This column is written by the staff of Just Audio, a Maryland-based brick-and-mortar and online retailer of new and vintage audio equipment and repair services. 

The commonplace 

Vintage Hi-Fi shops typically see a steady stream of gear pass through their doors. Over time, they develop a sense of the familiar. Some pieces appear with such regularity that they feel like old friends. Pioneer’s SX-1250 stereo receiver, with its brute power and unmistakable visual presence, is practically a rite of passage for vintage audio enthusiasts. Marantz’s 2270 receiver—warm, musical, and endlessly collectible—remains a perennial favorite. These components tell a familiar story: classic designs, proven performance, and a deep emotional connection to the golden era of hi-fi.  

Every so often, though, something unexpected arrives on the counter. These pieces can stop a conversation mid-sentence and cause a double take. They don’t fit neatly into the usual receiver, turntable, or speaker categories. Instead, they occupy a curious space between utility, experimentation, and design ambition.

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Enter the Beam Box 

The Beam Box from BIC is a prime example of such a product. BIC, short for British Industries Corporation, has no relationship to the French pen manufacturer. It was established in America during the 1950s to import British and other audiophile products. Its lines included Garrard, Luxman, and Wharfedale.  

In the early 1970s, BIC manufactured loudspeakers and the first belt-drive turntables under its own name. It became well known for patenting the famous “Venturi Port” vent design, which improved a speaker’s bass performance. Introduced by BIC in the late 1970s at prices of $49 to $165 depending on the model, the Beam Box is an electronically directable FM antenna. That description alone sets it apart from the tangle of folded dipole wires and roof-mounted Yagis that most people associate with FM reception. But what does “electronically directable” actually mean, and why would a manufacturer go to such lengths to solve a problem that-- even during FM’s heyday-- most listeners barely acknowledged? 

To understand the Beam Box, one must first understand the role FM radio once played in home audio. In the mid-20th century, FM broadcasting represented a leap forward in sound quality. Compared to AM, FM offered a wider frequency response, lower noise, and the promise of high-fidelity music broadcasted straight into the living room. For many listeners, FM was not background noise—it was a primary music source. Classical and jazz programming, live concerts, and carefully curated playlists made FM radio an essential part of the hi-fi experience. 

However, FM reception was—and still remains—highly dependent on geography, building materials, and antenna placement. Urban listeners contend with multipath distortion as signals bounce off buildings. Suburban and rural listeners struggle with distance and terrain. To obtain a clear signal, many FM enthusiasts stapled a wire antenna along a baseboard or hidden behind a cabinet. The truly dedicated installed a large, roof-mounted outdoor antenna. Although these fixes often did the trick, they were mostly inelegant, inconvenient, and/or unavailable for apartment dwellers or those unwilling to modify their homes. 

BIC designed the Beam Box with one audience in mind: audiophiles who deeply cared about FM sound quality but wanted a solution that matched the aesthetics and convenience of their hi-fi systems. Its form factor aligns with classic hi-fi components, often finished in wood veneer or neutral tones. Rather than hiding the antenna, the Beam Box placed it alongside existing receivers, amplifiers, and tape decks. Its design acknowledged that audio equipment is not merely functional—it is part of a visual and tactile experience.  

BIC inside 

At its core, the Beam Box takes advantage of clever analog circuitry that trickled down from professional and military communications. Specifically, it uses an array of internal antennas combined with electronic switching to “steer” its reception pattern. Instead of physically rotating an antenna or repositioning wires, the user electronically directs the Beam Box towards the strongest signal. This was no small feat in an era before digital signal processing and software-defined radios. In many ways, the Beam Box was an expression of optimism—the belief that better sound could be achieved through clever hardware and user control. 

In use 

The Beam Box’s controls are straightforward and tactile, inviting hands-on interaction rather than digital automation. With the turn of a knob or press of a button, listeners can use this product to minimize noise, preserve stereo separation, reduce multipath interference, and lock onto a radio station’s FM signal with surprising clarity. FM stereo broadcasts are particularly sensitive to multipath interference, which can collapse the stereo image or introduce distortion. Many users found it deeply satisfying to manually adjust the controls as the noise floor dropped and the sound snapped into focus. Undoubtedly, the Beam Box can make a dramatic improvement in FM performance, especially in challenging reception environments. For listeners who prized FM broadcasts of orchestral music or live jazz, the improvements made by the Beam Box were not subtle—they were transformative.  

Call it a comeback? 

The Beam Box was never a mass-market product. Many casual listeners were content with whatever reception they happened to get. Others migrated toward records and tapes. As FM radio’s prominence waned, so too did demand for specialized accessories like the Beam Box.

Today, listeners enjoy digital music streaming with near-perfect clarity, often unaware of the engineering battles once fought over signal strength and noise. Still, FM radio has experienced a quiet resurgence among enthusiasts who value local programming, human curation, and the serendipity of live broadcasts. In this context, the Beam Box feels relevant again—not as a necessity, but as a symbol of intentional listening.  

In the current market, a Beam Box typically fetches $25-$90, depending on condition and whether the user manual and original box have been preserved. What makes the Beam Box especially fascinating is how it reflects a time when manufacturers were willing to experiment. Companies like BIC weren’t just competing on a power rating or a features list; they were trying to creatively solve real-world listening problems. 

When a Beam Box shows up at our shop, it sparks curiosity not only because it’s rare, but because it represents a forgotten chapter of hi-fi enthusiasm. It reminds us that interesting stories in audio aren’t always told by iconic vintage components and speakers, but by the unexpected ones that dared to solve problems differently. 

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This column is written by the staff of Just Audio