last update: June 17th 2013

Gadgets

iXoost: engine inspired iPhone dock from the heart of Italy

by Matt Mensley | June 20th 2012 | 10:00 am

To some people, the guttural, grumbling idle of a V12 engine is music enough to their ears. We can't argue with that – to each to their own. There must be something in the cacophony of perfectly synchronised parts harnessing what is essentially a series of tiny controlled explosions in rapid succession. Nevertheless, what if the machine that produces a symphony to some could be re-envisioned to produce a symphony to all?

The iXoost (phonetic spelling of the Italian pronunciation of 'exhaust') is one such machine, born out of a flash of inspiration and love for cars. Hand-crafted in Modena, deep in the heart of the Italian countryside, you would be forgiven for thinking that the iXoost looks like something freshly lifted out of an engine block. Not too far from the truth, the iPod/iPhone dock does in fact use genuine exhaust manifolds to compliment and complete the unique design.

Among a choice of three models based on the three classically symphonic engines, you will find a combination of tweeters, midrange, subwoofer and passive reflex speakers complete with amplifier for rich immersive sound.

As much a work of mechanical art as a sound solution, the iXoost is comprised of two main parts: the base with its horns and an exhaust manifold as a soundboard for the sub.

Customisable to your taste via the configuration on their webpages, a complimentary app with themes to match your own personalised iXoost is available. Designed specifically for the dock, you can satisfy any urge to hear the sound of the real engines with pre-loaded recordings of you favourite 8, 10 or 12 cylinders. That, or you could just listen to your music. To each their own.

Configure your own iXoost here