Bang & Olufsen’s Beosystem 9000c Goes Back to the Future

We are big fans of nostalgia, and the convergence of new technology with vintage audio — but the price can’t be so out of whack that very few music listeners can afford it. This might be the case here but the market will certainly decide. Following the success of the Beogram 4000c turntable in 2020, Bang & Olufsen has announced the revival of another iconic product with the launch of the Beosystem 9000c music system. The new system features a fully restored and reimagined Beosound 9000 CD player from the 1990s paired with Bang & Olufsen’s modern Beolab 28 wireless floorstanding speakers. The Beosystem 9000c is the second project in the recreated Classics series.

From Mads Kogsgaard Hansen, Head of Product Circularity & Portfolio Planning at Bang & Olufsen: “With our Recreated Classics series, we are showcasing how Bang & Olufsen’s unique capabilities within sound, design, and craftsmanship are creating long-lasting, circular products. We want to demonstrate that a second-life product can be just as attractive as a new product and that a high-quality item such as the Beosound 9000 doesn’t need to have an end date,…More than showcasing our commitment to product longevity, we wanted to celebrate the revival of physical media that has taken place in recent years. Vinyls and CDs have returned to being something special, where people invest time and energy to connect with the music and artists they love. Longevity in design and the passion for music listening are essentially what we are celebrating with the launch of Beosystem 9000c. It is all about keeping listening choices alive”. 

The Origin of the Beosound 9000 CD Player

The Beosound 9000 was first introduced in 1996 as a music system featuring a six-CD changer with built-in AM/FM radio which offered visual playback at the height of the music format’s popularity. 

The Beosound 9000 was originally designed by Industrial Designer David Lewis. Lewis felt that products should have a long life, both in desirability and endurance, and only producing new products when the customer really needed them. His long and successful collaboration with Bang & Olufsen was due to their joint philosophy towards longevity by simplifying technology to champion original ideas and designs. 

The concept of the Beosound 9000 is ‘autovisuality.’ This is where basic functionality is exposed so that the user is ‘in touch’ with the music.  

According to Bang & Olufsen, the idea for the Beosound 9000 came to Lewis when walking past a record store in London where six CDs were laid out in a row in the window. This inspired his concept of displaying album art linearly rather than hiding it away in a black box. The visible six CDs, the swift movement of the CD clamper, and the glass lid relate to the user, showcasing Bang & Olufsen’s tradition for mastering technology in an innovative way with a highly differentiated visual design and aesthetic expression. 

The CD clamper’s linear movement allows fast and soundless shifting between the discs. It moves from the first to the sixth CD, holds it, registers the information, and starts playback within seconds. With Beosound 9000, the auto-positioning idea was not essential for the use of the product, but it added an element of magic so that users are always able to read the text on the CD.

The motorized glass lid opens and closes in the same movement whether it is lying down, standing up, or hanging on the wall. Two optical sensors and a digital time control constantly monitor the door which opens and closes within the set time limit of 3.5 – 4.0 seconds.

Putting the System Together

Bang & Olufsen tracked down 200 units of the original Beosound 9000 CD player and returned them to the company’s factory in Struer, Denmark, where they were first created in 1996. The CD players have been disassembled and inspected by skilled service technicians, including many who worked on the Beosound 9000 in the 1990s.

Building on the original design of the CD player, Bang & Olufsen’s team inverted the deep black and natural aluminum finishes of the original color of Beosound 9000. 

The matching Beolab 28’s are a world-first design featuring Natural Aluminium lamellas on the speakers with a Cosmic Black aluminum base that has turned surfaces of deep black, creating infinite depth and layers.

 From Tiina Kierysch, Head of Design at Bang & Olufsen: “We wanted to enhance the graphic edge of Beosound 9000 whilst maintaining the integrity of the original design. To do this, we introduced a Cosmic Black finish to Beosound 9000’s aluminum back plate so that the CDs stand out even more as artwork which was Lewis’ original design intention. This creates a stark contrast against the Natural Aluminium on the control panel, creating a bold and modern finish whilst referencing the 90’s aesthetic of the original CD player,…The result is timeless and showcases that even though the two products were designed in different decades, they become closely related through the application of colors, materials, and finishes,”

Using The Beosystem 9000c

When the Beosystem 9000c music system is turned on, the curtains on the Beolab 28 speakers slide aside and the speakers are ready to deliver powerful sound. The position of the curtains on the Beolad 28 indicates whether the beam width is in narrow or wide mode. Narrow mode minimizes wall reflections and wide mode widens the listening area by diffusing the sound around the room. 

The music system comes with a Beoremote One that allows users to control their entire setup but can also be controlled via the Beolab 28 speakers as well as a smartphone. 

Approaching the Beolab 28s, the physical interface on top of the speakers lights up, which makes it possible to playback, skip tracks, and control the volume. With four favorite buttons, users are encouraged to add their preferred radio stations via B&O Radio or a playlist from their favorite music streaming service.  Wireless connectivity amounts to a choice of Airplay 2, Chromecast, and Bluetooth 5.0.

Availability and Pricing

The Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000c Recreated Classic in Cosmic Black / Natural Aluminium will be available at select Bang & Olufsen stores worldwide from April 24th, 2024 for $55,000 USD (50,000 EUR / 45,000 GBP), but will be limited to only 200 units worldwide.

Related Reading

• Marantz’s CD 50n Network CD Player Kills Two Birds With One Stone

• First Look: ARCAM Radia Series Integrated Amps, CD Player And Streamer Bring HiFi To A New Generation

• Hegel’s Viking Reference CD Player Has Only One Purpose…

• Best CD Players Of 2023: You Still Need One