One of my closest friends is gone.


Brooks Berdan died yesterday. I loved him like a brother. He was a legend in audio. I believe no man knew more about analog and turntables than Brooks. He was a kind, considerate and compassionate man. My heart goes out to Sheila, Brian and Jennifer. I will miss him.
narrod
I too have known Brooksie as I called him for around 20 years. WE also had motor cycles and HD tv as hobbies/ as well as cars.
I think 1/2 of the stuff in my house came from Monrovia.

I just have a hard time wraping myself around his passing. I know he was much younger than I am.
I too remember reading the Stereophile article wherein he had come up with a series of improvements to a table the designer hadn't thought of.
AND: I hope Tom is still there.(Fixing components)
I just know Brian a tiny bit. He has been out to my place to deliver Wilsons a couple of times.and just being the younger new guy well------------
Of all the audio guys I have come in contact with there was none better/more friendly/more knowledgable----Shame only the good guys die younger than me.
Mitch4t,

His son Brian can set up the table. He set up my table when Brooks was still with us.
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About eight years ago Brooks rebuilt and modded an Oracle Delphi mk2 table for me. An Audiogon member referred him to me. Today I saw another Oracle turntable here on Audigon that I wanted to buy. I Googled Brook's website to get his phone number to ask if he could set the table up for me and mount a new arm and cartridge. As I started to poke around on his site, I noticed a section that had a memorial to Brooks. I didn't know that he'd passed away. I was really saddened to hear of his passing. I searched the Audiogon archives for his name because I was sure someone here had to have posted the news of his passing....and I found this thread. I did not know Brooks, but he was a really cool guy when I went to his shop for my Oracle rebuild.

R.I.P. Brooks.
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I will miss Brooks alot. He was one of my best friends. He always gave honest advice about this hobby, something which is quite rare. Once I realized that I only bought from Brooks.
Brooks had lots of friends and my circle of friends has expanded greatly from knowing Brooks, including you. I hope you and your family are well.
My condolences go out to Brian, his wife Jennifer, and his son Griffin. My condolences also go out to Brooks' daughter Jennifer and to his wife Shelia.
Brooks was a special guy; he made eveybody feel comfortable. Brooks truly cared about people and wanted the best for everybody.
Thank you Wendell for starting this topic. The industry and hobby has lost a great man. Terry
Dear Narrod: Sorry to hear that. My sincere condolences to his family and you: that God took with Him.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
I only had the pleasure of getting to know Brooks over the last couple of years. I enjoyed my interactions with him and his staff and he struck me as a straightforward person, which I liked. I always felt welcomed and, just as importantly, folks seemed to remember me each time I visited. Especially, unusual because I wouldn't say I visited all that often.

His place is part of a vanishing part of the audio community. He has 3 to 4 showrooms, a diverse product line, both new and used product, etc. And it saddens me that he was unable to finish his museum build-out prior to his passing. His loss is a loss to the audio community.

My condolences to his family, staff and friends. Best of luck to all moving forward.
dang, so sorry to hear. He was is true gentleman and a real great resource. He will be missed.
It such a terrible loss. He's one of my main influences in getting back into audio after a long layoff about 12 years ago and he stayed with me the whole time as I built my system offering advice and support and selling me things always at a fair price. I got a tour of the museum from him about 5 months ago and although his health was obviously failing, he was still so enthusiastic about the gear. I hope they are able to make his museum into a real museum which I know was a dream of his. Condolences to Brian.
You had to appreciate a store that carried a wide variety of equipment, offered a top notch repair service to customers, and housed an analog museum. It helped even more that the people who own and operate the establishment are truly passionate about what they do and are truly a pleasure to deal with and know. It had been a while since I had seen Brooks, but he will be sorely missed.
This is very sad. Brooks was a complete gentleman. I only visited the store a few times over the last six years, but both he and Brian always remembered me. I always felt like "family" walking into the store. Brooks will be missed. My condolences to his family.
Brooks has been my friend for over 35 years. I am deeply saddened and shocked at his passing. Brooks was one of the nicest people you could have known. He always made you feel at home in his showroom, took the time to listen to your audio problems, and help you get the best out of your system. He truly had a passion for audio and we who knew him were fortunate to have shared it with him. He will be greatly missed and my condolences go out to Brian and all of his family.
My condolences ...family friends and audiophiles.....although I did not know the man...I feel there pain...

Lawrence

I very much enjoyed my time talking with Brooks, his son Brian, the rest of the staff, and a few of the local audiophiles that were at the store when I stopped in. I immediately felt at home with everyone there.

My sentiments...exactly. I live in San Diego and had only been there once or perhaps, twice. I hadn't the privilege of exchanging greetings with Brooks.

My condolences to the Berdan family and friends.
He owned Brooks Berdan in Monrovia Ca. The store has been around over 20 years. Brooks was an analog guru. He probably knew more about Turntables than anyone in the world. I believe he has a collection of over 300 vintage TT. He was a very nice man and always helpful. I will miss him.
Can one of you who knew him tell us more about him? I never heard of him, but it sounds like he worked in a high end store. I would like to hear the back story.
Anyway, my condolences to his family, and those of you who lost a friend.
I'm shocked and saddened. My first visit to Brooks Berdan was this past Saturday, July 2nd 2011, during a family vacation trip to Southern California. I very much enjoyed my time talking with Brooks, his son Brian, the rest of the staff, and a few of the local audiophiles that were at the store when I stopped in. I immediately felt at home with everyone there. My prayers and condolences go out to his family.

Dre
That's really sad. He has always helped me out with my analog rig. I will miss him.
I too knew Brooks pretty well. I am so sad to hear this. He was a wonderful man and human being. He will be missed...