Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen were most probably proto-geeks. But
for the high-end electronics company that bears their names,
vindication comes in the form of beautifully designed and highly
detailed (in terms of both looking and listening) objects of
desire.  One item fresh out of Denmark is the Tulip, aka BeoLab
11, subwoofer (pictured at left). Instead of an ugly box, it's
an anodized-shelled piece of modern art, the kind of sub Martha
Stewart might buy.  Then there's the audio system in the
limited-run Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black. Called BeoSound DBS,
it's an all-enveloping 12-speaker-and-one-subwoofer, 1,000-watt
extravaganza of hip-shaking (really) bass and glassy high
frequencies. There's so much clarity that it's almost possible
to tell the thickness of a saxophonist's reed, or what kind of
sticks the drummer uses. Imagine all that at earth-trembling
volume. It's an epic sound system.  And it seems to be the ideal
partner to an epic car. The Aston's sensual, sophisticated lines
seem particularly in