Buying an iPod dock that literally costs 10 times as much as an iPod takes a special kind of person, but luxury gadget guru David Wiener is betting that special person is out there. Wiener, who built a name for himself with high-end Ferrari-branded products, introduced the Art.Suono iPod dock on Friday, a $1,499 system that combines a heavy dose of automotive design influence with a new standard in wireless audio transmission.
The dock, which basically amounts to a circular billet aluminum slab trimmed in carbon fiber, takes input from any audio source, including iPods, computers, CD players, MP3 players and satellite radio, and transmits them to any audio system via two included receivers. The automotive influence primarily shines through on top, where the volume knob has been given a slanted knurl that makes it looks like a helical gear, and the power button and input button switch button have been labeled, “engine start” and “shift,” respectively.
Rather than using Bluetooth or more commonplace methods of audio transmission, the Art.Suono uses proprietary method that its manufacturer hasn’t released many details on. It also uses unique DWC-APHEX circuitry, which is supposed to make music “sound more alive” by restoring details lost in compression.
The dock will debut in October with a retail price of $1,499, even higher than even premium competing systems.
