Support Our Site
Get Better Gear!
- Kensington Windshield/Vent Car Mount with Sound Amplified Cradle for iPhone from Kensington, $39.99
- SigFx Energy iPhone Case Contains Smart Battery from SigFx Energy, US$69.95
- NAVIGON AG - True GPS Software for the iPhone from NAVIGON Inc., 89.99
- Tweetie 2 from atebits, $2.99
- Snood: Flawed Casual Play from Electronic Arts, US$3.99
Premier Sponsors
Top 5 Free Apps
iTunes New Music Releases
Top 5 Paid Apps
Discover New Music
- Wolfmother
Black Sabbath, The White Stripes, The Stooges. There aren't many bands worth their salt that want to be compared to other bands, but when I listen to Wolfmother's self-titled American debut, I can
- Aretha Franklin
While she didn't always have the best taste in song selection, Aretha Franklin is a must-study for anyone with interest in the human voice. She has the kind of powerful, recklessly passionate deliv
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
- Arctic Monkeys
Get on your dancing shoes
You sexy little swine
-Arctic
- Spoon
Gimme Fiction by Spoon is a terrific album by an Austin band that I was lucky enough to catch on an Austin radio station during a Christmas visit.
- Prefuse 73
- It's an album about a breakup, done with beats instead of mopey lyrics. But the beats are raw, and the emotions are there, even if there aren't many words on top of it. While possibly not Scott Herren
Reader Specials
Visit Deals On The Web for the best deals on all consumer electronics, iPods, and more!
News
NYT: iPod and the Vacuum Tube Sing a Warm Duet
Tuesday, April 17th, 2007 at 3:00 PM - by John Martellaro
There are lots of devices one can plug an iPod into and listen to music. For those audiophile purists, a throwback vacuum tube system is hard to beat, the New York Times reported.
The sound quality of these modern docking devices depends on a lot of things, but they all have one thing in common. They use modern transistor technology. Now, a UK company is making iPod docking devices that use the old-fashioned vacuum tubes to create a special rich sound that purists say only vacuum tubes can create.
 Fatman iTube Valve Dock |
|---|
" ...Roth Audio, a company based in Reading, England, is appealing to the inner audiophile of iPod users with its Cocoon MC4, a compact docking station and amplifier topped by four vacuum tubes that glow when the power is on. Pop an iPod into the dock, and you have an odd couple: The iPod, apotheosis of the slim, portable and digital, and the flanking vacuum tubes that are fat, stationary and utterly analog," Anne Eisenberg wrote.
The second device, more geared to the living room, the Fatman iTube, has an additional tube that isn't involved in the amplification. It was added just for fun to show the sound level.
In addition to the sheer fun of owning one of these devices, they also tell a marketing story. Jay Rein, president of Bluebird Music who distributes the devices in the U.S. said, "Everybody has an iPod... So anything you can attach to an iPod sells."
Recent Headlines
- Apple TV 3.0.1 Update Fixes Missing Content Bug
- Taiwan Leak Shows Verizon UTMS/CDMA iPhone for Q3 2010
- iPhone Moves Into RadioShack
- Dictionary, Dictionary, Dictionary, And More
- The Latest App Store Games: Gravity Sling, RocketBird, Ground Effect, Checkers!
- iPhone Game Developer Sued for Collecting User’s Cell Numbers
- Apple May Be Bringing RFID to the iPhone
Post Your Comments