Audiojumble 2026

[record_spot]

Never been to this in the near 35 years it's been going but thought now was the time. The other reason being it's at the other end of the country from me, this year in a larger venue in Crawley. So off I trooped down to stay at a hotel near Gatwick overnight and off I went this morning.

Lots of interesting gear of a certain generation, heaps of valves, amp parts, reel to reel decks, Quad and so on. I limited myself to four new blank cassette tapes and had a pleasant few hours looking around.

I'll post more when I get home, currently stopped off for a coffee and, if you'll pardon the Cowboy Junkies link, I've got 200 more miles to go!

 

[nopiano]

Wow, I’ve always been fascinated by that, as it usually gets a write up in Hifi News. Looks great fun, and hard to leave without buying something you don’t need!

Thanks for the pics!

 

[Gray]

I've always thought I should be getting rid of stuff there - but I'd probably bring more home.

 

[record_spot]

Wow, I’ve always been fascinated by that, as it usually gets a write up in Hifi News. Looks great fun, and hard to leave without buying something you don’t need!

Thanks for the pics!

Much like the Cranage hifi show, I heard about the Audiojumble in Hi Fi World yonks ago - this is its 34th year! Seemed like as good a reason as any!

I got there for just after 10. Bit of a delay getting in, but the queue started moving quickly. I think they have an early bird type entry thing going on, so the keen ones were in there at 9am or the like. I saw a few guys heading out with gear when I arrived but when I was in, I overheard someone saying a lot of tables hadn't set up by 9, so it sounds like you need to play it by ear.

I really enjoyed it, I doubt I'd pop back down every year (14 hours driving all in all) and I think I spent maybe two hours in the place (and even by then, some tables were shutting up shop!). But, it's good fun for all that. There's some really lovely old gear there, even some newer stuff (a Marantz SA8400 SACD player could've been yours for just £220 and don't think I wasn't tempted...!). Tons of Quad stuff, heaps of Leak gear refurbished or built with NOS parts. Some of the traders were of the vintage era too and I heard one dear old chap talking to some browsers - born in World War 2, later discovered the gear when he was a kid and it had been his hobby ever since.

So yes, definitely worth it. Plus, Scotland won at the rugby! Downsides - idiots on the motorways. What the hell is it with CLARA types (the Centre Lane Residents Association). A 4 lane motorway and these idiots are bulked up in the second lane from the right????

 

[record_spot]

I've always thought I should be getting rid of stuff there - but I'd probably bring more home.

Don't for one minute think I wasn't tempted by a few things there...! The aforesaid Marantz and a lovely old Hitachi amp from the 70s. Had to hold hard on those though....! The Garrard 401 with Origin Live tonearm and just fresh from a refurb at £800 was hard to pass by too.