Leave it to the British to nonsensically blend old-school analog audio equipment with cutting-edge digital players… and wrap it all up in a package so attractive you might actually want one. Like the Dice Electronics iTPA-220 before it, the Logic3 Valve80 is an iPod dock that harnesses a tube amp to attempt to deliver that characteristic “warm” sound of classic equipment from a cold and heartless stream of bits and bytes.
Logic3 Valve80 iPod Dock
Whether or not it pulls it off, we’ll leave for the audiophile community to decide. But if nothing else, the Valve80 is an elegant interpretation of old and new. A polished stainless steel base forms a clean slate for both the iPod and its tube complements, which deliver a combined 80 watts of stereo surround, hence the name. Logic3 even throws in a pair of black lacquer-finish speakers to complete the package, and if you’re looking to drive anything besides an iPod, you’ll find dual RCA jacks to do the job. Yes, analog – but that’s the point.
Though the company claims the Valve80 will add “real warmth, enriched harmonics and a new dimension to your music’s characteristics, which is priceless,” as it turns out, £299.99 is the real cost of such properties. More information can be found on Logic3’s Web site.
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