LG Electronics is gearing up for next week’s CES expo, and one product that they’ve teased stands out to the AV crowd: the DukeBox.
The prototype speaker/display combo continues LG’s recent trend of delivering consumer AV with an intentional design philosophy. Developed by LG Labs (LG’s marketing platform for experimental products), the DukeBox places old-school vacuum tubes into a modern audio system, then covers the whole thing with a transparent OLED display. Consisting of two front-facing speakers at the bottom of the device and a 360-degree speaker at the top, LG claims the DukeBox delivers an immersive audio experience that surrounds the user.
To marry the vintage aesthetic of the vacuum tubes with a more futuristic look, the tubes are encased behind a transparent OLED screen. LG says the transparency of the screen is adjustable to give viewers a peek at the insides, or crank up the opacity to allow users to enjoy the ambiance of a crackling fireplace or even watch movies.
While no availability or pricing has been made public by LG, the DukeBox is definitely interesting enough to make me want to know more. We’ll have to wait until CES to see how the DukeBox looks (and sounds) in person.
