iVictrola amp plays your tunes without power

The Gadget Show  Wednesday 13 January 2010

iVictrola: brand new retro

We’ve seen our fair share of iPod spinoffs, and more than a good few so-called retro bits of kit too, but here’s something a bit different: an old-school iPod amplifier.

The iVictrola iPod Amplifier is exactly that: it uses traditional amplification principles to take a tiny audio signal and expand it acoustically through the grammaphone-like horn.

The results might not have the same audio quality as your favourite stereo or digital dock, but it’s a highly clever concept – one so clever that it doesn’t require batteries or any other power source at all.

In keeping with its old-world ancestry, the iVictrola base is carved from walnut – though the fact that it’s recycled from high-end furniture is decidedly more modern.

And it’s got a pretty modern price tag too – it’ll set you back $400 plus shipping, though there’s no confirmation as to when it goes on sale.