Audio Museum...what would you want?


As I mentioned in a post to another thread, one of my long time fantisies has been that some day I'll have the dough to buy back all the old gear I've sold over the years, and have a museum of my old equipment. I'd start with the Empire Troubador turntable I bought in high school, as well as my first Marantz amp (it had beautiful big blue meters!!) Of course, I'd also have to find an intact Infinity Black Widow tone arm on a Kenwood KD-500, a pair of Dahlquist DQ-10s...you get the idea.

The question is, what component would YOU most want to have for your personal audio museum?
rsuminsby
My Rowland Model 2 Power amp. I currently own it & plan to keep it till I croak! I have amplifier #1 & Battery Power Supply #71. The amp has a black faceplate & the BPS has a silver faceplate. They look better to me than any other audio components I've ever seen...
The ONLY amp I've owned that comes close in sound is my Pass
Aleph 3, "The Borg Cube". It's not leaving either...

P.S. Tyra Banks would manage my museum.
In line with the idea of a museum, most of this stuff has historical value. TT: Goldmund Reference w/arm /Ortofon 3000, Linn LP12/Valhalla, S. Yorke S4 "Zarathustra"/pluto 5 (long) arm/transfiguration. Speakers: original Klipch with central unit/Quad 57 & 63/ Apogee Scintilla /Avalon (the huge discon'nued model)/ JM Lab Gde Utopia / IRS beta / ML Statement (1st version)/ Tannoy Westminster or Canterbury...

Amps: Mac 75 (original) / ML (original 25Watter) / Jadis Defy / Jadis 800 / Ongaku / Krell 80 (original) / J Rowland 2 (as above) / Pass Aleph mono/ Symphonic Line Kraft ref 400 /Spectral 360...

Pre's: AR 6, 14, 15/ FM Acoustics 266 (model?)/ML 6(original)/ Cello Audio palette (full spec)/YBA 1 signature6/ Pass X0/ CAT III (line) /DNM 6A...

...and I'm missing some!

As I said, historical value although performance is not bad either! All we're missing now are a $: few mil. to get this started.
i still have my origional carver cube -- the m-400--and c-4000 pre-amp... i now use it in my bedroom with a pair of klh-5 speakers and a granite audio cd player ...i will own this system forever !!!!
B&O Beogram 2400 receiver and matching turntable. I'm assuming this is a museum for looking at the equipment and not listening. B&O equipment was always the best to look at.
as far as classic memorable gear I would choose: a Marantz receiver from like, 1972, the old phase linear quad preamp, the Ampzilla, how about the old infinity column with all those midrange and tweeter drivers and the 12" watkins woofer circa 1977?, the AR 3a, the JBL L-100 with original orange foam cover, the spica tc-50, the early Threshold amp, and what were those speakers with the plasma-tweeters?
Started collecting pieces for my museum about 7 years ago.
The pieces must have had some technological impact or caused a change in direction of audio to qualify. (this is of course opinon). So far:
A restored Edison cylinder player, A restored "flat disc" player, a Scott FM tuner, a couple early Marantz receivers (gyro-tunes!), Pioneer RT-909 reel to reel, Phase Linear 700b amp & C-4000 preamp, AR turntable, Dalquist DQ-10's,
Technics Linear tracking tableand my pride and joy, a 1957
Grundig "Majestik" console with turntable, reel to reel,
incredible tuner, a rotory knob 5 band E.Q., 3 push button E.Q. settings (the first DSP!), and electrostatic tweeter panels! Koss Pro 4AAA headphones too. In time I hope to add a pristine high end grammaphone (sp?), black widow tone arm, G.A.S. Ampzilla, AudioPulse time delay, Neumann mic,
Garrard Zero 100, Harmon Kardon 4000 casstte,and a few other pieces that will hopefully pass my way. Best of luck to you in your efforts!

I must be getting old. All these that have been mentioned are either more recent or more exotic than I think of as museum pieces. I would start with a Fisher amp or receiver. Maybe an H.H.Scott kit or DynaKit amp. A Dual or Garrard multi-play turntable or the single-play AR. A Shure V-15 cartridge. Altec Voice of the Theater speakers. Maybe an old Tandberg reel to reel.
I guess that I am older than I thought, a pair of original quad 57s, REL tunner ca1950, a Marantz model 2, and for a small system a pair of orriginal LS3/5a BBC monitors. I have a pair of Mac30s, and C-8s.
Happy listening
Some great suggestions here! I, too, have owned Koss Pro-4AA, the Phase Linear 4000 preamp and Dynakits. I used to lust after JBL L-100s. Keep those posts coming....what's the one thing you've parted with that you wish you could have back for old time's sake?
I kept my Empire 598, but it's in a box in the garage. Even found a replacement belt for it; still works great... But sold off the Empire 999 cartridge (couldn't afford the 1000) long long ago.
Have a Fisher tuner kit (KM-60) I built in '68, still works. Finally found my original s/s amp, an Eico 3070 kit, in working order earlier this year. First speakers re-gained also--AR4x ...how many of you also started with these and lusted for the 3a's?? Definitely museum pieces.
The original Quad stat's with a pair of Futterman's sitting alongside. The Mission 770's in rosewood. The line of Decca Cartriges. A Dynavector 507 arm with a Karat 17D mounted. And for a modern classic......the Unison Research Smart 845 which is the most beautifully designed amp(s) in audio history.
anyone interested in a grundig-majestic stereo with turntable, ivory selection keys for the am/fm radio? It is still working? Write to me offline at [email protected]
brooks berdan actually HAS an audio museum. you should see what he has.... not to mention the cartridge museum. i vote for the marantz 3650.
I want to live long enough that my current equipment qualifies as museum pieces.

Secondly, I want to be healthy and alert enough to still listen to it :^).