What's the world's largest iPod dock?
The average iPod or iPhone docks take after classic clock radios. They're small, designed to fit on a tabletop, and contain speakers big enough to fill a small bedroom without getting into hi-fi audio territory. Convenience is key: They'll charge your device and also play some music, which is great for anyone who uses an iPhone as an alarm clock.
And then there's the Behringer iNuke Boom, an 8-foot (2.4 meter) wide dock that weighs 700 pounds (318 kilograms). Try fitting that on your nightstand! It's the world's biggest iPod Dock. But why is it so big? Supposedly, to offer concert quality sound in a package that will fit in your home. Well, assuming you can get it in the door.
What's the point of an 8-foot-wide iPod dock?
An 8-foot (2.4 meter) wide, 700-pound (318-kilogram) iPod dock is guaranteed to make an impression. It's not exactly the kind of device you forget -- or can even afford, most likely. The Behringer iNuke Boom costs $30,000 and produces a staggering 10,000 watts of sound. Wattage doesn't guarantee great sound, but it does guarantee some serious sound pressure, or loudness. The average audio gear offers wattages in the teens or hundreds, so the iNuke Boom is obviously a heavy duty speaker system.
But who wants to spend $30,000 on an iPod dock when they could buy a pair of audiophile-caliber speakers or a huge surround sound setup for that price? Well, it's a great headline-grabber for Behringer, and at a max output of 130 decibels it is, as advertised, about as loud as a rock concert [source: Wired]. Is that something the average person needs (or even wants) in their home? Not so much. The iNuke Boom isn't as flexible as a regular pair of speakers, which can be hooked up to any entertainment center. It's designed to play music from Apple devices, which use a proprietary input to charge and play audio.
Behringer debuted the iNuke Boom at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show and generated plenty of press attention. That's precisely what a 700-pound iPod dock is good for.
Author's Note
If you asked me how much the most expensive iPod dock was before I wrote this article, $30,000 would not be my first guess! There are even gem-studded vanity electronics out there that cost less than 30 grand. But the iNuke Boom is something else. Let's be honest -- it's basically a marketing ploy, though Behringer has apparently sold at least a few of these behemoths. I'd rather spend my money on a 7.1 surround sound system, but iNuke Boom is at least good for a laugh. And a massage, if you lay on top of it!