It’s the time of year for saving money!
This
past weekend my wife and I ventured to Pasadena, California-my old college
stomping grounds- and to one of my all-time favorite audiophile haunts, Brooks
Berdan Ltd. (which is technically in Monrovia, California). For those of you
not residing in So. Cal, Brooks Berdan Ltd is arguably one of the finest, most
respected, audiophile dealers in the country, carrying high-end brands such as
Wilson Audio, Quad, Vandersteen, Jadis, VTL, Audio Research, Chord and Rega to
name few. Brooks Berdan’s shop is also a factory certified service center for
many of the before mentioned brands as well as several defunct labels such as
Hovland.
About
six months ago Brooks Berdan expanded his Monrovia store and added a several
new sound rooms, an expanded consignment shop but more importantly an entire
wing dedicated to his personal collection of vintage hi-fi equipment. As it
turns out, over half the patrons mulling around Brooks’ store this past weekend
were visiting because of his vast
collection consisting of hi-fi milestones. The museum, which I’m told is
nowhere near completion, is awe inspiring and reads like a greatest hits
collection on the history of two-channel playback. It was all present and
accounted for, McIntosh, Infinity, Klipsch, Marantz, Scott, Heathkit and oh so
much more.
For
over an hour I meticulously made my way through the back rooms and hallways of
Brook’s shop marveling at some of the pieces; some I’d only read about or seen
in old issues of Stereophile,but never thinking that I’d someday see them up
close. Even my wife, who has come to accept my obsession though she doesn’t
understand it in the slightest, was rendered speechless a few times at the
beauty, craftsmanship and otherwise unique nature of some of the vintage
pieces-especially the pair of Jadis Eurythme Brooks had on static display. If I were a rich man
I’m sure I’d be listening to those same Jadis Eurythmes as I write this for my
wife really, really liked them.
It
was a great way to spend a few hours of a Saturday afternoon. If you live in
Southern California or are planning a trip here soon, you owe it to yourself to
carve out an hour or two and stop by Brooks Berdan Ltd. Whether you want to
check out his museum (free of charge by the way) or hang out in one of his
numerous, properly setup, sound rooms the visit will be well worth the trip I
assure you. Where else are you going to be able to see a pair of Infinity IRS
Betas and Wilson Audio Alexandria X2s in the same place?
Brooks Berdan
Ltd.
110 West
Olive Ave.
Monrovia, CA
91016
(626) 359-9131
hawthorne stereo in seattle also has an extensive collection of older gear, though not to the extent of brooks berdan ltd.