The Bluetooth Sound Enhancing Amplifier looks like steampunk, but it has some modern features married with some old technology. The amplifier uses two 6N3 vacuum tubes to “generate 20 RMS watts per channel of distortion-free signal, adding punch and clarity to high bit-rate MP3s, Apple Lossless, or CD-quality audio played wirelessly from an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Android phone. The tubes also provide robust bass response by ameliorating the natural acoustic qualities of second and third harmonics for richer sound coloration.” The new technology comes with the Bluetooth capability, and you can also connect your mobile device via a 3.5mm audio input, and you can connect a turntable or a CD player via RCA jacks. You’ll also need to connect your own 4-8 ohm speaks via the binding posts on the back of the Bluetooth Sound Enhancing Amplifier. Its price is as breathtaking as its looks; it’s $1800.00 at Hammacher Schlemmer.
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
it looks DIY from salvaged junk, fitting is non existent , there’s a whole old CPU radiator on the left….
and they adk 1800$ ?
are there really any naive hipster with so much cash to spare?
I have to say, this looks more 1950 “future tech” than steam punk.
Way to pricey in my opinion without enough flare or uniqueness to justify the price.
I would expect something similar to these.
http://gizmochunk.com/3028/2012/12/17/steampunk-speaker-nestles-your-mp3-in-an-elegant-manner/
or this
http://www.damngeeky.com/2012/04/02/309/steampunk-amplifier-now-complete-with-boiler-speakers-are-geeks-dream-come-true.html
The funny part is that if you look at the description, there is no mention of them using a higher quality Bluetooth codec like AAC or Apt-X. (And if it did support something like that, don’t you think it would be mentioned as a selling point?) So it doesn’t really matter whether you use high bit rate or lossless music, it’s all being squeezed through a narrow pipe with a not particularly bit-efficient codec. If I can hear the quality loss in normal Bluetooth audio on my crappy car stereo, I wonder how much more obvious it will be on an $1800 (yes, I’m *absolutely sure* it’s worth that! 🙂 vacuum tube amp…