Hario Japanese glass speakers: Just £117,000

Which would you rather spend £117,000 on: a set of fast wheels or a Japanese loudspeaker system? CrunchGear reports that Hario (which literally means 'the king of glass' in the Land of the Rising Sun) has just produced what are possibly the world's priciest glass boom boxes. A mere ¥16m will bag you this gorgeous five-piece kit from the glassware specialist, comprising a subwoofer (centre), dual midrange drivers (flank) and a pair of tweeters (in between) for high-end extension.

Judging from the photo, these are passive speakers that look likely to require individual audio amplifiers for each component. That's going to add to the already stellar cost.

According to Hario, these 'hardy' speakers are made from heat-resistant glass and took substantial effort to design and build. For the record, the product was developed over 44 months, involving a total of 23 subcontractors. For a single order of ten pieces or more, you could cart home these beauties at a bargain £70,000 each. Anyone fancy chipping in?