Well, it wouldn’t be the holidays without a review of some over-hyped, excessively expensive stereo gear. I came across these speakers via a Twitter post from Patrick Norton, of Tekzilla-fame.

ceramicJoey Roth Ceramic Speakers

They sure are beautiful. I have to admit, they’re a work of art, but are they any good as speakers? Nothing I saw gave me any assurance – other than the spectacular looks – that they were out of the ordinary sound-wise.

So I dug into it. I wasn’t going to spend $495 to buy a set and see, so I looked for a review on the net. I found one at Boing-Boing. They didn’t exactly pan them, but they weren’t too enthusiastic either. They pretty much said what I suspected.

To be blunt, if you’re concerned about the existence of equally good-sounding gear at lower prices, you’re probably not the intended audience. The Ceramic Speakers are about marrying distinctive minimalist design with good quality and an open-minded approach to where in the home you stick them.

These are the perfect companion for your iPod. More style over substance at a premium price. The ignorance tax is in effect…