Your Private Audio Museum


Many of you have mentioned that just when you thought your system was complete, you were overcome by the urge to upgrade and once again, found yourself changing components.

Having just missed bidding on an obscure integrated amp on ebay, I realized this weekend that I am suffering from an even stranger affliction, the compulsion to COLLECT and WAREHOUSE audio components, even if I have no time or even the intention to ever plug them in.

I used to imagine assembling systems from different vintages and putting them in different bedrooms as exotic clock radios for my guests.

But now I am wishing that I might have all of these components somehow be part of my listening room or library.

If you already collect - or plan to collect - multiple components or multiple systems, how would you propose storing or displaying everything?
cwlondon
I have lot's of equipment i never sold or traded in when I 'upgraded' including:

Quad 57's, in bad need of a restoration

old Quad mono tube amps, later SS tuner

Old panasonic SP-10 TT, on Music and Sound plinth

ARC-Dual 75a, refreshed, recapped and retubed, doing yeoman's
duty as the rear channel surround amp in a HT set up;

Decca Ribbon tweeters;

Sequerra Ribbon tweeters;

various passive crossovers, cartridges (van de Hul, Grado, Sumiko cheapies, etc.)

Some of the stuff (the Quad amps) is on display in the listening room- other stuff just gets boxed and stored.

None of this was acquired as a 'collectible' but instead was used in the day, and is now no longer in use. But, the few
dollars I could get on sale or trade is not worth the trouble of getting rid of it; hence, the 'museum.'
Glad you guys like this thread - the ultimate anti WAF thread.

The integrated amp was a Yamaha A-1 which further to Joeylawn's comment was all about the LIGHTS, in this case, mysteriously glowing colored lights.

I can also relate to Whart's comment -- I have an old Yamaha T-2 that I never use, a Naim Nait integrated amp, a pair of Genelec powered mini monitors (for when my big rig was in storage) and a few other things knocking around.

For my "museum" I think what I would really like is for these things to be operable, most importantly perhaps to LIGHT UP, to otherwise fit neatly on bookshelves and in an ideal world to hide the wires behind a bookcase or something.

Then, all of these components could be rotated in and out of the guest bedrooms for historically accurate systems.

How does that sound for the private audio museum?

Obviously after I submit this post, I should get on the phone with a psychiatrist and/or a divorce lawyer.

cheers

cwlondon
After 18 years of living with my disease my wife had enough and split. I knew it was over when she asked me to "dismantle" my sound room. She even sold the nice little system I gave her on ebay. I could not fault her, after all, 40 or so components (mostly vintage high-end) is a bit much.
Afterwards I dated someone much younger than me for awhile. She even asked me out, I never would have approached her. When she saw my sound room she asked me, "what is all this stuff?". I said it was a "stereo". She was flabergasted and said she never knew stereos like this existed. She said she never knew how good music could sound on a good system.
When I was her age everyone wanted a "stereo." It usually consisted of a receiver, turntable and speakers. There were at least 12 audio stores in the Providence area. Now all teenagers care about are computers (for games), MP3 players and maybe video and all the trimmings. I feel so old. It hurts when your favorite pastime makes you a freak.
Nightdoggy-Im starting to become a freak at a young age then. Im 19 years old and addicted! I dont own an ipod and never will but i do still like to play my PS2. I am replacing my reciever with seperates but i dont know if i will sell it, i think to myself this reciever could be used in a secondary rig down the road. But down the road will probably be like 5 years. When you meet your ex-wife did you have the disease or did you become infected after saying "I do"?
my particular strain of the "museum bug" has resulted in my
getting FIVE reel-to-reel tape recorders- 4 teacs and
an otari. i also have two cases of GP-9 "platinum" tape-red painted aluminum reels in beautiful clamshell boxes.
i occasionally play a few tapes on one of them- the others are
for show although they are nicely maintained. i recently saw a Nagra-D-II on e-bay for $4000 (originally over $25k and pictured on a stereophile cover)-
a digital true-24 bit machine. i almost pulled the trigger, but with a strange looking rotary head and software meant to interface with a computer, i sadly looked away...