Проигрыватели виниловых дисков — Bang & Olufsen Beogram 4000c Series Saint Laurent Rive Droit Edition

The Beogram 4000c Saint Laurent Rive Droite Edition is the fifth joint project of Bang & Olufsen and Saint Laurent, a partnership that began in 2017, and was presented in March 2025. Ten original Beogram 4000 turntables were taken apart, cleaned and restored at the Bang & Olufsen facility in Struer, Denmark, under the creative direction of Saint Laurent's Anthony Vaccarello. The source design goes back to Jacob Jensen in 1972. The price was set at EUR 30,000.

Key specs that matter

A controlled synchronous motor with a built-in tachometer turns the platter through a belt at 33 1/3 or 45 rpm, chosen automatically, and a two-pointer dial allows fine speed adjustment over a range of 3 percent either way. Wow and flutter is below 0.12 percent to AES6-2008, typically 0.07 percent, speed drift stays under 0.15 percent, and rumble to DIN 45539 is better than 50 dB, typically 60 dB. The tangential arm carries a Soundsmith SMMC 20 CL cartridge with a nude contact-line diamond on a solid sapphire cantilever, a compliance of 28 um/mN and an effective tip mass of 0.32 mg. Recommended tracking force is 1.3 g. The deck measures 49 x 10 x 38 cm and weighs 12 kg.

Engineering and use context

Like the cutting lathe, the arm moves in a straight line across the disc. A detector in the arm senses when the groove has pulled the stylus about 0.1 mm off its rest angle and triggers the tracking motor, which limits the horizontal tracking error to under 0.04 degrees. The SMMC 20 CL is a variable reluctance design derived from the original Moving Micro Cross principle, and its tip mass sits below the 0.5 mg of the old MMC 4000. Tracking force was raised from the 1 g used on the Beogram 4002 to help with newer records cut at higher modulation levels. Lifting is electronic, pickup movement is automatic and record size is detected by the deck. Each restored unit is fitted with a new cartridge and a new preamplifier. The case is solid ziricote, a dark hardwood with a strong grain, trimmed with aluminium that carries an etched joint logo, and each piece is numbered on the aluminium band on top of the box lid.

Pairing

The RIAA preamplifier is built in and cannot be bypassed, so the outputs deliver line level with 41.8 dB of gain at 1 kHz and a maximum of more than 8.0 V peak. Its deviation from the RIAA curve between 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz is within 1.0 dB, typically 0.5 dB. The power supply is set for 110 to 130 V or 220 to 240 V at 50 or 60 Hz and does not switch automatically.

Alternatives

The Beogram 4000c Recreated Limited Edition is the standard restored version of the same belt-driven tangential turntable without the Saint Laurent ziricote case.