Have your iPod dock speakers ever been found wanting? Perhaps the background noise was a little too loud? Well this should do the trick. The Wall of Sound 2 kicks out at a spritely 8000 watts and 130dB; as loud, apparently, "as an F-15 jet with its afterburners on at 100 meters". Or, in layman’s terms, to permanently damage hearing.
You’ll be pleased to know that Studio Total, the marketing agency responsible for this loudmouth, has taken steps to ensure that users’ hearing remains intact. The company has dutifully provided a monkey’s head with glowing red eyes to issue a warning when things are getting out of hand. No, really.
The company states:
“The small monkey head is warning you if playing too loud. Normal (high) volume and the monkey has no problem, his eyes are glowing blue but if you play very loud the eyes turns golden, if you keep on increasing the volume they will turn red. Red means there's an immediate risk for permanent hearing loss. After five minutes playing in the red zone, the monkey’s head pops and the music stops. Once the monkey's head is returned the speaker can be used again. This is a safety feature to prevent damage to ears and property.”
Each device is handmade in Sweden. It stands at an intimidating one meter tall and 1.7 meters wide (3.3 x 5.6 ft), with Studio Total claiming that it is the biggest iPod dock on the market. It weighs 178 kg (392 lb) and has a total of 44 separate speaker elements. And, of course, the volume goes up to 11.
The "device" is a younger, more obnoxious version of the original Wall of Sound, that was released in 2011. It only had 28 speaker elements and weighed a paltry 102 kilos (225 lb). It also sold out, which, at USD$4,500 a piece, isn’t bad going.
If giant iPod docks are your kind of thing, you might also be interested in the iNuke Boom.
The Wall of Sound 2 is on sale for US$6,900 and for those who need a little extra convincing, it comes with Bluetooth connectivity and its own controller app. The video below shows some of the press that the original Wall of Sound received.
Source: Wall of Sound
This is one for over-monied teenagers, methinks.