Case of Bass From baggage to beat blaster

If you thought Case of Bass was just a CD of remastered Swedish pop hits that came with the aftermarket stereo you threw in your '95 Corolla, you'd be wrong, because it's also an upcycling-obsessed concern giving you All That You Want: rechargable, portable, reasonably priced boomboxes cobbled together from retro suitcases and "rescued" audio components.

The Style: Colorful, mint-condition Samsonites, American Touristers and defunct-brand bags are organized into "classes", from lunchbox-sized Couriers (the textured blue leather Starflight sports stately white stitching and a handsome red tweeter), to big boy Swarthies like the 200W, 15" woofer-ed Elmo's Nightmare, which goes beyond just tickling your ears.

The Tech: Salvaged speakers & parts come from brands including Clarion, Bose, Sansui, Yamaha, and Technics, but, as with most things in life, each case is only as powerful as its girth will allow, meaning the expertly installed amps pump anywhere from 25 to 300W, power that could make your eardrums Swedish pop.