Odd shaped Amps and preamps


So I am finally bored with the black boxes. I have a slew of black boxes everywhere and my wife feels (and I am starting to agree) that all our living spaces seem to be cluttered with rectangular black shapes.

I have set out on a quest to create something special and elegant and unique in form.

I have just created a set of triangular glass and metal platforms that glow with a soft blue cast. They are sexy as Hell and are begging to be filled with equally sexy gear.

The challenge:
List some amps and preamps for me that are circular, triangular or will otherwise fit onto a triangular shelf with 22" sides. Be as creative as you want. Tubes or SS, low wattage triodes or Class D Digital...as long as it is high end gear and not junk. I only need about 20 Watts for my speakers to sing but extra won't go to waste in my experience with them.Speakers being driven are Lansche 4.1 (with the plasma drivers).

Price is not really a consideration in this case. I need both an amp (stereo or mono pair) and a preamp.

Links would be super if pictures can't be posted here.

Thanks everyone!

-Russ
sashua
The Danish Acoustic Reality gear might work for you; they made some interesting stainless steel(?) triangular ice powered mono amps with a small single centered blue light and a matching stainless steel(?) triangular pyramid shaped pre.
Unison is another design forward Italian manufacturer worth thinking about.

Marty
Best part about The Experience Music gear: it sounds even better than it looks!
Somewhat more conventional but definitely not your basic black box are the Butler Monad amps. Always wanted to hear them.
A couple of others: there was a guy out west, ElectronLuv, who made this wonderful Flash Gordon meets Doctor Frankenstein's lab gear, the casework was marvelous, have no idea how the gear sounded or what he is doing now, but I'm sure you could look it up on the Intra-Web.(TM).
Also, Jeffrey Jackson (Experience Music) has some interesting 'steam-punk' styled case work for some of the custom made components he builds, uses mercury vapor tubes, retro switch gear, something that would feel quite at home in Edison's lab. Also, a blog he runs called Hi-Fi Heroin is all about vintage gear, some of it pre-WWII Western Electric, etc. Punches my buttons, don't know about yours.
enjoy.
Sashua,

The Scientific Fidelity amps are no longer made, Mike Maloney made them way before he founded THE Show. The site I linked to is a Museum in London that displays modern art where they are part of the catalog.

Good Listening

Peter
Sorry...My bad.

It's Enjoythemusic.com
then scroll to the tube lust pages.

Marty
You might also want to check out TubeLust.com (I'm not sure that's the precise cite name, so google first, to be sure). It's basically a collection of photos of extreme tube amp designs. I'd think you'll find some ideas there.

Marty
Not exactly on point, but related.

In my contemporary living room, the system comprises a small chassis Pathos Classic One integrated and the matching Digit CD player driving SF Cremonas. These components were chosen as much for appearance as for (nonetheless pretty damn fine) performance.

I don't use the system (or, the room, for that matter) very much, but it's summertime, the kids are out of school and......

We happened to see the "Heads Up" party my wife and I were hosting this past Monday evening wander into the living room. The system got fired up for the first time in while. IMHO, it sounded almost as great as it looks. The Pathos gear is rectangular, but definitely sculptural in its own way. I'd think it would fit on your stands, but you'd have to double check to be sure. If an integrated amp and CD player would work for you, I think this combo is worth at least a glance.

Good luck with the hunt.

Marty
That Scientific Fidelity Trillium is just beautiful. I have been to THE Show many times but don't remember seeing or hearing it. Maybe it's time to correct that. Thor is on the short list as well but most of their stuff is black and gold.

Keep 'em coming my friends. This is all very positive and I am really thankful for the help and all the great ideas.

For source pieces I am using a Teres 155 all-acrylic TT with lead shot ballast and an Oracle CD2000 CD Player. Lots of polished metal and glass-like finish...that's the idea here.
Maybe a bit off of the beaten path, but perhaps you could look into the Hypex NC400 amplifier modules. They are class D and seem to be what the people want these days, in terms of class D.

What sort of package you put them into is up to you and the sky is the limit. Getting a pair of modules and power supplies is the next thing on my audio "to do" list.

From what I've seen on other sites, guys are putting them into all sorts of enclosures.

Again, from what I understand, just taking the parts and throwing them into an enclosure gets you a very good sounding amp.
If you can find them, then Thor Audio built everything in circular chasis. They are defunct but were well thought of tube amp and pre amp manufacturers.
Who makes those wild sphere speakers and crazy electronics is it Studio Electric or something to that effect?? Look around for it, pretty wild and crazy.
One of the coolest amps were the Nagra PMA and PSA amps (Mono and stereo) they are little pyramids, simply awesome look and sound!
H2O, MSB and Nagra all made distinctive, non-box like power amps. I'm sure there are others.
I always thought the Manley stingray was a cool looking amp. Fatman also makes, or made an amp called the mothership that's impressive looking.
I think Mike Maloney founder of THE Show and before that Scientific Fidelity takes the prize for best sculpted amplifiers.

Mike Maloney, Scientific Fidelity Amplifiers

Good Listening

Peter