Having heard rumors about Pioneer’s S-A4SPT-PM Pure Malt Speakers a couple of years ago, we’re glad to hear now that they’re: a) available outside of Japan for the first time; and b) actually quite good value for money.

These speakers, made out of 50-year-old former whisky barrels, are more than just a cool ‘water of life’ lover’s gadget or the clever recycling of timber.

The use of aged oak, as opposed to the MDF from which most other wood speakers are made, apparently gives the speakers a a mature mellow tone and, without question, an aesthetic advantage over the myriad boring grey and black plastic eyesores adorning entertainment units the world over.

Pioneer S-A4SPT-PM ‘Pure Malt’ Speakers [via Tree Hugger, via Gizmodo, via CNET (what a journey...)]

This isn’t a watch. It’s a horological machine. In fact, short of salivating over its aesthetics and admiring (what we can only imagine is) the incredibly complex engineering, our humble knowledge of watches doesn’t allow us much scope to comment on this at all…

Each pair of barrels needs to equalize their energy with the other around the void of the tourbillon in the narrowest section of the movement. Distributing that immense power required the development of a sophisticated beryllium gear train. Using four mainspring barrels in parallel enabled MB&F to reduce the torque of each mainspring, thus improving accuracy, decreasing wear and increasing longevity - all while maintaining an incredible seven days reserve of power!

See what we mean? Mere mortals like us would be wasted on a timepiece like this.

But it is cool. Damn cool. Emotionally cool. We would give up close friends and relations for this watch.

MB&F Horological Machine No.1 [via Retro Thing]