CES wouldn’t be the headline-grabber it is every year without its share of weird inventions — from MP3 taser holsters to vacuum shoes. LG’s new DukeBox will join this illustrious list at CES 2024— it’s a hybrid tube-speaker TV… thing.
The LG Duke Box is a 360-degree speaker with a transparent OLED panel at the front to show off the tube amplifier inside. Transparent OLEDs have been with us for a number of years, but the technology has yet to really take hold. LG says the screen can be used to watch movies, or “create a cozy fireplace ambiance where the vacuum tube is visible amidst the flickering flames”.
The DukeBox is likely to take advantage of the pleasant sound properties of vacuum tubes, and you can see them used in a zillion cheap amps on Amazon, but also in guitar amps and preamplifiers.
The DukeBox is reminiscent of last year’s StanbyMe Go — another TV-speaker combo from LG, except that one was designed to be portable. Samsung also released a soundbar with a vacuum tube in it many years ago. At the moment, the DukeBox appears to be a concept and not a real product, so pricing and availability are likely a ways off.
