Audio Auction for Charity

In the wake of last week's disasters in New York, Washington, DC, and Pittsburgh, Audio Asylum and Audiogon have banded together to co-sponsor a charity auction of audio equipment to benefit the NY Firefighters' Fund and other related charities.

AA's Rod Morris says, "We are asking the community to donate items and to support this event. Our goal is to raise at least $100,000 and hopefully more." Morris explains that they will launch the Auction on September 17, with AA and Audiogon accepting any audio-related donations, which will then be placed up for bid on the Audiogon site. Morris adds that donors can offer items for auction after the September 17 date, and depending on the number of items offered, he says the auction may be extended.

Morris asks dealers, manufacturers, or readers with more gear than they need to email him at webmaster@audioasylum.com, or call (760) 598-8555. "We'll be accepting pledges for equipment and goods and will post these items at a special mini-site at Audiogon designed to support this endeavor. I'll need the suggested retail price of the item, reasonable price, reserve, and any webpage link or photos that might be helpful in maximizing the bids for the item." Morris says that if the donor of equipment has not specified a charity, select auctions will allow the buyer to choose where the funds will go.

Equipment has already begun pouring in, with Mark Hampton of ZCable creating the initial spark for this event with an immediate donation of over $5000's worth of interconnects, power cords, and speaker cables.

A partial list of other gear already on the block includes:
BAT VK-50SE preamplifier
Thor Audio TA-1000 line-stage
Welborne Laurel IIX 300B SET amplifiers with KR300Bs and Birds Eye maple bases
MSB Link DAC III
MSB Gold Link DAC
MSB Audio Director
Antique Sound Lab WAV-AV8 monoblocks
Roksan ROKone loudspeakers
Target Stands FS60 Deluxe for Roksan ROKone speakers
Van den Hul 8' bi-wired speaker cables
Van den Hul 8' pair speaker cables
DH Labs The Revelation 1m pair RCA interconnects
Harmonic Technology cables and accessories
Osiris 24" Tall speaker stands
Sumiko Blue Point Special
Denon 103 S cartridge
HICKOK 6000 tube tester
Sahauro X-stream Mk II interconnects
Mapleshade Double Helix interconnects
KONTAK Link 507 Digital interconnect
Richard Gray Power Company power conditioner
FT Audio LW-1 passive preamp
Furutech RD-1 Disc demagnatizer
Home Theater Master SL-9000 remote
Positive Feedback—10 subscriptions
Counterpoint SA-100 amplifier
Two-shelf Target rack and Standesign amp stand

Audiogon's Arnie Chinta says that his dealers and sponsors are quickly stepping up to the plate with additional items, while Morris is clearly positive about the potential of the fundraiser: "I've got a feeling this could be bigger than any of us realize, and we have quite a list thus far—some of it from manufacturers, many items from audiofools, other items from dealers. The way the community has responded is beyond my wildest expectations."

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