W (5W standby)
On the collectibility front, asking prices commonly range from £400 to £800 depending on condition. The main known failure points are the laser pickup — a Philips-derived part no longer manufactured — and degraded suspension damping, which causes tracking errors. Worn sliding-lid dampers are also common. B&O service documentation recommends replacing all electrolytic capacitors in the power supply and audio stages after 15–20 years as routine maintenance. The digital board's battery-backed memory is not user-replaceable and requires soldering.
The production total is not documented, and no independent measurements of the S/N ratio or dynamic range have surfaced beyond B&O's own figures.
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