The World’s Biggest iPod Docking Station

AAudio equipment company Behringer left a mushroom cloud in its wake at last month’s International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with the unveiling of its latest iPod docking station, the iNuke Boom.

Spot the iPod! Image credit: cultofmac.com

The docking station, unveiled to audio enthusiasts at CES, measures in at 8 feet wide and 4 feet tall and weighs 700lb. A real powerhouse, the iNuke Boom blasts out in excess of 10,000 Watts of power and might – not best suited for bedroom usage, it’s the docking station of all docking stations.

In fact, its recommended retail price is not a cent short of $29,999.99.

It’s loud – extraordinarily loud – but for audio enthusiasts longing for an ipod docking station there are excellent alternatives.

The price tag might be a turn-off for many, but another reassuring element to breaking the bank for the iNuke Boom is that the $29,999.99, however daunting, price tag includes home delivery.

The iNuke is all about “bringing professional concert audio to the home”, but the real genius behind the product is in Behringer’s promotions department. The release of the iNuke coincides with the launch of Behringer’s Eurosound consumer electronics brand. That’s some way to announce a new product line.

However, this promotional ploy – although showcasing Behringer’s superb technical capacities – also does docking station manufacturers of all shapes and sizes the world of good. Had there been any lingering doubts over the role of the docking station as the way to listen to music, there few will remain after the iNuke’s showing of brute force and technical sophistication last month.

With a Google search for “docking station” returning over 20 million results, its ubiquity is beginning to transcend the metaphorical.

Not content with simply producing docking stations for all manner and shape of audio players – iPods, iPads, and Android operating systems too – manufacturers embrace advancing technology to offer a variety of features to audio enthusiasts. Wireless transmission, enabling the listener to liberate the iPod from the clutches of the dock, is increasingly prevalent, whilst Bluetooth technology provides a useful alternative.

The docking station is also true to music’s social roots, adding the ambient background to family barbecues or even accompanying campers to distant woodlands – fortunately not all docking stations are quite as big as Behringer’s iNuke Boom.

Samuel Agini is the Editor of Andrew Apanov’s Dotted Music Blog. Send him an email at sam.agini@dottedmusic.com. He reads and responds to his own mail.