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Jason Chen — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:20:00 EDT

This round goes to you, Zak McFlimby. [b3ta via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Fiio's E5 Headphone Amp Steals iPod Shuffle Form Factor

Kit Eaton — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:48:27 EST

This little headphone amplifier unit from Fiio is a pretty much exactly the same shape as an iPod shuffle, presumably so you can clip it to a lapel or bag strap for convenience while it's in use. It'll push out 150mW of audio power into 16-ohm headphones, with a USB-rechargable lithium battery that's good for about 20 hours, and it weighs a mere 26g. There's no release date info yet, though there's an expectation that it's price may be around $20, which may interest those of you with portable audio amp requirements. [GenerationMP3 via OhGizmo]

20-Watt Beer Sound Amplifier Makes Perfect Sense, Really

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:20:00 EDT

Beer + music + electricity = Ultragoodness. You can't go wrong with that formula and this do-it-yourself 20-watt Heineken Draught Keg Guitar Amplifier hits all the right chords perfectly. For $119, and looking this good, it's the perfect present for any drunk guy who loves beer, music, and whose birthday is just around the corner. Yes, that would be me.

You can connect anything you want—MP3 players, guitars, bass guitar, your tongue—then plug it into any regular electrical outlet, and start rocking with glorious tin-can sound. [Etsy via 7Gadgets]

Sony's Bravia Theater RHT-G500 3.1-Channel Hi-Fi is a TV Stand Too

Kit Eaton — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:08:00 EDT

Stand your precious new HDTV on a simple, old-fashioned plank of wood? No, that's way too low-tech... or at least you might think so after seeing Sony's RHT-G500. It's an "invisible home cinema" TV stand. "A TV stand with a product code?" you might ask. Yes. And an integrated 3.1-channel audio system with S-Force PRO Front Surround technology, HDMI inputs with pass-through, a special PMP connector, and both Bluetooth and wi-fi connectivity. And you can stand TVs on it: it's designed for 32-inch to 40-inch sets. No word on pricing or availability. [Sony Europe via I4U]

ImAmp by Audiotrack Beefs Up Your Cans on the Go

AddyDugdale — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EDT

If you like to watch a movie on the go, but find your headphones don't give you enough volume for the full-on fillum experience, then you might appreciate the ImAmp. Made by Korean company Audiotrack, the ImAmp is a separate amplifier with a couple of headphone jacks, line input and volume control. The battery takes four hours to charge, and gives you eight hours of juice. Weighing about 200 grams (including battery) the ImAmp will be available on July 1 and will cost just over $250. [GeekStuff4U and Impress]

Spirit of St Louis Boombox Gives Your iPod Retro Aviation Chic

Kit Eaton — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:50:00 EDT

Forget the boringly-plastic iPod boomboxes we've shown you before: I want one of these. It's in period aviation "Spirit of St Loius" style: wooden cabinet, shiny dials and satisfyingly chunky switches, meant to look like a WWII battlefield radio. Inside there's an iPod dock, CD player and AM-FM radio that's also an alarm clock. It's powered by 8 "D" batteries, so you can haul it along to picnics in the park, and measures 19 x 8.7 x 7.9-inches. The one drawback: its price is also satisfyingly chunky at $586. [Product via BBGadgets]

JB7 Digital Jukebox Lets You Rip Your Tunes Without a PC

Haroon Malik — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:40:00 EST

3ga has just announced the JB7 digital jukebox, which allows the user to directly rip CDs to its internal HDD, negating the use for a PC. Standard rip time is less than five minutes, and the JB7 is available in either 40GB ($586) or 80GB ($625) flavors. Other features include alarm clock mode, USB connectivity, 30 watts per channel amplifier, remote control and support for various music compression storage formats. Sure, the JB7 is neat, but at those extortionate prices? We think not. [Tech Digest]

AE Techron Amp Powerful Enough to Simulate Lightning Strikes on a Boeing 787

Sean Fallon — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:00:33 EST

Sure you could use the 12,000 watt AE Techron Model 7796 DC-Coupled AC Amplifier to play music, but power like that cannot be relegated to music alone. It needs to be harnessed for something bigger—like unholy experimentation with the forces of nature. In fact, the very first customer to purchase one of these amps is planning on wiring 12 of them up in three phases to simulate lightning strikes on a Boeing 787 airplane. Other Techron models have already been used to test relays in the power industry.

Other specs include: max 6600 watts RMS continuous output, a frequency response of 0 - 30kHz (+0.1 - 0.5dB), 1/4 ohm stable, and a total weight of 153 pounds. Even if you aren't interested in lightning strikes (or bringing the dead back to life), there is plenty to love about the 7796—except for the price. Available for $10,750. [Product Page via Audiojunkies via Uberreview]

Yamaha Aims High With CD-S2000 CD Player and A-S2000 Amplifier

Charlie White — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:49:56 EDT

Yamaha targets a notch or two above the level of midrange audio consumers with this A-S2000 amplifier and CD-S2000 CD player, set to hit the Japanese market in mid-December of this year. The company upgraded components inside, including the PCM-1792 DAC (digital-to-analog converter) from Texas Instruments inside that CD player ($1466), a DAC that's a favorite of many audiophiles for its low-distortion translation of CD bits into analog audio. Those with golden ears will also like the way the designers strived to keep noise levels low by separating power supplies and amplification inside the 190-watts-per-channel power amp ($1834), too. And just look at the clean, unfettered design. Beautiful. [Audio Junkies]

Vox amPlugs, for Guitar Players on the Run

Charlie White — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:45:00 EDT

When your guitar playing is loud enough to wake the dead, keep it to yourself with a cute amPlug miniature amplifier for your headphones. Running on two AAA batteries, you simply plug it into your guitar, plug your headphones into the other end, and enjoy your choice of three realistic tube amp sounds, including Marshall-style British metal, classic American rock (like a Mesa Boogie) and the sound of that old Vox AC-30 amplifier used by the Beatles back in the olden days. Each amp is around $56 (and you can find it for less in some stores). No one will be watching you, why don't you do it in the road? [Vox Amps, via Music Thing]

The Loit Eagle Audio System with CD Player Looks Gorgeous, May be Art

AddyDugdale — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 09:21:42 EDT

Russian design-meister Art Lebedev has got something to do with this audio system, which consists of a high-end CD player sitting atop a triangular, uber-minimalist amplifier. More pics, including one of the classiest remotes I've ever seen, below.

Seductive, isn't it? [Art. Lebedev Studio]

3D Sound from iPod Amp

tgrumet — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 07:52:58 EDT

I'm suspicious of anything with the word "Boosteroo" in its title, but looks like UpBeat Audio doesn't mind such a ridiculous name for its new 6-ounce amplifier called the Boosteroo Revolution. Promising 3D surround sound and a "quadruple boost in audio," the product also works with any device that has a headphone jack. Has two standard mini outputs as well in case someone else wants to listen in. The Boosteroo Revolution runs on two AAA batteries and costs $79.95.

Boostaroo Revolution adds '3D Surround Sound' to iPods [Playlistmag]