Tribute to Ferrari, and a tribute to your richness. This Ferrari? Art.Engine? is quite a package. Let me explain why. The day this speaker arrived, it was a sight. There is no other way of putting this, but unfortunately,

I have to be this graphic about the detailed description. It arrived in what looked like a coffin (Yes, really). And this didn?t end there, since upon opening the huge box, we found that the Art.Engine was wrapped around like a departed human! And why I am ragging the packaging is because of two reasons?the price demanded that we have higher expectations and the fact that it is Ferrari branded meant a bit more class, at least in terms of packaging.

But once we moved beyond the initial bewilderment, it was time to install the huge speaker and hear what it sound like. The Art.Engine is as tall as a small sized fridge. All the connectivity ports are on the rear panel. The front is a combination of aluminium and carbon fibre, and the finish is excellent. They really have spent a lot of time on this speaker system, and it shows.

To show the Ferrari inspiration, they have replaced the normal on/off switch with an Engine Start button. There are 2 tweeters on the top of the two vertically stacked rows of speakers. There are 16 speakers on the Art. Engine, giving it a really matter to fact look. There are dual cooling ducts, ala a Ferrai GT car and LED indicators for the power indication. It is available in 5 colour combinations?red, yellow, blue, black and silver.

Once 4 people had helped take out the heavy speaker from the wooden box, we decided to connect it to an iPod. Using the 3.5mm audio cable, we hooked up the iPod. The audio quality is quite good due to the heavy dose of clarity in all notes. But it is the bass which is weak, making the speaker sound less expensive than what it actually costs. There is nothing extraordinary about the sound, something the Ferrari branding and the price tag may try to portray.

It looks expensive, it is heavy, comes in a huge wooden box and commands a high price tag ? the perfect accessory for someone who does not mind splurging money without thinking. Just because it is a Ferrari licensed product makes it have huge pretentions and not much else. If you are looking to splurge on this speaker for its performance, then don?t. If you are looking to buy this if you are a Ferrari fan and want to show this off to your friends, then go right ahead and put down the cash for this one.

And before we forget, let us inform you that this speaker is limited to just 1,000 production pieces. So, you will need to hurry up a bit, because there are a lot of Ferrari fans out there!

? CyberMedia www.LD2.in

Mail:talkLD@cybermedia.co.in