- Bang & Olufsen describes the new edition of the Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000 as the Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000c as the rebirth of a true icon.
Bang & Olufsen has always focussed on solutions with a very special design. This has enabled the company to establish many a true design classic, and it claims to create products with an elegant design and beautiful sound.
There is no doubt that the Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000 is such a classic, so it is all the more surprising that Bang & Olufsen has now resurrected it as the Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000c.
The Bang & Olufsen Recreated Classics Series
This is by no means the first time that Bang & Olufsen has resurrected a classic from its own company history; in the case of the Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000c, the company itself is even talking about the rebirth of an icon from the 1990s.
The Bang & Olufsen Recreated Classics Series was launched back in 2020, bringing a new edition of the Bang & Olufsen Beogram 4000c record player to the market. The Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000c that has now been launched is the second such project.
In both cases, the company wants to demonstrate its commitment to the promise of longevity of Bang & Olufsen brand products in line with its credo of creating products that can stand the test of time, as the company expressly emphasises.
“With our Recreated Classics Series, we show how Bang & Olufsen’s unique skills in sound, design and craftsmanship lead to long-lasting products. Getting to the point that a second-life product can be just as attractive as a new product and that a high-quality product like the Beosound 9000 doesn’t have to have an expiry date. Getting to the point of not only showing our commitment to the longevity of our products, but also celebrating the revival of physical media in recent years. Vinyls and CDs are once again something special that people are investing time and energy in to connect with the music and artists they love. The longevity of the design and the passion for listening to music is what we are celebrating with the launch of the Beosystem 9000c. It’s about keeping the choice of listening alive.”
Mads Kogsgaard Hansen, Head of Product Circularity & Portfolio Planning at Bang & Olufsen
Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000 – a design classic
In fact, the Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000 is a true design classic. This solution first came onto the market in 1996 and presented itself as a six-disc CD changer with an integrated FM radio with a very special design concept.
The system impressed with its compact, extremely elegant shape, which made it a real eye-catcher, especially when it was in action. The manufacturer itself spoke of autovisuality, in which the basic functions are laid bare.
The Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000 was designed by industrial designer David Lewis, with whom Bang & Olufsen worked for many years.
Legend has it that David Lewis got the idea for the Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000 when he walked past a record shop in London where six CDs were displayed in a row in the window. This inspired his concept of presenting the album covers in a linear fashion rather than hiding them in a black box. The six visible CDs, the rapid movement of the CD clamp and the motorised glass lid were intended to create a connection with the user and demonstrate Bang & Olufsen’s tradition of mastering technology in an innovative way with a highly differentiated visual design and aesthetic expression.
Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000c – 200 units restored and refined from scratch
Of course, Bang & Olufsen is not producing the Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000 from scratch, but rather 200 examples of the original have been procured and subjected to a complete overhaul in the company’s Danish factory in Struer in order to ultimately realise the new Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000c.
The systems are completely dismantled, cleaned, checked and, if necessary, refurbished by a team of experienced service technicians, some of whom actually manufactured the Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000 back in the 1990s.
With state-of-the-art features – Combined with the Bang & Olufsen Beolab 28
While the original Bang & Olufsen Beosound 9000 was nothing more than a CD player and radio, the new Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000c owes its extended range of features to its combination with the Bang & Olufsen Beolab 28 smart speaker system. For wireless connectivity, Apple Airplay 2 and Google Chromecast are now available via WiFi, for example, and Bluetooth 5.0 is also available.
When the audio system is switched on, the curtains on the Bang & Olufsen Beolab 28 speakers magically slide aside and the speakers are ready to deliver a powerful sound, as the manufacturer promises. The position of the curtains indicates whether the dispersion width is in narrow or wide mode. This sets the scene for the listening experience, with the narrow mode minimising wall reflections and the wide mode extending the listening area by diffusing the sound around the room.
The music system comes with a Bang & Olufsen Beoremote One, which allows users to conveniently control their entire system, but can also be controlled via the Bang & Olufsen Beolab28 speakers as well as via a smartphone using the corresponding app.
A control panel on the top of the Bang & Olufsen Beolab 28 lights up as soon as you approach it.
The design reinterpreted
Building on the original design of the CD player, the Bang & Olufsen design team has inverted the deep black aluminium surfaces of the original Bang & Olufsen Beosound 9000 colour scheme. The perfectly matched Beolab 28s are a world first with natural aluminium slats on the speakers and an aluminium base in Cosmic Black, the surfaces of which are jet black, creating infinite depth and complexity.
“We wanted to emphasise the graphic aspect of the Beosound 9000 while maintaining the integrity of the original design. To this end, we have given the aluminium back panel of the Beosound 9000 a Cosmic Black finish to make the CDs stand out even more as works of art, which was Lewis’ original design intention. This creates a stark contrast to the natural aluminium of the control panel, creating a bold and modern finish that also references the aesthetic of the original CD player from the 90s. The result is timeless and shows that although the two products were designed in different decades, they are closely linked through the use of colours, materials and finishes.”
Tiina Kierysch, Head of Design at Bang& Olufsen
Prices and availability
If you’re interested in the new Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000c Recreated Classic in Cosmic Black and Natural Aluminium, you’ll need to have some spare change, as Bang & Olufsen is asking € 50.000,- for one of only 200 units available.
Getting to the point
The Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000c is the second design classic that the Danish company Bang & Olufsen is reviving as part of the Bang & Olufsen Recreated Classics Series. In contrast to the original from the 1990s, which was a CD player and radio alone, the new Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000c will also be equipped for streaming by combining the Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000 with the ultra-modern Bang & Olufsen Beolab 28.
PRODUCT | Bang & Olufsen Beosystem 9000c |
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Price | € 50.000,- |
Brand | BANG & OLUFSEN |
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Manufacturer | Bang & Olufsen |
Distribution | Bang & Olufsen |
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