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Transmission Audio Ultimate speakers -- $1M for the best monophonic sound ever
We didn't think anything would top Goldmund's $190,000 Telos 5000 amplifier, but we should have known better. Bloated excess knows no bounds, so coming in at a cool $1,000,000 per side, we've got Transmission Audio's Ultimate speakers. Each channel consists of six, 7-foot high panels (one supertweeter ribbon, two tweeter/midrange ribbons, one 24x8-inch woofer, and two 10x15-inch subwoofer); taken together, a stereo pair of the Ultimates will eat up a modest 37-foot swath of your living room airplane hangar. Even people with more money than sense like convenience, though, so the Ultimate takes a page from the HTIB crowd and bundles in six 500-Watt dual-mono amplifiers and a preamp. At these prices, you'd think Transmission Audio could afford some bandwidth, but the company website has been stripped of photos at the moment, so hit the read link for more eye candy. [Via CNET]
Olive blesses Opus No. 4 music server with 2TB of space, charges $1,799 for it
We haven't heard from Olive in a white hot minute, but hey, given the price of its wares, maybe it just decided to take the whole recession off. At any rate, the boutique outfit is sashaying back onto the scene with the Opus No. 4, the newest member of its long-standing Opus Hi-Fi Digital Stereo family. As with the models that have come before, this ultra high-end music server packs loads of internal storage (2TB if you're counting), giving you enough room for around 6,000 CDs stored in the lossless FLAC format. There's also a handy, full-color display on the front that probably won't get much use, and 'round back, you'll find a WiFi adapter (for wireless music streaming, you dig?), optical / coaxial digital audio outputs, a left / right analog output, a USB socket and an Ethernet port (for more of that streaming stuff). Look good? You bet. Does it look $1,799 good? That's debatable.
Ultra-clean custom install leaves us ashamed of our rat's nest
As impressive as some custom installs look from the front-end, CEPro has photos of the back-end of a "masterpiece" setup that simply must be seen. If you think moving a set-top box to a remote location is excessive, you'll want to munch on some Xanax before hitting the link, because your head might a-splode. Sure, the ultra-wealthy can get the job done by cutting a nice big check, but you've got to respect this kind of fanatical attention to detail that someone mustered to both plan out and install by hand. Considering that the system has more than a dozen Crestron panels for HVAC, lighting, AV, security, water features and a train set (ultra-rich, remember?), you might even say that the effort was necessary for getting things up and running and keeping them that way.
Bang & Olufsen's BeoVision 4 103-inch plasma on sale in USA: $93,050
So, there are two ways to look at this: the first is that this television set costs almost as much as many homes, while the second is that it's around $40,000 cheaper than the Euro-conversion price. Specially designed for plutocrats who need to brag that Mark Cuban has the bargain version of their HDTV, Bang & Olufsen's 103-inch BeoVision 4-103 plasma brings along a 1080p panel and plenty of wow. The unit has just been let loose here in America, going on a US press tour and becoming available for special order for those with loads of disposable income. It can be purchased in an array of color options including black, silver, red, blue, and dark grey, though there is a three to four month lead time for each set. The pain? $93,050 on wall mount, $111,805 on motorized floor stand -- though we hear that it's hand delivered by Dos Equis himself.
Zen-filled Aspire One netbook makes VAIO P look cheap
Oh, right -- we forgot that Sony's not actually considering the VAIO P a "netbook," but for all intents and purposes, it is. That being said, this highly decorated Aspire One easily blows the pants off of the aforesaid Sony, ringing up at $3,000 (minimum) on eBay. Why so pricey, you ask? No, there's no liquid nitrogen-cooled Core 2 Quad within, nor will you find a CrossFireX graphics setup. What you will see, however, is hours upon hours of TLC poured into this one-of-a-kind machine by Japan's own UFO-Hayashi. Still, for three large this better come bundled with peace, love and happiness for as long as the owner draws breath -- something we're definitely not seeing in the video after the break.
15 Minutes of Fame: Abotu shapes up a custom figure
15 Minutes of Fame is our look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes – from the renowned to the relatively anonymous, the remarkable to the player next door. Tip us off to players you'd like to hear more about.Last week, Mike Schramm introduced Abotu (Emerald Dream-US) and his to-die-for custom Troll Rogue action figure. Abotu has been sculpting custom figures as long as he can remember. "When I was little, if there was a toy I wanted that I didn't have, I'd try to make it myself out of modeling clay or construction paper," he remembers. He's done exactly that here by creating Abotu, his own World of Warcraft figure – puts Figureprints to shame, doesn't it? 15 Minutes of Fame visited with Aboto this week, not only to find out more about the player behind the talent but also to get inside scoop on exactly what went into making his Abotu custom. Our two-part look at Abotu the sculptor, the making of Abotu the action figure, plus photo galleries of the Abotu figure and other creations from this talented player ... after the break.
Limited edition Prince Opus iPod touch just wants your kiss (and $2,100)
While certainly not the most expensive iPod we've ever seen, the limited edition Prince Opus iPod touch is definitely amongst the priciest. Sold only as part of an ultra rare kit that includes a luxurious book of Prince photographs from Kraken Opus, this touch (of unknown capacity) comes preloaded with 40 minutes of "exclusive" footage along with a live soundtrack from Indigo Nights. Of course, it's also doused in purple and splashed with Prince's symbol 'round back, but even with only 950 kits available, we still say the $2,100 price tag is far too lofty. Hate to break it to ya, Opus, but those hedge funds are no longer partying like it's 1999.[Via All Things Digital]
Custom-made Troll Rogue action figure by Abotu
We posted that fan-made Draenei Barbie last week, and a few commenters sent us a note about this figure, custom made by Abotu over on Emerald Dream. The Barbie was just something funny that a few fans did while bored, but this Troll Rogue is the real thing -- custom leather armor fitted onto what used to be a Tomb Raider figure, heavily modified with Sculpey, wood (for the daggers) and even boot laces (for the braids). It's really, really impressive, not only in the way it looks, but in what it took to make: the whole thing took about two months' worth of work (Abotu guesses it might cost over $1000 to make selling these worth it), and many parts of it are completely fabricated. The head is sculpted from scratch, and the hands and feet are from an X-men Nightcrawler figure, but even those have been shaped to look completely different from what they used to be.Quite a piece of work. We've put all of the image in an easily browseable gallery below, to save you from the trouble of cutting and pasting Photobucket links. Our own 15 Minutes of Fame column has also scheduled an interview with Abotu, so stay tuned for more information on how this all came together (and how you too might be able to immortalize your character like this). And as always, if you've heard of some amazing fan art like this, feel free to send it along on our tipline -- we always love seeing what World of Warcraft fans are putting their crafting skill points into.%Gallery-49393%
New World of Warcraft stein features Lich King
Remember those World of Warcraft steins you thought were way too expensive and passed on buying? There's another one. Three Point Entertainment has released a new stein, this one featuring everyone's favorite bad guy, the Lich King himself, brandishing Frostmourne and leading an army of the Undead in the way he's apt to do. We have to admit, it does look cool and all, but at $90, we'll be drinking our ale from the usual sippy-cup, thanks.And just in case you happen to be burdened with too much money in this horrendous economy, you can get a "Legendary Collection" version for $175 that's signed by the artist, is limited to only 750 steins worldwide, and includes "premium hand painting throughout." No idea why you'd want your hands painted, but if you're really spending $175 on a World of Warcraft mug, you're already nuts.The new steins start shipping in late April and May. Considering all of the bailouts lately, your house will probably have regained its value enough for you to afford one of these, right? We say go for it.
Furutech intros $700 F-TP615 power filter / AC distributor
Ah, there's the Furutech we know and love! The company made famous for charging obscene amounts of cash for AV items that cannot possibly be worth their weight in gold is back in full force, pumping out a power filter / AC distributor for $700. For those untrained in mathematics, that's around $116.66 per outlet. Of course, these aren't just any outlets, as each one is tested with its own α (Alpha) cryogenic and demagnetizing process and is plated in 24k gold. You'll also notice a proprietary Axial Locking System which purportedly lowers receptacle resonance by a factor of ten, and the high-grade aluminum chassis effectively shields against RFI and alien radiation. If you believe all of that, you can gleefully give your cash away right now in exchange for one.
Furutech looks to DIY crowd with new power connectors, receptacles
While not priced completely out of reason as was the $1,800 Piezo Powerflux Power Cord, Furutech's latest aren't exactly the cheapest options on the block. Aimed squarely at the hard-nosed DIY crowd, the FI-03(R) and FI-03(G) Pure Transmission IEC Input Connectors (or just "receptacles" for the laypeople) are apparently snazzy enough to demand $19.60 / $15.00 apiece. Sure, they're plated in rhodium and gold, respectively, but we get the sense these are still custom made for those with more money than sense. Moving on, we've got the slightly-less-attainable FI-28(R) and FI-28M(R) power connectors, which obviously won't show their true awesomeness without using cabling that's over $400 per foot. Both releases are hosted up after the break for your enjoyment.
SIM2 launches Ethernet-packin' C3X LUMIS HOST 1080p projector
Around this time last year, SIM2 was busy busting wallets with its $32k C3X. This year, we've got a revamped version coming in at an even higher price point: the network-friendly C3X LUMIS HOST. The 1080p beamer packs a 3-chip DLP (DarkChip4) engine, a 35,000:1 contrast ratio, 3,000 ANSI lumens, DynamicBlack technology and IR / Ethernet / RS-232 control ports. The standout feature, however, is SIM2's own proprietary three-line optical-digital High-Definition Optical Signal Transfer (H.O.S.T.) system, which allows two of these beasts to be connected over distances of up to 750-feet. Sadly, this unit will only find homes with those with copious quantities of disposable income, as it starts at $36,495 and goes higher when throwing in a T3 extra-long throw lens.[Via CyberTheater]
Mobiado frightens and offends with Professional 105GMT Gold handset
We've seen some ugly cellphones in our day, but we can't recall the last time we felt that touching one could cause irreversible harm to our bodies and minds. Falling squarely in the category of "wouldn't touch with a ten twenty foot poll" is Mobiado's Professional 105GMT Gold. This abomination was crafted from sapphire crystal, Ebony wood and a CNC machined frame which is doused in 24-carat gold. You'll also find a totally not awesome 1GB of inbuilt memory, a ho hum 2-megapixel camera and a 2-inch 320 x 240 resolution display. It also features multimedia playback, a quad-band GSM radio, Bluetooth, optional diamonds and a Discovery watch mechanism that was clearly added in a desperation move to make this seem "luxurious." No word on pricing, and we don't plan on digging around to find out.[Via UnwiredView]
Carbon fiber door boasts biometric scanner, $15,000 sticker
Being the home cinema fanatics that we are, we'd much rather spend around two large to snag one of QuietHome's THX-certified doors, but our love for all things biometric still manages to make this one tug on our delicate heartstrings. Masterfully crafted by the carbon fiber gurus at Brazil's own Chaote Carbon, this 99-pound, 7.5- x 4.9-foot door was carefully wrapped in carbon fiber and equipped with a biometric scanner to keep unwelcome guests waiting in the rain. We can't say we totally see the value proposition considering the $15,000 price tag, but we get the idea the buyer here probably has more money than he can figure out how to spend.[Via Unplggd]
Samsung Ego GT-S9402 luxury phone shames the word "luxury"
We've got a bone (or three) to pick with this one, so we'll just get right down to the beating. For starters, anyone who can't recognize the striking similarity between this handset and Vertu's Ferrari Ascent Ti is obviously wearing Samsung-tinted glasses. Aside from the complete lack of originality, the Ego GT-S9402 also lacks a 3G radio -- an omission that's simply inexcusable given the estimated €1,200 ($1,513) price tag. Oh sure, there's a measly 1GB of inbuilt storage, tri-band GSM connectivity, a 5-megapixel camera (with LED flash), an FM radio module, Bluetooth 2.0, dual SIM slots and a microSDHC expansion slot, but for over a G, we expect something more than mid-range specifications in a "liquidmetal" alloy chassis. Color us emphatically unimpressed.[Via UnwiredView]
Runco ships $40k 100-inch VideoWall VW-100HD in-wall projection system
Just when we thought everyone was scaling back in order to cater to the poor, cash-strapped consumer dealing in these tough economic times, along comes Runco to help us remember that there's still a market out there for the uber-elite. The outfit's remarkable 100-inch VideoWall VW-100HD 1080p in-wall projection system is shipping just in time for that special someone on your holiday gift list, but you better be expecting something absurdly awesome in return. Not just anyone deserves a $39,995 present, you know. Full release is after the break.
Cineversum intros $6,500 BlackWing One 1080p projector
If the BlackWing Three was just a touch too rich for your blood, yet you dug what Cineversum had going on, have a look at this. The BlackWing One 1080p digital video projector relies on three 0.6-inch LCoS panels (all with a 1,920 x 1,080 native resolution, obviously) and comes pre-calibrated for optimal performance right out of the box. Additionally, it features a 15,000:1 contrast ratio, 1,400 ANSI lumens, two HDMI 1.3 sockets, an RS-232 control port and a "futuristic deep metallic-black ABS plastic chassis" designed by France's own Antoine Béon. The first batch is scheduled to hit North America in mid-December for $6,500 apiece, but those up for spending more can have their unit splashed with a custom color.
Gilded, diamond-encrusted earphones go for £3,499
We've definitely seen more expensive earphone covers in our day, but these are certainly amongst the most pricey 'buds out there. A single set of these Casa Gi-designed earbuds are currently being sold in Bristol for £3,499 ($5,253), and all that money goes towards 59 diamonds (per bud) and an 18-carat gold coating. Quite frankly, we tend to feel that these are pretty garish, but we've no doubt whatsoever that someone, somewhere will make the trip over and snatch 'em up. 'Course, we can't say how long they'll remain safely lodged in the owners ears given the gadget crime rate in Britain, but we get the feeling these won't really be used for casual listening, anyway.[Via Pocket-lint]
Breakfast Topics: Is the Traveler's Tundra Mammoth worth it?
Wrath of the Lich King introduces the Traveler's Tundra Mammoth, a 3 person mount that costs between 16,000 and 20,000 gold, depending on your reputation with the Kirin Tor.The mount is starting to show up on live realms today. Some folks that have very deep pockets are picking them up for the maximum cost. Reactions are mixed. Most people will target the mount, look through the vendors, and some will ask to get on it for a quick ride. Others will /point /laugh.The vendors on the mount are both a reagent vendor and a food / general goods vendor. The reagent vendor allows you to repair on the fly, the food / general vendor lets you pickup food and water when ever you need it, and both allow you to sell stuff on a whim. The general vendor also has unlimited arrows and bullets.It's very nice for leveling in some ways, and will be quite nice for raiding in that you'll always have someplace close with reagents and other essentials.But is it worth it?
HDTV Cable Kit For Dummies is really just for suckers
You know, we typically have nothing but respect for the For Dummies line (with one title in particular being our fav), but this is just downright insulting. For those buying a new HDTV on Black Friday or soon after, 4D Global Partners and Cables To Go have linked up schemed to sucker you into buying this pathetic kit for hooking things up. Ironically enough, this supposedly simple package gets confusing right from the get-go by coming in two versions -- as if HDTV newbies will really understand which one to go for. Beyond that, the only difference between the HDTV Cable Kit For Dummies and the HDTV Premium Cable Kit For Dummies is the number of HDMI cables (two and three, respectively). Each box comes bundled with a few basic HDMI connectors, "additional cables required to connect non-HDMI components," reusable cable ties and a booklet that provides vague installation details for a TV you don't actually own. Worst of all, the For Dummies crew somehow got the idea that pricing these at $99.99 and $149.99 (in order of mention) was a bright idea, which makes us awfully suspicious that Noel Lee has his sketchy hands in this somewhere.
