A Sneak Peek At The Forthcoming 2013 Line Of High End Analog Turntables by Phonotikal.

Here's a sneak peek at the upcoming collection of modern luxury analog turntables from Phonotikal. Using materials such as steel, wood, aluminum, and introducing new, more streamlined silhouettes, the 2013 collection has finishes such as gold, and new colors like neon green and bright orange.

Phonitkal is a small family company that builds high end turntables. The hobby of an audiophile father, former drummer and sound designer who has teamed up with the designer's son. They design and create their own unique turntables. The result is a collection of hand-mounted turntables assembled with components of the highest quality. The chassis is manufactured with the latest technology in the Czech Republic.

Their present models of turntables are stunning, as you can see over at Homecrux. But what's coming in 2013 is even more beautiful.





















Phonotikal

A Chip Off The Ol' Giant Skull Speaker. New MinuSkull Speakers by Kuntzel+Deygas.

above: The 2010 Grateful Vanity accoustic sculpture and a 2011 walnut miniskull speaker by Kuntzel+Deygas

above: artists Olivier Kuntzel and Florence Olivie (Kuntzel +Deygas) with their new minuskulls

These cool new 50 watt portable speakers, the miniskulls, designed by Kuntzel+Degas were inspired by their unusual and striking oversized accoustic sculpture, Grateful Vanity.


above: Olivier Kuntzel and Florence Olivie (Kuntzel +Deygas) stand in front of their accoustic sculpture, Grateful Vanity



The new tabletop version, handmade in France, comes in walnut wood or lacquered piano black or lacquered piano white. Not only are they scary looking, but the prices are equally frightening at €1600 for the walnut and €1750 for the black or white- not including shipping.




MinuSkull can be connected to any source of sound (Ipod, mp3, computer,etc). The better the source the more you can enjoy MinuSkull’s high-quality sound.



Technical components inside the skull consist of two broadband Fostex Fe-83 speakers with a membrane made out banana leaf pulp (the eyes). A mini subwoofer for a large and natural restitution. They chose a tailor-made speaker (made in France), which lies underneath the skull. A tailor-made Mosfet amplifier that allows a transparent and dynamic quality of listening without using an additional amplifier.



MinuSkull is expandable : this speaker can be used alone or as a duet in order to improve the stereo effect. Using 5 MinuSkulls creates the basis of a Home Cinema Sound System (a subwoofer should be added in this case).




In the designers' words "MinuSkull is a mini loudspeaker made for a high-quality sound experience at home. Its extraordinary Hi-Fi system creates a perfect sound, and most of all, to our own standards, it has a soul."

specs:
WIDTH 9.25 Inches HEIGHT 10.63 Inches, DEPTH 5.91 Inches
WEIGHT : 11 lb
BANDWIDTH : 60 TO 20,000 HERTZ
AMPLIFIER: 50 WATTS
CABLE POWER : 220 VOLTS
Connection : 2 Cinch RCA stereo entries
all images and information courtesy of Kuntzel+Deygas and Minuskull.

buy them here

Ultrasone's $2,750 Edition 10 Limited Headphones

Music and luxury lovers, are you listening?
German Headphone company Ultrasone has come out with a luxuriously stunning set of headphones inspired by butterfly wings and made with the finest materials including Ethiopian sheepskin leather, Ruthenium metal and Zebrano wood.



The technology matches the craftsmanship and the price may be the only sound that is appalling to your ears. At almost $3,000 a pair, I certainly hope you're listening to something other than Justin Bieber.



Ultrasone - Edition 10 (as described by Ultrasone):
Each Edition 10 is hand-made in Germany and offers open natural sound design without any limitations. It’s the perfect combination in technology and luxury. Materials of the highest quality have been chosen to encompass the latest developments in open-back sound technology. Enjoy the know-how and passion embedded in each Edition 10 model.



Creating a complete new headphone design is always promising but Ultrasone has risen to that challenge and designed from the ground up an amazingly rich product, utilizing the best combination of superlative styling, finest materials, and sound technologies.




The Edition 10 is the first OPEN-BACK pair of Edition headphones by Ultrasone. The wings of a butterfly inspired the basic look. Ultrasone Edition headphones not only provide brilliant sound but couple that with best materials available. Precious Ethiopian sheepskin leather covers ear cups and head band. Enjoy the comfort of the balanced and matched dark brown sheepskin leather. This is the smoothest leather available. The noble metal matt ruthenium, which is known for its elegant look and durable properties, covers the ear cups. The decorative shiny warm finish of the ruthenium surface shows a variety of eye-catching reflections. The ear cups are emblazoned with inlays of decorous Zebrano wood. Featuring a unique and stylish full metal headband that is also an extremely lightweight, solid design also bestow the highest comfort at the same time. Summing all this up, these headphones stand for extravagance in comfort, sound, surface feel and appearance.




Included you will find a specifically designed Edition 10 headphone stand. The geometrical alignment has been transferred from the ear cup inlays to define the delicate shape. This stand is a piece of art. To complete this complementary styling, the stand is made of the same Zebrano wood as the clasps on the outer ear cups. This elegant stand secures a safe storage for the edition 10 headphones.




Of course, edition 10 is equipped with the latest technologies such as ULE-technology (Mu Metal shielding) and S-Logic Plus technology. The special cable with silver-plated oxygen-free copper and Aramid fiber endows the Edition 10 with greater electron flow, lower weight and a maximum of flexibility and durability.




Treat yourself with luxurious materials and advanced technologies to experience highest comfort in safer hearing and longtime pleasure with your music.

Specs:
* Open-back deluxe headphones with reduced emissions, using the ULE standard (Ultra Low Emission) and S-Logic Plus technology.
* Frequency range: 5 - 45000 Hz.
* Impedance 32 Ohm.
* Sound pressure level 99 dB.
* MU Metal bufferboard.
* 40 mm titanium-plated driver.
* Magnet NdFeB.
* Weight 282g (excl. cord).
* Cord length: 3m.
* Aramid fiber enhanced.
* Silver plated high-flex cable.
* (OFC 99.99 % pure copper).
* 6.3 mm gold plated plug.
* Hand crafted Zebrano wood headphone stand.
* Wooden storage box.

Price? $2,749.00
buy them here

Thanks to TG daily for bringing this to my attention.

Ross Lovegrove is Making Some Noise for KEF

Above: Ross Lovegrove with his Muon Speakers for KEF


I've always been a fan of Ross Lovegrove's work and his newest creation for high end audio manufacturer, KEF, is no exception. The text below is from the April issue of Wallpaper.

The hallowed walls of Milan’s Science and Technology Museum played host to the launch of a groundbreaking pair of speakers yesterday evening.

'Muon' is the product of a union between the historic British audio company KEF and visionary industrial designer Ross Lovegrove. Standing two metres tall, the speakers are made from super-formed aluminium, which, like vacuum forming, uses heated aluminium sheets to bend around seemingly impossible shapes. The end result appears more like art than technology.

But the technology is every bit as impressive as the visual design. A four-way speaker system with powerful bass drivers produces an exceptionally clean and open sound regardless of the room’s acoustics.



As part of the launch the international creative branding agency Moving Brands created an audio responsive visual installation to showcase the speakers in action. They created a platform in front of the speakers that reacted in real time to the music being played, creating a light display to add a 3-dimensional demonstration of the sound quality. In the vaulted Sala del Cenacolo, where the speakers were showcased with the installation, the effect was truly sensational.

Berlow is a video of the launch:



Only 100 pairs of speakers are to be made and don’t let the fact that Robbie Williams has put his name on the waiting list put you off.