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teac vpi scoutmaster II turntable will break your back and your bank account

VPI-Scoutmaster-II

Weighing all of 48 lbs, VPI’s award winning Scoutmaster turntable is a literal heavyweight. But now it’s got a big brother, the TEAC VPI Scoutmaster II, with an aluminum block platter that weighs 19 lbs and a total weight of 53 lbs. According to Akihabara News, the weight of the turntable offsets unwanted vibration to create the “purest sound” possible.…

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July 1st, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: audio design gadgets home entertainment media players strange + wonderful technology

buck the talking stag sings “sweet home alabama”. my head hurts.

singing-stag

Sometimes I worry that the day would come when there’d be nothing weird to write about anymore. And sometimes I come across shit like this, a (fake) deer head mounted on a wooden plaque that can be ordered to “sing” Sweet Home Alabama whenever it senses movement. Good for scaring the hell out of visitors and would-be thieves, Buck the stag…

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June 28th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: interactive just plain fun strange + wonderful

steampunk brass synthesizer blows my mind

steampunk_synthesizer

I always thought analog synthesizers were inherently retro. Just not quite this retro.

This unbelievable steampunk modular synthesizer features tons of dials and intricate brass etching throughout. All of the buttons and knobs were hand lathed, and the synth includes a number of antique parts as well.

With all those wires, buttons and knobs, the whole thing reminds me of some…

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June 26th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio geek art + craft retro strange + wonderful technology

move over, guitar hero: learn real piano on the nintendo ds

nintendo ds easy piano

You can learn all sorts of things with the Nintendo DS, from foreign vocabulary words to yoga (and even yoga for your face). But why stop there? Starting in November, you’ll be able to use your trusty Nintendo handheld to study piano… with a mini-keyboard attachment and all!

The graphics don’t exactly look spectacular, but they almost never do in…

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June 25th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: alisha k.

filed under: interactive just plain fun technology video games

ozaki imini pet ipod dock/radio/alarm clock: cute or just plain creepy?

iminipet-1

I’m pretty sure that the guys at Ozaki love Brando. My proof? Ozaki’s iMini Pet. Like most of Brando’s gadgets, it’s a mish mash of functionality – in this case an iPod dock, a radio and an alarm clock – with a touch of weird – a stuffed pet that can “dance” as music is being played. They nailed it.…

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June 10th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: audio gadgets just plain fun media players strange + wonderful technology

rock band fans, get ready for green day

green day rock band

Rock Band is missing a lot of rock bands that seem like obvious inclusions, and one of them is the longlived band Green Day. But not to fret, fans–the trio is on its way to a set of little plastic instruments near you. The question is, are we getting a full length Green Day game, a la the coming Beatles and…

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June 9th, 2009 comments (3) stumble it! digg it! author: alisha k.

filed under: technology video games

super mini cube: world’s tiniest (and most useless?) ipod speaker

mini-cube-1

Welcome to another edition of Cute or Stupid?, a feature that I personally don’t want to do anymore but fate seems to want me to continue, so. Here we go: up for deliberation is the Super Mini Cube, allegedly the world’s tiniest speaker. Measuring a scant 26mm (1.02 inches) on each side, the “no bulky” speaker delivers a dust-blowing 0.8…

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June 9th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: audio gadgets just plain fun mobile tech technology

nespod ipod mini casemod: double retro goodness

nespod-1

Flickr user recycledgamer refuses to let go of the past, whether it’s past past or recent past. He/She took an iPod mini – a relic from 2004-05 – and gave it a suit of blocky plastic armor, the iconic NES controller from the Golden Age, the ancient Pre-Playstation eras. Okay 1983.

The casemod is a bit “simple”, and by that…

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June 4th, 2009 comments (2) stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: audio geek art + craft hacks + mods media players mobile tech retro

miffy digital audio player: minimalist cuteness

miffy-dap-1

Miffy is a children’s book character made by Dutch author Dick Bruna in 1955. Although she’s obviously a rabbit, her resemblance to Hello Kitty has made her a hit not just in the Netherlands but in Japan as well. mobiBLU is banking on the support – and money – of Miffy’s fans with the release of their Miffy digital audio…

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June 3rd, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: audio gadgets just plain fun media players mobile tech

pocket boombox: hifiman portable audio player with modular amp bay

hi_fi_man_pmp

Most of today’s portable media players already have good sound quality, but their output can still be significantly enhanced using amplifiers. The only problem is, short of making a frankenplayer, there are currently no PMPs that have built-in amps. That will all change come June this year with the release of the HiFiMAN HM-801, a portable audio player equipped with…

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May 27th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: audio gadgets media players mobile tech technology

muji wall-mounted cd player: pull string, hear music

muji_cd_player_1

Now this is something I really really want: a stylish, easy-to-use CD player. Pull the string to turn the player on, pull it again to make the player stop. The volume and search buttons are on top of the player. That’s all there is to it; beauty in simplicity. You can see the Muji in action at the beginning and…

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May 14th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: audio design gadgets home entertainment media players technology

thumb callouses are so over: super mario bros controlled with music

Marc Sciglimpaglia and Phoenix Toews super mario bros hack music

I love Mario, but even I have to admit that the old school games are, well, old. I’ve played ‘em a million times, and even though Super Mario Bros is a classic, it’s always fun to spice it up a little. I just never thought I’d see a musically-driven Mario Bros.

You read that right–this Super Mario Bros shuns the traditional controller and…

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May 13th, 2009 comments (1) stumble it! digg it! author: alisha k.

filed under: audio hacks + mods technology video games

rock out with your gadgets out

korg synthesizer nintendo ds dsi iphone ipod touch

Ah, the sweet sounds of music produced with your favorite multi-use electronic devices! There’s always something amazing about the lengths people will go to in order to squeeze the most out of their gadgetry, and it makes even the simplest music ten times better. If you can manage to use every dang gadget in the house, like this guy seems…

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May 11th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: alisha k.

filed under: gadgets strange + wonderful video games

percussa audiocubes make beautiful music together

percussa_audiocubes

You might play electronic music on synthesizers, drum machines, key-tars and guit-boards, but how many of you can claim you’ve jammed out with a set of cubes?

AudioCubes are designed to be played in live performances, and let you control sounds by manipulating the position, angles and relationships between the palm-sized cubes.

Not to be confused with gadget shop with…

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May 10th, 2009 comments stumble it! digg it! author: technabob

filed under: audio interactive strange + wonderful technology

pmpin’: anything but ipod’s mp3 player buyer’s guide

pmp-guide

If you’re planning on buying an MP3 player but your knowledge only goes as far as “iPod, iPod Nano, iPod Touch, iPod shuffle, everything else…”, then you should check out anything but iPod’s guide to buying mp3 players. The article breaks down the discussion by reminding us of the essential aspects of an MP3 player, such as sound quality, physical…

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May 7th, 2009 comments (1) stumble it! digg it! author: lambert v.

filed under: audio gadgets media players mobile tech technology video

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