Huge transparent horn speakers deliver an odd yet beautiful way to enjoy music

We’re long past the days when speakers, especially those at home, would simply be literal black boxes that belted out sound in whatever direction they were pointed at. While those still exist, many of the audio equipment marketed for home use have taken on more interesting designs that marry aesthetics and function without sacrificing either. Bang & Olufsen might be one of the most popular brands in this growing market of art-inspired speakers, but it is hardly the only one with curious and eye-catching designs. This loudspeaker set, for example, is just as much a work of art as it is a piece of high-end audio equipment, promising to elevate the listening experience to a whole new level that involves not just the ears but also the eyes.

Designer: Timothy Hill

In an iconic form, the speaker has always been represented by one of its oldest designs, a conical structure that curves from one end to another, creating what is commonly known as a horn shape. The Jetstream loudspeaker takes that shape and transforms it into an art piece by using transparent acrylic for the horn and blowing it up to human-sized proportions. The result is a distinctive, one-of-a-kind speaker that makes the drive unit look like it’s floating in mid-air. Viewed from the side, the speaker also looks like the sonic boom traces left by a high-speed jet, which given the background of the designer, seems almost fitting.

The horn shape chosen for the Jetstream might look ornamental, but it is actually based on a solid foundation of physics. Just like with horn speakers of old, the shape helps to propagate sound waves more freely and evenly, and given its size, it also multiplies that effect to reach all corners of a room. The loudspeaker system promises clear and dynamic sound, regardless of what you’re listening to, whether it’s classical masterpieces or modern movie sound effects.

Although the horn loudspeaker is definitely the center of attraction, it isn’t the only member of the Ferguson Hill Jetstream loudspeaker system. There’s also the bass speaker which takes the form of a transparent sphere with a large drive unit, held up by three metal cone feet. This gives the speaker a certain retro-futuristic aesthetic that perfectly complements the gigantic horn loudspeaker.

Although it functions primarily as a sound system, the Jetstream is also a statement piece that transforms any space into a unique audiovisual experience. It’s the kind of fusion of art and technology that truly redefines what it means to be a home speaker these days, offering value that goes beyond blasting sound but also touches the emotions and mind by appealing to more than one of our five senses. That said, it’s also a design that, at least in this case, carries a rather hefty price tag, though that could soon change as more audio equipment manufacturers embrace a more design-conscious approach to making speakers.

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These stone-like outdoor loudspeakers are perfect for gardens and poolsides

You often play music indoors because the acoustics is often better inside enclosed spaces. You don’t need to pump up speakers to the max to be heard, and you don’t risk annoying neighbors with genres they might have no love for. Plus, most audio equipment like speakers aren’t exactly meant to stay outdoors for long, lest Mother Nature wreaks havoc on their sensitive electronics. Lately, however, it has been trendy to have outdoor gatherings to celebrate newfound freedom from home quarantines and restrictions, not to mention parties at pools that really get crowds wet and wild, especially during summer. Fortunately, there are indeed speakers designed not only to be heard outdoors but also to survive whatever weather may come, and Focal’s new set of speakers definitely looks the part of weather-beaten objects.

Designer: Focal

There are admittedly quite a number of speakers that can withstand a splash of water or some dust, but these aren’t meant to be left outside for long periods of time. Those that are designed to be more permanent outdoor fixtures do meet the durability requirement, but they also clearly stand out as alien parts of your garden or pool. That might be fine for some people, but others might prefer outdoor speakers with a bit more discretion in how they blend with their surroundings.

The new OD Stone 8 from Focal’s line of Littora 200 outdoor speakers easily fits the bill with its round, egg-like shape and its textured finishes that deceive your eyes into thinking they’re made of stone. These loudspeakers easily fit almost any outdoor motif, whether it’s a lush garden or a pool with concrete surroundings, which covers pretty much all poolsides. These speakers are also IP55 rated, which means they’ll survive both a rainstorm and an accidental jet of water from the pool.

The Littora 200 collection also includes the new OD Sub 12, a subwoofer that you can partially bury underground to mix with the rest of your garden. These also come shaped like giant mushrooms, so they will blend well with other plants, not to mention the boulder-like OD Stone 8. These two speakers complement each other not only in terms of acoustics but also in thematic appearance.

Of course, no one will probably mistake these speakers for real mushrooms and stones, especially given how geometrically perfect they look. It’s still a nice touch, though, to have audio equipment that is almost virtually invisible rather than standing out and becoming a visual distraction. And they aren’t all just about good looks, though that’s definitely one of their selling points. The speakers are also equipped with Focal’s Iris cone drivers, so you get the brand’s full audio expertise at your beck and call as well.

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Cravt lets you enjoy high-quality music without distractions

While music streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, etc have made accessing our favorite songs and albums more convenient, it has fundamentally changed how we consume music. There are still some purists who listen to vinyl and even compact discs, but most of us have gotten used to firing up the apps and listening on our smartphones or smart speakers. If you’re not that particular about music compression then that will do. But those who long for higher quality sound and the lost art of listening well are always on the lookout for products that can bring some semblance of that back.

Designer: Simon Schuster

Cravt is a product concept that can do just that if one day it does get made into an actual product. The name is a derivative of the word “Craft” which of course can be connected to the creation of music. Some might even say the art of listening can be considered a craft as well. The designer wanted to bring back the habit of appreciating music by designing something that can be both convenient and give you uncompressed, high-quality music. There are three components to his product design: an album player, a speaker, and a remote.

The Cravt Album seems to be a combination of an LP and a CD player. The audio files for a specific album of an artist is stored there but the format is not compressed and is analog. It is encased in a durable shell to protect the files and internal components housed in it. It can have packaging to show off the album cover, tracklist, and band or artist photos. This is another thing that has been lost with the digital revolution so it’s interesting to see this kind of product design.

The Cravt 360-degree loudspeaker is focused more on giving your music the best sound quality rather than having a lot of smart functions and all that jazz. The shape itself is designed to let the sound fire upward to spread the sound of the tweeter. It also is designed to have high-end drivers (for mid, high, and low range) so that it will always give out a 360 degree sound. And since it’s not a smart speaker, there are no other distractions as you listen to your chosen album.

Lastly, the Cravt remote control unit is also simple enough to not distract you from the primary purpose of the device which is to listen to music. It only has the basic commands like play/pause, volume, and skip and all of these are done through touch gestures. You can also display what song is currently playing on the small screen included in the remote, also through an intuitive touch gesture. All in all, this is a premium-looking music-playing device that I would love to try out if ever it becomes an actual product. For now, though, I’ll have to make do with Spotify and my Google Home speaker.

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Nautilus loudspeaker is a snail-like conversation-starting art piece for your living room

“Wow, what a nice piece of art you have there on the mantel. Who’s the sculptor? Gormley? Kapoor? Koons?” You smile, press a few buttons, and soothing, jazzy music starts playing from the “sculpture” they were admiring. “Bowers & Wilkins”, you reply, much to the confusion of your dinner guests.

If you’re familiar with the name, then you must be more of a speaker connoisseur rather than an art enthusiast. The Nautilus “ultimate” loudspeaker is the 4-way tube-loaded system from Bowers & Wilkins, building on their famous decades-old speaker design that has often been mistaken for a museum piece or a luxury home accessory. Well, who says that they can’t be both a functioning speaker and a work of art. But more than just giving you something that plays music packaged in a unique shape, the design of the Nautilus is where the adage “form follows function” applies.

Designer: Bowers and Wilkins

You would think that something that looks like an artsy snail or a marine mollusk will be all form and no function. But for the past 30 years, the Nautilus has proven itself to be one of the most sought-after luxury speakers in the market. It all started with a goal to create a loudspeaker that doesn’t sound like anything else in the market and eventually evolved with a design that doesn’t look like anything else either. The Nautilus tube technology has received awards like the Queen’s Award for Innovation as it has been able to revolutionize the way speaker drive units sound like with the spirals and tube design that’s present in almost all the speakers that Bowers & Wilkins has been making.

John Bowers was “obsessed” with creating the perfect loudspeakers that were unlike any in the market. But when he passed away in 1987, the engineering team at the Steyning Research Establishment (SRE), particularly Laurence Dickie or Dic to his colleagues, took on the challenge. He wanted to create one that did not use the traditional speaker box and instead focused his efforts on mounting the derivers into straight “transmission-line” cylinders which eventually paid off for them. He also wanted to use stiff, pistonic cones for the drivers which at that time was something basically unheard of.

Building on the aluminum tweeter concept that came with their 801 speaker, Dic scaled it to larger aluminum midrange cones made from the same material so that listeners will not be able to hear any audible transition. They eventually also created a tapering tube approach for those three tubes as well as the bass driver, making all of the four drivers give users a “seamless, three-dimensional sound stage” with the weird-looking but highly functional design they came up with. And thus, the Nautilus was officially born.

The present-day Nautilus loudspeakers still carry that three-part design (front and left and right half-sections) and each piece of aural art is handcrafted. They are joined together and then sanded to remove any visible edges. They are spray painted by hand with 12 coats of paint and lacquer, sometimes, even more, depending on the client’s specification. The standard ones come in silver, black, and midnight blue but they also offer a special service to get the color matched with your room aesthetic.

All this to say, the Nautilus does not come cheap as it costs $60,000. It is definitely an investment for both its form and function. It may even be more expensive than some of the actual artworks of modern sculptors I mentioned earlier. But if you’re not satisfied with the sound that comes from your typical loudspeakers and you’re also into avant-garde art pieces, then the Nautilus loudspeaker is something you can eventually invest in. It also makes a good, albeit expensive, conversation starter for parties.

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This paper cylinder is a rollable speaker that delivers surround sound!

When we talk of electronics the trend is to shrink down the size of already existing technology while making it better in terms of usability. The same is true for audio equipment and believe it or not a newly developed iteration of speakers by the scientists at Germany’s Chemnitz University’s Print and Media Technology institute will catch your attention beyond comprehension. No more than a roll of paper that can be tailored into circular rings to encapsulate the listener in immersive audio, the research is backed by years of hard work and determination to achieve this form factor.

The ultimate goal is to design low-cost entertainment systems for modern interiors that embrace anything that’s highly functional and minimal in its look. So, a future where your music system will merely be a thin sheet of paper that can be placed anywhere on the walls or ceiling is more than a feasible possibility. The team of researchers headed by Prof. Dr. Arved C. Hübler has been working to improve the sonorous paper loudspeakers by Chemnitz which produce sound by displacing air to create a vibration. Hence, came into existence the roll-to-roll printed speaker paper, a.k.a. T-Paper which is more economical to produce – virtually in a roll form. According to project manager Georg C. Schmidt, the newly developed technology allows them to laminate the electronics for better feasibility in practical use. “In our T-Ring prototype, an almost four-meter-long track with 56 individual loudspeakers was connected to form seven segments and shaped into a circle, making a 360° surround sound installation possible,” says Schmidt.

This means that in the near future we could see the technology being implemented in trade shows, museums, or the advertising industry. The T-Ring that the team has developed for now is nothing but 90 percent conventional paper with electronics sandwiched to generate sound that surrounds the listener for an expanded soundscape for realism. The possibilities with this technology are endless and in the coming years, we could see home entertainment systems embedded into the home décor objects for a seamless design and superior audio experience at a very low-cost thanks to the developments by Print and Media Technology institute.

Designer: Chemnitz University of Technology (Visuals: TU Chemnitz/Jacob Müller)

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