[78-L] Need a $500 iPod amp?

[Michael Biel]

From: "Sam Brylawski" <goodlistening at gmail.com>
> My wife found a magazine ad for this today. Imagine. Miraculously,
> it doesn't need any electricity and is only $500.

http://www.canadiandesignresource.ca/officialgallery/?p=2128

You need to go back to that page and look at the comment I added to it.
(And you may have to go to it FAST! because it says that it is "awaiting
moderation" and they might not allow it.) Then you also need to see the
two other pages devoted to it from the manufacturer 

http://www.scienceandsons.com/ph2.php

and especially the store which is selling it.

http://charlesandmarie.com/lifestyle-gems/bestselling-lifestyle-gems/product/phonofone/?tx_ttproducts_pi1[backPID]=321


The description they include is just to stupid to not repeat here in
case they finally get embarassed and remove or change it.  They are
serious and are really trying to sell this crap for $500.  I haven't
seen anything this funny since the Utah Project!

=========================

Brace yourself, we've got our most amazing product so far ready for you,
but before we get ahead of ourselves here, let us start at the
beginning:

In 2006, designer Tristan Zimmermann of science and sons set out to
design something groundbreaking, like modesty.  But modesty was already
invented, so Tristan Zimmermann invented the Phonofone.  The Phonophone
is even better than modesty because it comes in a box and plays music.

What is the Phonofone you ask? In short, it's like a speaker for your
iPod, only it uses no power. Through passive amplification alone, these
unique pieces instantly transform any personal music player + earbuds
into a sculptural audio console. Without the use of external power or
batteries, the Phonofone II inventively exploits the virtues of horn
acoustics to boost the audio output of standard earphones to up to 55
decibels. Now let's make this clear, 55 decibels is not going to
entertain your party, but it's fine for the office or next to the bed or
or for a dinner party. But honestly, if you want to get a great sounding
set of speakers that you can crank up and rock out to, get a set of
Bose.

Truly an amazing object, the Phonofone is clever piece of applied
science, a beautiful icon of nostalgia, and an ironic twist on the
insular nature of personal listening devices. It is not intended to be
used as home stereo system. The Phonofone II is constructed entirely
from ceramic. Not only environmentally low impact, ceramics are
inherently rigid and resonant, lending themselves well to this
application.

Material: Ceramic

Dimensions: 11" x 9.5" x 20" (28 x 25 x 51 cm)


The fine print on Phonofone:

To fully exploit the amplification potential of your Phonofone the
following considerations are strongly urged:

1) MP3 player – The output power of full size Apple brand iPods and
iPod minis (HD size non specific) is ideally suited for powering a
Phonofone. iPod nanos and shuffles are only recommended if used with an
inline headphone amplifier (see point #5). It is also recommended to
override your iPod volume restriction settings before hooking it up to a
Phonofone.

2) Headphones - Only Apple Brand earbuds (with the adapters provided
with your Phonofone) are recommended for this application. Be aware that
after prolonged use at loud volumes, the earbuds can start to degrade in
audio quality.

3) Types of music – The phonofone is excellent for amplifying Blues,
Classical and Folk music, but is less ideal for Electronic music and
Rock. This is because the heavy bass associated with both Rock and
Techno can result in clipping (buzzing) when played at its loudest
volume. If clipping is occurring in a song, it can be overridden by
selecting the 'bass reduction' equalizer setting in your iPod or by
playing the song at a slightly lower volume.

4) MP3 Quality – Not all music is mastered the same. That is, the
baseline volume of each song can differ from each other significantly
especially if your music library consist of illegally downloaded
material (which we hope it isn't). If you are experiencing a large
degree of variation in the listening volume of your MP3s try adjusting
the gain (volume) of each file accordingly by using free 3rd party
software. We will not assume responsibility for any damages that this
software might incur.

5) Headphone Preamplifiers - If you plan on using your Phonofone with an
iPod shuffle or nano, or are simply seeking more volume from this
device, you can purchase a headphone amplifier. A headphone amplifier is
small battery operated device that is placed in-line between your MP3
player and your earbuds. This device will increase the power of the
signal to the headphones which will result in a higher volume (and
actually makes the Phonofone sound rather loud). Please note that using
a preamplifier can significantly limit the life of your earbuds and
should be used with discretion. If you hear the earbuds 'crackling' then
it's time to turn the volume down.