Gizmodo: sound system

Jackson Pollock's Hi-Fi Was Paint-Splattered Too, Played Loud

Kit Eaton — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:30:00 EDT

Over at The Audiophiliac they're running a story about a visit to the house where abstract painter Jackson Pollock used to live with wife Lee Krasner. Apparently the guy had a pretty cool hi-fi: a Bogun DB-20 tube amp, a Crown turntable and speakers built into a stairwell. Audiophiliac's Steve notes that the door holding the speakers "is covered with Pollock's trademark paint splatters, drips, and blobs," so it probably counts as a minor work of art all of its own. And of course "Pollock loved to play his hi-fi really loud, especially when Krasner was out of the house." I wonder if the volume helped with artistic inspiration? [The Audiophiliac]

Party-A-Cargo Brings the Bro-Down to Wherever Your Truck Can Park

Elaine Chow — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Hey dudebro, looking to take a bro-dtrip but afraid you'll make the ultimate braux-pas: not bringing enough beer and having a totally whack sound system? Chill out man, Party-A-Cargo's got your back with its tow hitch mounted kegerator. The Party-A-Cargo Ultimate can store up to 160 glasses of beer and contains a jockey box with two 6 inch by 9 inch speakers and a 10 inch subwoofer.

The case, which hooks up to the back of your SUV, also has a built in CD stereo and Sirius Satellite Radio, a battery charger and a 12-volt power adapter. A locking door ensures that those dickwads at Alpha Gamma Phi won't try to make a grab for your beer while you're gone. Party-A-Cargo offers three different versions of its frat-friendly fun box, ranging in price from $2,895 to $3,795. [Born Rich]

Geneva Lab's Shiny New Media Center Has iPod Dock, Unsurprisingly

Elaine Chow — Sun, 18 May 2008 22:30:00 EDT

The guys over at Apartment Therapy Unplugged spotted a pretty sweet media center that'll be coming soon to a living room near you. Made by Geneva Lab, a company known for its high-end iPod speaker docks, the new cabinet system includes four midrange 5.5-inch speakers, two tweeters, a 12-inch subwoofer, a cabinet to hold A/V components, and (of course) a dock for everybody's favorite MP3 player. It's expected to hit stores in late Fall 2008, and will cost $3,500. More pics after the jump.

[Apartment Therapy Unplugged]

Pioneer MT-01 Power Line Sound System: Music Everywhere, Motion Controlled

Charlie White — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 10:02:39 EDT

Did you know your home is like the Internets, with its own series of tubes? The Pioneer MT-01 Power Line Sound System lets you pump music through those tubes, using up to six of the speakers plugged into electric outlets all over the house. The speakers lie in wait until you walk in, when their energy-saving motion sensors automatically crank up that music from your choice of two sound sources they're receiving from their mother ship, called the Sound Station.

The speakers are sold separately, and the standard package bundle gives you the sound station, one large network speaker powered by a 2x25-watt amp, and a small 5-watt network speaker along with a keyring-sized remote control. You can connect just about any audio device into the sound station's five inputs, including a couple of USB inputs for memory sticks or USB thumb drives, a front iPod-style audio input and two analog RCA inputs for your stereo system.

Now your house will be filled with music, but just don't forget to turn this contraption off before you go to bed. Imagine that motion-controlled music blasting at 3am when you get up to pee—household geek turns to goat in a few nocturnal steps. Available in just a week or two, price is yet to be announced. – Charlie White

Product Page [Pioneer, via Tech Digest]

Grundig Ovation2 Micro System

Charlie White — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 10:30:09 EDT

Grundig slides over into Bang & Olufsen territory with its Ovation2 Micro System, a handsomely-designed glorified boombox which has a CD player with a cool-looking mirrored glass sliding door. Of course, it has the obligatory USB port for your MP3 player, and can also play files right off a USB drive.

Put it to work as a fancy alarm clock, or set it up across the room and control it with an unusually designed round remote—either way, it cranks out 90 Watts, using Grundig's so-called magic fidelity system, which the company says is able to re-create "deep surround sound." It just might be able to create something worth listening to, with a woofer, three midrange speakers and two tweeters, each with their own individual amps. Nice design comes at a price, though, setting you back $602.

Product page [via TechDigest]