No, they have not arrived. This is an integrated class A 40 watt per channel stereo amplifier, and it comes, not from Mars, but from Panfield’s Andrew Meintjies.
Meintjies, a photographer, camera-builder, and “Renaissance techno-geek”, makes the amps by hand. Their form-follows-function design is unique: the aluminium casing – available in 10 different colours – is designed around the largest component. Their dials are made of the cut-off halves of billiard balls – both functional and really cool. According to Meintjies, the amp’s “intermodulation distortion is very low” – techno-geek speak which means that the amp allows you to perceive depth in the music – the drum behind the guitar, and so on. “It’s more than stereo,” he explains, “it’s actually 3-D sound.” And it’s more than an amp, it’s a sexy little conversation piece that says so much about your personal style.