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The idea of hiding things in common household objects has been with us for quite a while.
Now that home theaters are becoming popular, it is easy to find cheap knock off speakers that don't work very well. After all, most people who buy home theaters are too old to recognize quality accoustics anyway.
Since
a speaker is mostly empty space to begin with, the surround sound speaker simply uses this space as a concealed compartment. Concealed hinges and clasps, or more complicated locking devices allow the user to stash valuables in several places around the room, and as an added bonus, most surround sound speakers are located fairly high up, so little hands can't reach them easily.
[link]
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Great until someone steals your stereo. |
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I was going to bun this until I read that anno. Good point. |
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speakers are far more than an empty box, there is a specific reason for the size and shape of the box and the fact that it is empty. |
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As stated most concealed safes are such that they are innocuous and non valuable by nature such that they would be overlooked. |
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//Concealed hinges and clasps, or more complicated locking devices// - Just unscrew the driver and drop in the goods. Howard Marks shipped several tonnes of hashish to the US using exactly this method, except he used a truck full of rock n roll pa speakers instead of a home surround system. |
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I guess you could say that this idea has been baked before. |
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Umm, as surround sound, this would be intended for use as an installed system. Stealing this stereo would involve a lot of unscrewing, and ripping cables out of the walls. |
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No appologies for the specific size of speakers. As I said, most people who can afford a real surround sound system of this type are already too deaf to recognize quality accoustics. Those who aren't are probably rich enough to afford two surround sound systems. |
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You'd have better luck just hiding in your freezer, or under your pillow, or in your shoe. |
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[jhom] was right though. Any alterations you make to a speaker cabinet will alter its' sound. This includes drilling holes and adding bits and pieces of materials that resonate differently. |
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In the author's defense, he/she never stated that you were to use the speaker for actual surround sound, just that you install it AS IF it were in use. The same way you don't drink the soda in the fake soda can or use the shaving cream in the fake shaving cream can. |
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However, I'm with the rest of you that it's a bad idea to hide your goodies in an object that is itself theft-worthy. Fishbone! |
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Hmm, maybe it's time I started chasing fishbones with this idea. |
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I see someone was clever enough to catch my poorly explained meaning. Perhaps I should edit the idea for clarity... It's always so hard to tell with "bad" ideas. Do I work to make it better, and hope for a fair to middling non-bad idea, or do I just keep mussing it till I've gotten a spectacularly bad idea. |
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Well, since it's looking pretty bad already, I'll leave the idea as is, and explain my intent here. |
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I did say "Surround Sound" and not stereo. This is important, because a stereo can be easily unplugged, and tucked under one arm for stealing, wereas "Surround Sound" requires the use of several separate speakers, which must be "mounted" around the room. A reasonable quality surround sound system would be wireless, or have hidden wires, and the mountings would be done by attaching the speakers to walls with multiple screws, or recessing them into the walls. Stealing such a surround sound system would require a screwdriver, a step ladder, and at least 20 minutes... not exactly a thief friendly job. |
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I also specified "cheap knock off speakers," In general, the resale value for these is lower than their accoustic quality. I don't know any confessed thieves, but I can't imagine one risking jail time, or (In the US) death at the hands of an armed homeowner, to spend 20 minutes or more on one item worth less than a hundred dollars. |
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Gardenertoo is also correct. I did not say that these would actually work. A burglar might wonder about a surround sound system that doesn't work, but probably would be less than thrilled about stealing it. Detecting the valuables would likely also require the ladder, screwdriver, and at least five minutes of the un-installation process. |
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I don't think it's a bad idea. |
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The show-offs want to brag about "Hey, I've got a 5.1 surround system!" "Oh, that's so out of date. Mine's a 7.1!" "Wait 'til you hear my new 9.1 system!" |
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But when they get to [yrx]'s place, and there are 38 identical speaker boxes around his indoor theater, their jaws drop. They don't know that it's just a really good 5.1 set up among a bunch of dummy boxes for artistic symmetry. |
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Heck, most of 'em are probably full of microwaveable popcorn pouches - or tissues for when he's playing a tear-jerker movie. |
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So there. I'm not telling you which box has the croissant in it. It's there, somewhere. |
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