Massive Audio exhibited at CES 2014 a Dalek packed with numerous speakers that can stream via Bluetooth audio played on a smartphone or tablet.
CES 2014 may be over, but there were so many interesting things showcased there, that it’s impossible to write about all of them in just four days. Massive Audio, better known as a manufacturer of car audio equipment, decided to tickle the soft spot of Whovians by unveiling a life-size Dalek. Even though this is one of the Doctor’s arch-enemies, Whovians are known to secretly like them very much. Otherwise there wouldn’t be that many gadgets shaped like Daleks, now would there? The Massive Dalek stands out as the largest and loudest Bluetooth speaker in the world, but also as the most annoying one.
The Massive Dalek’s body is made from MDF (medium-density fibreboard) that is covered with a proprietary coat. Jeremy Larsson, Whovian and CEO of Massive Audio, came up with the idea of building the world’s largest Bluetooth speaker in the form of a Dalek. Putting it together took them a while (three months, to be more precise), and the team also needed to work on New Year’s Day, to make sure that the speaker is complete before CES starts.
The annoyance is by no means caused by the potential output of 130 dB, nor by the 32 speakers that surround the body of the Dalek. Massive Audio thought that wouldn’t be enough, so they also packed a 10″ 1500 W subwoofer and a 5000 W amp placed at the back of it. Oh, no! The Massive Dalek’s annoyance derives from the incredibly realistic sound effects that were added to it. Supposing that you want to listen to some music on it, after connecting the smartphone or tablet to it via Bluetooth, you might end up having a mild heart attack if the Dalek sound effects kick in. If you don’t believe me, check out the Dalek relaxation tape played at the end of the following video. Relaxing, huh? This seems to be the ultimate cure if you want to eggs-ter-mi-nate your tension.
Do you want one of these? The Dalek Bluetooth speaker is most probably a one-off, but Massive Audio claimed that it would cost $25,000 to build another Massive Dalek. That’s not to say that there isn’t any room for improvement. On the contrary, Massive Audio plans to upgrade the Dalek by making its arms move and its head turn. The updated version would be presented at a few more shows before getting auctioned for charity.
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