This is the original .50 Cal Ammo Can Speaker from the team over at Thodio. Though there are many replicas of this design, the Thodio unit is the original, and still by far the best when it comes to both build and sound quality.
This auxiliary speaker unit can be ordered with an optional electric guitar input for an additional $35, making it an ideal self-contained amp for use on the road – it already has a built-in battery and audio controls as standard.
Each unit is handmade by veterans from a real .50 cal ammo can. Inside you’ll find all the electrical parts needed to make it work, as well as insulation, speakers, and more.
Thodio was founded almost by accident back in 2005 by Thomas Spaans in the rural Dutch village of Nieuwkoop. His goal was to build himself a portable iPod speaker, this was before the iPhone or modern smartphones had arrived on the scene. He named his creation the iBox and on showing it to his friends he was inundated with interest from people who wanted to buy their own.
As a result of all this interest he began building and selling them, each was made one at a time by Spaans personally in the beginning, but before long the device went viral and demand began to skyrocket due to media coverage in Wired, Rolling Stone, Playboy, and other publications.
Spaans began hiring staff to help with manufacturing, which allowed him to focus on developing new models, improving existing models, as well as public relations and advertising. A little over 14 years ago he developed the Thodio .50 Cal Ammo Can Speaker, and it became a best-seller overnight with demand pouring in from around the world.
Since the company was founded, Spaans has developed each speaker to be modular and upgradable by its owner, as technology improves and changes it means owners can plug in upgraded Bluetooth modules or other updates.
The Thodio .50 Cal Ammo Can Speaker
Each Thodio .50 Cal Ammo Can Speaker is built inside a real .50 cal ammo can, and each can goes through a three layer insulation process before the speaker installation begins. Each unit is fitted with 2 x 4 inch custom Thodio designed KSX4 high-power, long throw coaxial Kevlar speakers with 2 x 3/4 inch Soft dome swivel tweeters.
A 320 Watt Class D amplifier is installed, along with a 26 hour lithium-ion battery pack, which can be updated to a 52 or 78 hour battery for an additional charge. A noted above you can optionally have an electric guitar input added for $35, you can also have Bluetooth and/or WiFi modules added as extras.
When ordering you can opt to spend an extra $35 to have your speaker fitted with an input jack for an electric guitar, making it an ideal self-contained amp for use outdoors and on the road.
Each unit comes with a two year warranty, free worldwide shipping, 24/7 customer service, and the knowledge that each speaker is 100% handmade by veterans, providing much needed employment and income.
Images courtesy of Thodio
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
