If you have the time, you can find a ton of interesting electronic goodies on Kickstarter. And if you back a winner, you can get in on the ground floor of a potentially successful product. Such is the case with BlueTube Audio’s Tube Amp.
The new company launched a fundraising program late last year, raising almost twice the amount of its $35,000 goal. Now, the company is working on delivering products by its first April deadline — and you can monitor a lot of that progress on the BlueTube Audio website.
The product is a hand-built tube amplifier. Enclosed in 0.75-inch walnut and cherry enclosures, the product has an old-school look to it, which includes the exposed tubes. However, it packs in a lot of new technology, such as a Class 2, 16-bit A2DP BlueTooth radio for true stereo output and a voice-command setup process. It also has a USB port to charge and playback portable devices.
Other features include 8 watts per channel, a Class A push-pull amp, and two AUX jacks. BlueTube Audio is also offering matching speakers as an optional purchase.
If you missed the funding stage, you can still get one of the amps — at some point. BlueTube Audio plans to deliver products to all of its backers first. However, the company is also taking preorders for the next wave of products, all on the BlueTube Audio website.
Currently, the company is discounting the amp for $550, with the speakers costing $400 per pair or $300 for a subwoofer. Packages with the speakers and the subwoofer are also available.