When I first read the name Trash Amps, I was seriously hoping for an amplifier that doubled as a waste basket. I know, that sounds ridiculous, but it’s an awesome space saver — a single box for both beefing up your audio and collecting your trash. With that said, these Trash Amps are pretty cool, too, using throwaway items like soda cans and Chinese takeout boxes as bodies for portable speaker systems.
The core component of the setup is called the Insert, which is a mobile speaker/amplifier all on its own. It powers using three AAA batteries, which can be used to fuel your music listening activities for up to 20 hours of “ridiculously loud” playback. Two settings are available via a control switch from the top — chill and jam, with the former for listening to music and the latter for functioning as a guitar mini-amp.
Each Trash Amp Insert comes in a plain black body that’s sized and shaped to fit into a soda can with the top cut off. That means, you can pick out that uncrushed can of Pepsi from the bin, saw off the top and use it as a custom “skin” for your portable speaker (they also sell pre-chopped cans, in case your workshop skills suck). The website also suggests using a bunch of other throwaway objects as skins for the Insert, like takeout boxes and coffee cups, although it’s obviously designed to work with standard-sized beer and soda cans.
A third component that you can throw in is a grill, which is intended to make the speaker’s top just a little more presentable. During travel, you can also use the space between the grill and the actual top to hide the built-in 3.5mm cords.
Price for Trash Amps combos (Insert, Can and Grill) is $49.99. You can also get each item individually if you so wish. Check out their website from the link below.