David Lewis Collectibles and Curiosities

The Beovox Cona, designed in beautifully austere fashion by David Lewis and now permanently in the Moma collection, was the first B&O subwoofer loudspeaker. It was specifically inten...

Hi-fi system BeoSound 9000 6-CD/Tuner with two loudspeakers (Beolab 1). The BeoSound 900 can be placed either vertically (mounted on it own support or directly on the wall) or horizontally. The CD's are easily loaded and held by spring suspended jaws, discs not in play can be replaced without interrupting the playback. The auto-positioning feature ensures that CDs are always returned to the position in which they were first placed. The Glass-covered aluminum plate holds the CDs and the rails for the CD carriage, while a backlit acrylic plate illuminates the CD currently playng. BeoSound 9000 offrs unprecedents flexibility to ensure the same uniform movement of the glass cover regardless of the placement of the BeoSound 900 vertically or horizontally, upright or flat. To counteract the effect of the gravity, a digital time control constantly monitors the movements of the cover and adjust the motor, keeping the complete movement wiithin 3,5 and 4 seconds. Such an abundance of fast moving mechanics means that special measures have been taken to ensure that BeoSound 9000 is safe to operate. Small prismatic lenses are placed at each end of the aluminium frame, controlling an infrared beam across the front of BeoSound 9000. If the beam is violated, the CD clamper will stop immediately. If the glass door is lifted while the clamper is in motion, it will decelerate immediately. A power failure feature ensures that the clamper is not damaged in a gravitational free-fall, if BeoSound 9000 is mounted vertically. Ingenious engineering solutions and intricate mechanical movements in a product that continues to surprise and delight users today – and all this from the inspiration of old vinyl records spinning on the record player’s turntable...