[Nick Dangerous]

Quote:

Old School meets New Wave as the Panasonic's B-flat CQ-TX5500D (approximately $800) double DIN in dash automobile CD player is the world's first to employ a vacuum tube, yet also play MP3 CD-Rom discs. Employing a tube in the pre-amplification stage, the B-flat produces 16 watts (nominal) into 4 channels (45 watts per channel peak). An auxiliary input allows for flexibility of additional source components such as a portable cassette player or MiniDisc. Overall dimensions are 178mm x 100mm x 160mm while the unit weighs in at 2.3Kg. The CQ-TX5500 includes and AM/FM radio, allows for choosing folders on an MP3 CD-Rom, track selection on audio CD discs, and provides for single button random playback and repeat. A wireless remote control is also available. Visual features include the ability to view the tube while "old school" backlit analog UV meters show power output. Playback abilities include MPEG-1 Layer 3 (32kbs-256kbs), MPEG-2 Layer 3LSF (16kbs-160kbs). CD playback frequency response is from 5Hz to 20kHz. No date set for availability within the USA.

Now that's something I'd put into my car.

 

[DeanA]

Quote:

Originally posted by Nick Dangerous [Now that's something I'd put into my car.

It's a beauty. But it may be like hanging a sign on the car that says "Break my window and I'm yours".

 

[RickG]

Ya know, I might just buy one of those....after I do some more window tinting....

 

[msjjr]

It looks great but great hifi in a moving car with all that ambient noise? I don't think so.

 

[darkclouds]

msjjr:

well that depends on what car you're driving

 

[MacDEF]

I just hope your car has good shocks, or else you'd better keep extra tubes with your extra fuses

 

[tanfenton]

If you were using this and your car rolled over, would the tubes be considered "rolled?" Would it be better to roll a Cadillac then?

NGF

 

[msjjr]

Servicing would require a lube and tube every six months.

 

[Jeff Guidry]

Quote:

Originally posted by msjjr It looks great but great hifi in a moving car with all that ambient noise? I don't think so.

I tend to agree. The law of diminshing returns applies double for cars since ambient noise blurs most of the subtle detail.

A VERY high end car like a badass Mercedes, Bentley, Rolls Royce, etc. would be a good application for this bad boy, but my Ford Escort wouldn't have a clue what to do with it.

 

[jphone]

Quote:

Ya know, I might just buy one of those....after I do some more window tinting....

What?!! No neon lights?????

 

[eric343]

Well, I hope that tube is well isolated... Lots of vibration/shocks in a car, and vibration/shock is exactly what tubes hate.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Well, these guys claim to have been doing it since 1986, but eye've had my I on this one for a while now, myself!

 

[rickcr42]

why all the worry about rattling the tubes ?
ALL car audio was at one time tubes and actually was extremely reliable.
AND radios actually pulled in actual radio stations once !

 

[BeeEss]

rickcr42 is right, guys! Somewhere in storage I have my dad's first FM car stereo. It was so large it had to sit in between the passenger and driver side floorboards on the "hump", and it was all tube goodness! I can't even imagine how much power that dumb thing generates, it would heat the truck in winter

. You used something like that to power your Craig Powerplay 6X9's with 5 pound magnets

.

By the way, rickcr42,
<offtopic>
Cool pignose. I always wanted to get about eighty pignoses and arrange them in a stack. Haha, a pignose stack. All that tinny goodness, magnified 80 times.

</offtopic>

 

[Hirsch]

You want tubed car audio, simply plug a MicroZOTL into the 12v outlet on the dashboard. Then all you have to figure out is how you're mounting the horn speakers in the car...