David Lynch

Celebrity System

David Lynch (1946-2025) was an iconic American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor, celebrated for his unique surrealist style. His works often explored the dark underbelly of seemingly innocent American life, characterized by dream imagery, meticulous sound design, and unsettling, often violent elements.

Key films like Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Drive earned critical acclaim and Academy Award nominations, while the groundbreaking TV series Twin Peaks became a cultural phenomenon. Lynch’s artistic vision extended beyond cinema, encompassing painting, photography, and music, all imbued with his distinctive blend of the beautiful and the grotesque, the mundane and the profoundly strange.

Cover art for some of David Lynch's most iconic films and televisions shows — Cover art for some of David Lynch’s most iconic films and televisions shows

We have one photo of Mr. Lynch in an office, with a modest Hi-Fi system employing what appears to be a Yamaha R-500 stereo receiver and an Akai GX-F44R cassette deck.

David Lynch's modest office Hi-Fi system — David Lynch’s modest office Hi-Fi system

Akai GX-F44R cassette deck — The Akai GX-F44R was a sophisticated cassette deck with solenoid controls, Dolby Noise Reduction, and automatic reverse capability

David Lynch’s Home Hi-Fi System

The more interesting story relates to Mr. Lynch’s home system. When the director passed away, many of his personal belongings were sold at public auction, and this included a number of Hi-Fi components. Unfortunately, we don’t have a photo of him with his home system, but the auction was conducted by a reputable auction house “Juliens”. Click here to visit Julien’s Auctions website.

David Lynch’s home Hi-Fi included three Bang & Olufsen systems. Bang & Olufsen (B&O) is a renowned Danish high-end consumer electronics company. Founded in 1925 by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen, the company has built a strong reputation for designing and manufacturing premium audio products.

The first system comprised a sleek black and silver cabinet featuring fold-down doors that reveal a Beogram 5500 turntable, Beomaster 5500 tuner/amplifier, Beocord 5500 cassette deck, and Beogram CD 50 player. The system was controlled with a B&O Master Control Panel 5500, and a pair of Penta speaker towers.

Bang & Olufsen's Beogram 5500 turntable — Bang & Olufsen’s Beogram 5500 turntable was a superb machine with a beautiful aesthetic design

Bang & Olufsen's Beomaster 5500 Tuner/Amplifier — Bang & Olufsen’s Beomaster 5500 Tuner/Amplifier

Bang & Olufsen's Beocord 5500 Cassette Deck — Bang & Olufsen’s Beocord 5500 Cassette Deck featured a sliding tray that included a cassette well and all of the control buttons

Bang & Olufsen's Beocord CD 50 compact Disc player — Bang & Olufsen’s Beocord CD 50 was a Compact Disc player with an elegant front panel that matched the rest of the B&O system

Bang & Olufsen's Master Control Panel 5500 wireless remote control — Bang & Olufsen’s Master Control Panel 5500 was a wireless remote control that gave complete control over an entire B&O Hi-Fi system

A pair of B&O Penta floorstanding speakers (with the grilles removed) brought David Lynch’s home Hi-Fi system to life

This is what David Lynch’s B&O system might have looked like, with the speaker grilles installed, and the electronics housed in a special cabinet with folding doors

Lynch also had a pair of Bang & Olufsen Beosound A9 speakers, each standing on light-colored wooden legs. One speaker is a special limited edition featuring David Lynch’s “Paris Suite” artwork, and its companion is an earlier generation A9.

David Lynch’s Bang & Olufsen Beosound A9 loudspeakers; the left speaker fitted with the regular covering and the right speaker adorned with a reproduction of David Lynch’s “Paris Suite” artwork

Lynch also owned a Bang & Olufsen Beosound 4000 CD and Cassette player with matching speakers. It features a top-loading CD player and a bottom-mounted cassette deck, along with a full array of controls. The elegant two-piece glass front panel magically opens with a wave of your hand.

A beautiful Beosound 4000 tabletop CD/Cassette Player with matching speakers

The oldest item in the collection was a 1950s Rek-O-Kut P43C record player. Housed in a wooden case covered in grey “tolex” (vinyl), it featured an 11 3/4” cork-covered platter and a speed selector for 78, 33 1/3, or 45 rpm.

David Lynch's 1950s Rek-O-Kut P43C record player — David Lynch’s 1950s Rek-O-Kut P43C record player

Finally, David owned a pair of Sennheiser RS 195 digital wireless headphones. The RS 195 featured closed circumaural ear cups, built-in selectable noise suppression, a balance control for left/right volume adjustment, and a transmitter that doubles as a charging station.

A superb collection of audio equipment for a gifted man!