Category: Speaker

Good Design

As we get closer to closing 2011, I thought it would be worthwile to re-visit somebody who has been featured on Minimalissimo multiple times for his visionary approach in design that never goes of out style: German industrial designer Dieter Rams.

Already in the early 1980s and as a chief designer for Braun, Dieter Rams was aware and concerned by the state of the material world around him. Surrounded by what he called “an impenetrable confusion of forms, colours and noise” he created ten principles of good design that I found appropriate to feature before we enter 2012, another year full of creativity and design.

1. Good design is innovative    2. Good design makes a product useful    3. Good design is aesthetic    4. Good design helps us to understand a product    5. Good design is unobtrusive    6. Good design is honest    7. Good design is durable    8. Good design is consequent to the last detail    9. Good design is concerned with the environment    10. Good design is as little design as possible

With Mr. Rams’ words in mind, I hope you find it inspiring to either design or appreciate the design that is Good Design.

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Lower East Side Audio Dock Air

The latest product by Audyssey, a Los Angeles based audio technology company, is the Lower East Side Audio Dock Air. This speaker with frank appearance streams music wireless from your personal devices such as computer, iPhone and iPad.

Audyssey solved small speaker distortion and other typical acoustic problems and you can enjoy a rich, clear and balanced sound.

I love the ribbon ‘wrapped’ around the speaker and houses the interface. Unfortunately you can not charge the dock and thus always have to rely on a power connection.

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HiddenRadio

Industrial designers John Van Den Nieuwenhuizen from Australia and Vitor Santa Maria from Brazil have collaborated to design the HiddenRadio, which is currently being funded through Kickstarter. Their approach to their work is simple product design that is both innovative and intuitive.

The minimal HiddenRadio & Bluetooth Speaker design connects and captivates the user through its intuitive functionality. When asleep it hides all its functions. To turn it on you simply twist and lift the cap. The further you lift the cap the more internal volume is created and will amplify to over 80dB of crystal clear sound. Although it offers Bluetooth technology, if you don’t have a Bluetooth device, a 3.5mm audio input plug is available. The battery life is also an impressive feature, offering over 30 hours of power.

A beautiful, unobtrusive and simple device, which I think is well worth backing.

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bs 50 Tribute

To mark the occasion of its 60th birthday, the well known speaker manufacturer Elipson is honoring the landmark models that have shaped its history. The first speaker to gain fame was the famous bs 50, an acronym for its full name Staff Ball, 50 cm diameter.

Designed in 1953, the bs 50 was created for the first sound and light shows at the Château de Chambord in France. Its ear allowed for precise sound diffusion.

Elipson is reproducing this legendary model in today’s material and it is a perfect illustration of minimal design and high quality sound. I love it.

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Libratone Lounge

Copenhagen based audio company Libratone have simply one purpose – to liberate sound. Libratone adopt three factors in their single sound source development approach – wireless technology, hi-fi quality and Scandinavian design. Their aim is to deliver a minimal alternative to the typical cluttered sound system without compromising the audio experience.

This approach resulted in the design of the Libratone Lounge. A remarkably elegant sound system, which allows one to stream audio wirelessly from an iPhone or iPod through AirPlay. Clad in Italian cashmere wool, the wall-mountable Lounge is available in a range of colours – grey, black and beige to integrate the sound system with the room, or red and green to draw attention and stand out proudly (depending on your interior colours of course).

Consider this wish-listed.

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Change the Record

Paul Cocksedge, London designer, moulds discarded vinyl records into a range of amplifiers for smartphones in a project called Change the Record.

Made by heating and moulding the plastic disks into a funnel shape, they amplify the sound from a phone placed inside simply through the nature of their shape. The speakers were ‘launched’ this year at a live performance to music during Ron Arad’s Curtain Call installation at the Roundhouse in London, where Cocksedge himself was heating and moulding old LPs and encouraging visitors to bring their own 12” record.

A simple, elegant and playful way to amplify sounds from your smartphone and recycle to boot!

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Woozik

Italian product designer Emanuele Cecini has recently completed the concept design of the Wi-Fi stereo and docking station, Woozik.

The system consists of a stereo, a remote control and two small speakers, supported by a plywood outer casing with a natural ash finish, which also acts as a stand.  Compatible with the Apple  iPhone, iPod, and iPad, Woozik can also be used via Wi-Fi or bluetooth connection through one’s computer. Primarily thought for home use, the system can be controlled with the remote, but also through the buttons on the stereo itself.

The design of Woozik has a beautiful simplicity to it. There is an Apple-style resemblance, yet it manages to achieve its own identity. Although I can’t vouch for the sound quality, Woozik certainly looks an impressive concept.

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LaCie Sound² Speakers

Anyone who has ever owned a laptop knows that sound quality is never a strong suit for any portable device. LaCie’s Sound² USB powered speakers are an elegant solution for the ubiquitous cacophony of coarse noise emitting from notebook computers. Best of all, Neil Poulton - the renowned Scottish product designer based in Paris – is the man responsible. While most designers have an idiosyncratic style that is purposefully salient, Poulton specializes in inconspicuous simplicity and minimalism.

The design is successful in every aspect of its minimal composition. Poulton was able to create an affordable product without compromising any value. The contrasting elements of the black cover to its white base give the speakers an illusion of airy lightness. I also love how the circular extrusion of the speaker is slightly larger than its base, allowing the speaker to slightly prop up toward the user.

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Ceramic Speakers

Simple, great material usage and good performance these Ceramic Speakers by Joey Roth are perfect for pairing with an aluminum laptop, iMac, or similarly minimalist turntable.

Made from porcelain, wood and cork, Roth chose the materials not only for the aesthetic appeal they add to desktops, but also because porcelain’s density and “acoustical deadness” rivals that of wood or plastic enabling the cone shape. The upshot contrasts the thoroughly contemporary mix of textures and colors with a four-inch silhouette that conjures gramophones of the past.

San Francisco based designer Joey Roth blew our collective minds way back in 2007 with his conceptual Felt mouse. We hope to see some more beautiful work from this great designer.

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Neo Gramophone

Not minimalist, but I think you’ll enjoy the aesthetics: the Neo Gramphone.

At the moment, The Neo Gramophone is just a sculpture. The idea is however to give it a speaker function, so you can hook it up to your computer, or to give it Bluetooth connectivity.

The Neo Gramophone is the brainchild of German product design graduate Lars Amhoff, and his partner Christin Krause. The duo operates under the flag of The Substain. Their mottos are Quality over quantity and Art over empty design for the masses. Here’s what they say about the design:

The Neo Gramophone is the image, simplicity and feeling of a traditional gramophone transported in the 21st century.

I say: make it happen, guys!

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