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These Aluminum Speakers Will Set You Back $140,000


Muon


Our never-ending search for items at the Consumer Electronics Show that are true statement pieces continues with a visit to KEF, maker of the Muon -- perhaps ironically named since a muon is a smaller particle than a quark, yet these speakers, evidenced by the picture above, are clearly not tiny.

Nor is their price tag. At $140,000 for the pair, the Muon speakers are meant for only the most discerning audiophile, for whom price is obviously no matter.

Only 100 pairs of the speakers will be made, according to Johan Coorg, marketing director for KEF. "The one-hundred and first person who wants one will just have to be disappointed," he said.

Why make speakers like these?

"This actually started as a testbed project for our engineers," Coorg said. "British audio has always been very well respected. These speakers now are the leading edge in real cool design. It's no longer acceptable to buy a square box anymore."

Though they have a somewhat organic shape, these speakers are made of aluminum, shaped and made strong through a process called "superforming."

The result is five-hundred combined pounds of visually arresting listening delight.

From KEF.


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Texas Man Builds $3.4 Million Home Theater

It's not home theater unless it's gilded with 24-karat gold. At least that's what a Texas video/audiophile thought when he spent five years and $3.4 million on his version of the home box office, which won the 2007 Robb Report's Home Entertainment Installation of the Year award.

Centered within a gothic-cathedral-and-castle-inspired-house in Texas, the theater boasts a Runco Reflection MBX-1 commercial grade projector capable of throwing a forty-one foot screen at 1280 x 1024 resolution, CAT MBX speakers that hide behind fabric panels, twenty-four 12-inch subwoofers (not including the not-less-than-$2,000-a-piece speakers that fill out the 38 audio zones).

It's an impressive system that no doubt would blow anyone away, though what the difference between a $3.4 million system and a $1.1 million system is anyone's guess. When it comes to systems in this price range, only dogs -- with their ultra-sensitive ears -- know the truth.

No doubt some of the cost is going into the semi-gaudy look of the thing, which features plush seats and gilding made of 24-karat gold (hey, maybe it's good for the room's acoustics).

Looks aside, we are certainly impressed with the Crestron touch display screens and remotes that control almost every aspect of the house.

If you're wondering what we mean, take a look at what Texas Integrated Systems's Kyle Griffith, who installed the system, had to say about the remotes:

"Of course, you can control the sound and the video with these, but you can also control all the lights in the House -- it's the equivalent of having 285 light switches in one panel, but a lot easier to use. And you can control the six garage doors. And the six humidifiers that maintain the right environment for the woodwork. And you can control the temperature of the swimming pool and the 30-person spa. You can also access 16 security cameras, and whenever someone drives up, their picture appears on the touchscreens. We even set it up so that the client can redo the TV channels on the touchscreens -- even to the point of changing the logos -- as his tastes or the channel offerings change."


Although the theater only has eleven seats (for optimal viewing, we're sure), it's kinda sad that the other nineteen people in the spa have to wait their turn.


From Robb Report

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