While this isn’t the first time a gramaphone has been adapted to amplify digital music, this is the first bluetooth-enabled version that I’ve spotted on the market. The Gramovox is not only a piece of home decor and an obvious conversation starter, but a new technology that offers the bold design and vintage sound of a 1920s gramophone to accompany any kind of music on your bluetooth-enabled device.
When sound waves spread up from the wood base and through the S-curve horn (a 3:4 reproduction of the 1920s R3 Magnovox horn) users experience an organic, mid-range, vintage sound. Master metal fabricators have crafted the horns using some of the same manufacturing methods used in the 1920s (the horn is made in China and assembled in Itasca, Illinois). The cone component is spun on a lathe and the neck is stamped out of sheets of steel. Afterward, these parts are hand-welded together, polished, and powder-coated black. The inner cavity of the walnut wood base (which I wish was a bit more elegant than a brick-shape) is CNC-milled to accommodate the horn hole, speaker, and electronics that include an audio driver and a custom-printed circuit board (PCB) with a Bluetooth 4.0 module. Both the wood base and electronics are made in Troy, Michigan. To keep things streamlined, all of the controls are located on the back of the Gramovox, including a 3.5mm Stereo Input, On/Off Switch, and Micro USB input. The Gramovox is available for pre-order now for $399.99.
Back view showing the controls.
All images courtesy of
