Those who dig icons from the golden years of audio and love the convenience of today’s wireless speaker will find a beautiful convergence of the two in the new Gramovox. A Kickstarter campaign designed directly from the Magnavox R3 Gramophone horn of the roaring 20’s, the Gramovox lets you stream tunes via Bluetooth into a refashioned piece of Americana.
While designs like the Gramovox have showed up before, the speaker is the first of its kind to utilize Bluetooth for a fully wireless experience. Specs for this retro-modern sound machine include a 15-hour battery life, Bluetooth 3.0, and a proprietary 60 mm driver powered by a custom built 3-watt amplifier. The device’s guts are concealed inside its wooden base, so all you see is old-school sonic design.
While the prototype horn was printed using stereolithography via a 3D printer, the final product will be constructed from black powder-coated steel and brass and your choice of maple, or walnut wood base. The size is a 3:4 scale model of the original R3.
As of this article’s publishing date, the Gramovox is a little over halfway to its $100,000 campaign goal with 26 days left to go. A pledge of $250 plus shipping gets you a Gramovox in the U.S., with a $300 cost for Canadian residents, $320 for Aussies, and $350 for European residents. If you’ve been looking for a speaker with that vintage look and sound that pumps tunes from your smartphone, visit the Gramovox at its Kickstarter page.
