Tag sale stop becomes audio FREAKIN HEAVEN!! A few Pics.

(The third, his favorite system, was a pair of Marantz 9 tube mono blocks connected to a Marantz 7 pre amp and a pair of ADS L-910's and a Denon TT. Sounded great, but I liked the Bozak's much better.)

The Marantz system was his favorite because do you know what that is worth?

centsless said:

(The third, his favorite system, was a pair of Marantz 9 tube mono blocks connected to a Marantz 7 pre amp and a pair of ADS L-910's and a Denon TT. Sounded great, but I liked the Bozak's much better.)

The Marantz system was his favorite because do you know what that is worth?

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I'd guess around 30K not including the TT or speakers.

WOW (it just bares repeating)

stupidhead said:

WOW (it just bears repeating)

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That's what I keep saying to myself!

Yikes!

Reminds me of the wall of "Collins" Ham Radio Gear my cousin has in his basement just because he collects it. Probably worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. He'll never sell anything. He's a pack rat for the gear.

gold mine find.

moebuster said:

gold mine find.

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I would say so!

GD70 said:

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That service sign is sooooo cool... I want it!

Holy Shit!

Thank you and him for sharing .

Two things that are unusual about this situation:
1. It's not a pile of projects.
2. The guy uses the stuff.
Amazing.

This guy should open as a museum, he could definitely sell tickets to the AK fraternity. Time for some tour bus action? I'd like to have the drool-bucket franchise for his driveway...

sheltie dave said:

And people always wonder why they can never find anything.

The secret is to follow a bunch of threads and tantalizing clues, always ask questions, and be nice. Sooner or later you too will meet a single person, or a few people, who are gray haired eminences and have a museum, or know a few friends who have collections.

Five hours with a couple friends like this gentleman will get you more collectible gear than five years of digging at the thrifts. Sadly, at this site most folks are content to wait for the flotsam from a collection, rather than actively leaving the comfort of their home to make friends with the older folks who either have or know about the collections.

And the strange thing is....us graybeards LOVE to talk about the gear, the stories, and the history. But as many times as I have said this, it is

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I couldn't agree with you more! One of my favourite audio related past-times is to visit some of the friends I've made while purchasing (and selling) audio gear. I have had the opportunity to see and hear some awesome equipment!

And they love to do it, as I do when I meet a kindred soul! It is why I buy and sell (apart from upgrading my collection and paying for those upgrades...)

One of them, and my favourite (we have actually talked for an hour outside in a snowfall with my car engine running after I had already spent a couple of hours talking inside) is a retired engineer who just loves electronics challenges. When I first met him, he was working on a big honking power amp that had an international transformer mis-wired in it, in his kitchen! Every other room in his house is packed with equipment, and he only displays what he is currently selling or using. He took me through a couple of times, and I am just goggling!

I hope he slowly reduces his collection over time, but I don't think he will. It is not his nature.

I've often thought about recording these sessions, as I wish I had when I was with my Grandfather, a true pioneer of his times. The stories that have been lost are too numerous! The problem is, they are ad-hoc, and to start recording them, can shut them down. But we have our memories, and although not perfect, can bring highlight to the forefront.

This gentleman does sell stuff, though not as much as he use to, maybe a piece every month or two. He did say a lot of the gear is not hooked up, and how could it be? He loves good industrial design, and what he has collected is because he liked it, not so much for it's worth.

I did mention the idea of recording some of his stories, but he didn't seem keen on the idea and I let it go.

I feel that he let's me take pics is quite a treat.

That's understandable, don't want to make him uncomfortable, he is already willing to share information after all.

Perhaps if you can capture some history on the most rare items, like those gorgeous Regency amps, for example.

Documenting it here on AK may be the only place where the information will exist for some of these units.

audiodon said:

Two things that are unusual about this situation:
1. It's not a pile of projects.
2. The guy uses the stuff.

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I'd like to add:

3. He's married!

Thanks for sharing this story, very cool. Nice little stack of Sherwoods there also.

An amazing find....truly blows me away.

An Audio Museum is a great idea....you should mention it to him.

My brother in law, an Electrical Engineer...and former recording studio owner....has mentioned to me that at one time, old equipment was just thrown away.

It is guys like your new friend, that understood, cherished and saved these old beauties....WoW. Just Wow.

:thmbsp:

A guy like that would not want a lot of people knowing his address, I bet. Now, one guy who comes to a sale and is obviously interested, yeah.

Of course we can look at the pics and drool and we don't need to know! :thmbsp:

GD70 said:

You never know. I almost didn't turn down the street to check the tag sale. This is a time when I do believe in fate!

I look forward to my next visit as well. He's trying to sell me a pair of KLH Six's. O/A very nice condition, early 10,000 serial numbers, only 13 apart. I have two pairs and no room. Ahhhh! Maybe I'll grab them, to replace my 1972 vinyl clad ones. I'm sure these will need a re-cap, and with glued on grills, I will not be able to re-seal the woofer surrounds from the front. My thought on this, which may be sacreligious, was to seal the surrounds from behind, inside the cabs. For now, I have to finish my current Amp & Pre amp project, and the AR-2a's.

Maybe this gentleman will have something else tubes to sell me down the road.

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Maybe if you Buy the KLH sixes and bump them to the front of the project que and do a bang on job of restoring them you'll have built up some gravitas with him,leading to bigger and better "opportunities"

HTRDoug said:

Maybe if you Buy the KLH sixes and bump them to the front of the project que and do a bang on job of restoring them you'll have built up some gravitas with him,leading to bigger and better "opportunities"

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I bought the AR2a's from him. Told him I spent some time on the cabs and they are looking very nice, and that I will need to replace the caps. Interestingly, he said that's above his skills, yet, when we were talking tube amps, he seemed quite knowledgeable regarding tube numbers, and their functions, far more than I know. Believe me, the Six's are tempting, I just don't have room for them!