Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 9000 (1997–2004)
The BeoSound 9000 is one of Bang & Olufsen's most striking designs from the late 1990s. It's a nine-laser CD changer that shows its discs vertically behind a glass front, so the music library is the design. It was introduced in 1997 and produced until around 2004.
The core idea is unusual: nine separate lasers, each reading its own CD, arranged in a grid. The unit holds roughly 200 CDs loaded vertically into slots, and a motorized lid opens to reveal them. The wide cabinet - about 105 cm across - includes an AM/FM tuner with sixty presets. The magazine review of the period noted the six-disc "sled" changer could move between tracks on any loaded disc in 4.5 seconds or less, with infrared sensors stopping the mechanism if fingers got in the way (HI-FI-Stereo, June 1996, p.20). The system can be connected to a television and works with B&O's BeoLink multi-room infrastructure.
It was a premium product with a premium price, and reviews and owners alike called it a work of art. But the praise comes with caveats. The mechanism is slow to load, the transport is noisy, and the vertical-loading system is fragile. The lasers burn out, the motorized lid motor fails, the VFD display fades, and the power supply develops capacitor issues. Replacement lasers are no longer available from B&O, so repairs now fall to third-party specialists. Capacitor replacement is a common fix.
Used prices vary widely with condition - roughly $500-$1,500 for typical examples, with fully serviced units selling above $2,000.
Known specs
- Nine separate laser CD players, 200-disc capacity
- Vertical CD loading behind glass front
- Approx. 105 cm wide
- Power consumption: 85 W
- BeoLink compatible; can connect to a television
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