This black box weighs 20 kilograms …
Earlier this year, a Scandinavian audio company, Transparent Sound, introduced speaker, aptly named Transparent Speaker, created from reinforced glass. Transparent and discreet, it was primarily aimed at minimalists. Now, this company from Stockholm is doing quite the opposite and launching a steel speaker, which is anything but transparent.
This speaker was handcrafted by blacksmith Jonas Majors in his workshop on the island of Mörkö south of Stockholm. Majors deals with the recycling of discarded raw material – he processes it, boils it, polishes it and paints it to give it the appearance of old steel. As for the dimensions, the cube speaker measures 431 × 333 × 118 mm and weighs about 20 kilograms.
“We wanted to challenge ourselves and turn the black box into a sculptural piece that elevates a contemporary designed interior, rather than obstructing it,” says the speaker description.
And while Steel Speaker has a rock’n’roll aesthetic, we have to admit that it’s full of modern technology. It comes with two three-inch drivers, paired with a 6.5-inch woofer and a built-in Class D amplifier of 100 W. The speaker also has Bluetooth, so it can connect to Apple Airplay, Sonos, Amazon Echo and Google Chromecast, and is compatible with phones, tablets and other devices, with its dual 3.5mm input port and USB port.
Steel Speaker is part of Transparent Sound’s new Upcrafted Collection, which it calls “a study of materials, techniques and textures”. The line consists of three handmade speakers, each created from recycled materials including wood, steel and stone. Stone and wood models will cost you $1,650 each, while Steel Speaker has a slightly higher price tag of $2,750.
Given the work required to create each version, these speakers are available in limited editions, so the steel variant will only be owned by ten lucky ones.