LG’s Retro-Futuristic Speaker Doubles as an OLED Fireplace
It's old-school audio engineering meets new-school display tech.
LG may have just devised the perfect way to let people know you’re an audio snob.
Its latest wacky innovation from its experimental LG Labs division is called the DukeBox for CES 2024. Even though old-school vacuum tube audio is still relevant these days, LG gave it a considerable facelift by adding an OLED display that has an adjustable transparency.
It doesn’t feel right to label the DukeBox as just a 360-degree speaker or just a transparent display, but it’s certainly a conversation starter for anyone who steps into your apartment. Along with the DukeBox, LG has been leaning heavily into retro-inspired designs like its recently announced artsy portable projector.
LG’s CineBeam Qube projector looks like it’d pair nicely with the DukeBox.
The CineBeam Qube is pricey for a projector with only 500 ANSI lumens of brightness: $1,299.99. But hey, it’ll look sweet as hell in your magazine-perfect condo.
Long Live Vacuum Tube Audio
For the audio portion of the DukeBox, you can see the interior setup of vacuum tubes when the display is fully transparent. The audio is blasted out through front-facing speakers on the bottom and a 360-degree speaker at the top.
With the adjustable transparency, you can either leave the display fully see-through so you can admire the internals, or turn up the opacity with a fake fireplace option that makes it look like the vacuum tubes are amongst the flames. When you’re tired of looking at the DukeBox’s guts, you can turn the transparency completely off for a traditional OLED display that you can watch movies on.
LG hasn’t revealed the exact specs on audio or video but that’s not surprising since this is one of its more experimental products. Vacuum tubes are still reserved for use with high-end audio applications so we should expect that same warm, natural sound that audiophiles are after.
See It In Person
LG hasn’t released any pricing or release details on the DukeBox yet, but you’ll be able to see it in person at CES 2024. Just going off the cutting-edge transparent display design, this looks like one of LG’s more expensive audio options. Though, it’s pretty clear that the DukeBox isn’t for everyone.
INVERSE brings you everything from the fun and futuristic world of consumer technology at CES 2024. For all the latest technology coverage from the show, go to the INVERSE CES 2024 hub.
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