Phono Museum in Paris Chronicles Recorded Sound History from 1857 to Today

The Phono Museum, located at 53 Boulevard Rochechouart in Paris, offers a unique journey through the history of recorded sound from 1857 to the present. Founded in 2014 by Jalal Aro, a Syrian-born former fashion professional, the museum houses over 300 machines, including phonographs, gramophones, jukeboxes, and other audio devices. Unlike traditional museums, it features no labels or wall texts; instead, passionate volunteers demonstrate the mechanisms and play music from the Belle Époque and the Roaring Twenties. Highlights include a phonautograph, invented in 1857 by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, which was the first device to record sound but not reproduce it, and a monumental fontanophone with a double horn, ideal for ballrooms and fairs. The collection also includes a Lumière gramophone with a fan-shaped horn, and devices disguised as clocks or Chinese pagodas, reflecting the evolution of audio equipment into decorative art objects. The museum, which is open on Fridays and Sundays and closed in August, is situated near Pigalle and Montmartre, close to the iconic La Cigale concert hall. The Aro family, including Charlotte Aro, shares the passion and guides visitors through this extraordinary collection, which also features a giant reproduction of the famous dog from the 'His Master's Voice' label.