In the 2003 remake of the heist movie The Italian Job, the characters talk about what they will buy if they manage to pull it off. Two of the characters’ fantasies: Handsome Rob (played by Jason Statham) wants an Aston-Martin Vanquish and Lyle (Seth Green) already has the perfect sound system in mind:
Lyle: I’m getting a NAD T770 digital decoder with 70-watt amps and Burr-Brown DACs
Lyle: It’s a big stereo. Speakers so loud, they blow women’s clothes off!
Source: IMDb

In my last article I wrote about the mbl 101 X-Treme, which, while by all accounts an awesome technical achievement and one of the best omnidirectional loudspeakers out there, is somewhat – how can we say this – aesthetically challenging. Well, that’s not the case with Crystal Cable’s Arabesque. The latest offering from the Dutch-based company is absolutely gorgeous.

The mbl 101 X-Treme system, the most luxurious offering from German/American audio wizards mbl, costs US$250,000.00. Several reviews have mentioned that this is also the approximate price you could expect to pay for a Ferrari, which is indeed the case, that amount having been dropped by singer Chris Brown in 2008 on a vehicle for then-girlfriend Rihanna, and [presumably] by insurers in 2007 after “Undercover Brother” star Eddie Griffin introduced a $250,000 Enzo to a concrete wall during a charity race.

Here’s a low budget, DIY speaker project that stays true to the simple, uncomplicated design of the iPod. You can create these speakers for the iPod or your MP3 player using a recipe of 4 paper cups, 2 toothpicks, and your regular old earbuds. I haven’t actually tried these mod paper cup speakers but the idea looks simple enough and might even boost the sound a bit.

So you’ve upgraded the old tube to that ultra-seek wall mounted LCD or plasma HDTV. You’re getting valuable floor space back, the living room is looking less crowded. Now you’re going for that minimalist look, getting rid of the monstrous entertainment center.  Next on the to-do list are those large boxes, called floor speakers, that adorn your living room. Enter the fashionable in-wall speakers.