Filed under: iPod Family
The Most Expensive iPod Speakers Ever!
If
you thought those $600 speakers for your iPod were
expensive, you ain't seen nothing yet. Hammacher Schlemmer has released the Studio-Quality Triode-Tube iPod Speakers at
a mere $3999.95. No, that's not a typo, they want you to spend four thousand dollars on a speaker set for your iPod.Okay, take a minute and breathe. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. Better?
Now, at least for the $4000 you get a nice device. From the product description:
"...the system consists of an aluminum-encased amplifier housing four powerful Class-A tubes which glow gently as they generate warm, low-octave sound that is virtually distortion-free, considered by audiophiles to be the most pleasing to the human ear. The tube amplifier smoothes over distortions found in modern digital recordings while helping to compensate and minimize the quality loss inherent in compressed audio such as MP3s."
So it's not like it's a $100 "antique" chair marked up to $5000 and being sold in some Upper East Side furniture store. There's some real tech involved.
If there's one thing I've learned living in NYC (and consulting for the rich and famous), it's that some people will buy anything if it's marked up high enough and perceived as a "luxury" item. I have to believe that this falls clearly in that category.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nigel Radestock said 12:43PM on 12-31-2005
Yes they are expensive, but the sound form a good valve amp is fabulous, though probably wasted on compressed music files!
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telavet said 12:51PM on 12-31-2005
Absolutely right about the luxury status being enough for people to buy it. But that marketing spiel is total bull-crap. No amount of tube amplification can compensate for mp3 compression. In fact, the higher quality pre-amplification you have, more noticeable that compression will be. And the word "Tube" is used as a magic bullet to trick people to think it is a superior product.
So, will people that want to be audiophiles and love luxury items buy this? Absolutely. Are they getting ripped off. Totally.
Real audiophiles will stay away from it. People like me will stick with their $20 3.1 computer speakers and be perfectly happy not being able to hear some of the imperfections in mp3's.
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Wheels said 6:47PM on 12-31-2005
"No amount of tube amplification can compensate for mp3 compression....So, will people that want to be audiophiles and love luxury items buy this? Absolutely. Are they getting ripped off. Totally."
I totally disagree. My iPod mini is exclusively played through a 1963 HH Scott tube type amplifier and I love the sound I get from the combination. The iPod sound is light years better than CD. I have a friend who is an audiophile - he listens exclusively to vinyl on all tube equipment - and after listening to my setup, he agrees. MP3s are imperfect, yes, but CDs really suck.
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franky said 9:52PM on 12-31-2005
Umm, no matter how good your amp is, you loose quality when you compress to mp3. That's kinda the definition of compression. Anyway, these speakers do seem kinda like a waste if you are using low quality mp3 files, but I bet lossless or 330's would sound good. If I had that much cash laying around, I'd get a B&O system or get a cheaper Bose system and use the leftover money to buy nice headphones. Personally, I use the Apple Lossless format and my UE super.fi 5's and love them.
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telavet said 1:03AM on 1-01-2006
"I totally disagree. My iPod mini is exclusively played through a 1963 HH Scott tube type amplifier and I love the sound I get from the combination. The iPod sound is light years better than CD."
And if you played a CD through that amplifier it would sound better too. A good preamplifier may enhance sound more than a typical stereo, but it doesn't "compensate" for frequencies that don't exist (which is what mp3 compression does--remove frequencies). I mean, you're getting your mp3's from a cd, so it is impossible to get better sound, especially after you REMOVE some of the frequencies.
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M. Gupta said 4:39PM on 1-01-2006
Better use Apple Lossless for these babies.
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M. Gupta said 4:56PM on 1-01-2006
Ech, mrbarrett, speakers really are the most important part of the entire system. Some manufacturers can work musical magic with average materials, other manufacturers are going for the best. And the best can be based on really old technology, as far as music is concerned.
The digital music (i.e. CD) revolution got rightfully slammed from many corners when it first appeared, because to long-time music artists, it looked...crippled. And it was, from a recording standpoint (initially, at least), not just the end product. Beyond the ideological opposition to having one's work turned into so many 0's and 1's, the CD standard was, and still is, crap. SACDs and DVD-Audio are decent improvements for the consumer, but...20+ years later?! Please. Mind you, I do buy CDs and you tell when something's gone horribly wrong with the recording/mixing/mastering of the album through decent speakers.
But you're right. These speakers cost too damn much. :-)
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Wheels said 6:04PM on 1-01-2006
"And if you played a CD through that amplifier it would sound better too."
True, and I do have a CD player attached to the Scott amplifier, also. But with CDs, you have to realize two facts. One, a modern CD has gobs of audio compression added to it which is a feeble attempt to make up for the second fact, which is that, despite conventional wisdom, a CD does not contain all the audio frequencies. In actuality, a Compact Disc only contains the low end of the midrange to the high end of the midrange, and true high and low frequencies are created by calculations made by the DAC of the CD player. This type of compression is meant to make the mid-bass that much "boomier" so a person thinks that they're hearing low end bass, even if they're listening to a cheesy boom box.
If you listen to a CD on a decent sit down stereo system, you will hear that the audio compression has turned the sound stage into a two dimensional mess. A true stereophonic experience is supposed to be a 3D illusion where the listener can actually pinpoint where a particular sound or instrument is coming from between the speakers.
I've only been a music file fan for a year and a half, when I started fooling with iTunes. Before that, I had listened to some MP3s and wasn't all that impressed. Then I read that Apple's AAC compression method was chosen as part of the DVD audio standard. Curious, I actually bought an album off of ITMS that I already had on CD and I did an A/B comparison. I was blown away by the comparison. I know it sounds goofy and goes against theory, but it does sound better. When you convert CD tracks to M4A file, a lot of the audio compression is destroyed and the sound stage opens up. Correct, it's not perfect but IMHO it's a more accurate, more pleasurable listen than a CD.
Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! =)
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telavet said 7:32PM on 1-01-2006
"When you convert CD tracks to M4A file, a lot of the audio compression is destroyed and the sound stage opens up."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh gosh... I needed a good laugh. thanks for that.
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David Dlugos said 4:51AM on 1-02-2006
These things have been out for over a year. Check out their website. http://www.goldster-audio.com/. More info and some big pictures.
The guys who designed this knew what they were doing... a triode connected pentode section of a 6BM8 (lots of grunt) driving a 6AS7 is SRPP (i didn't find out whether they were using an output transformer or have custom made high impedance speakers and are using the same kind of OTL sometimes found in old Philips)
I haven't heard or even seen one, but the pricing is in line with the tech.
Personally i can't listen to MP3s so never consider them...
dave
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Ogre said 12:24PM on 1-02-2006
Unless I'm mistaken, this is the Goldster Audio Concertino stereo system, rebranded for US distribution. I am as curious about the sound as the rest of you, but am anxious to hear them first hand at MacWorld at the MacDirectory booth which is going to feature them apparently. Oh yeh, they'll also be raffling it off, so if you're lucky you may not have to pay the $4k out of pocket.
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