Stockholm-based audio brand Transparent has a habit of making Wireless speaker that See rather differently to the rest of the market. But its latest bold take on speaker design is something of a departure from its more familiar and, well, counterparts. transparent roots, and a venture into new shapes and materials for the brand.
The Brutalist speaker takes its cue from a style of architecture originating in the UK in the 1950s, known for its simple, geometric lines and championing of raw materials over decorative excess.
Instead of the tempered glass used in many of its other products, the Transparents Brutalist speaker is made from 70 percent post-consumer recycled aluminum. With its 6.5-inch side-mounted woofer, along with twin 3-inch tweeters, elegantly placed at steep 90-degree angles, it laughs in the face of conventional speaker design.
“Even though we’re best known for our Transparent collection of products, that’s not the reasoning behind our name,” But Brikstad, Transparent’s creative director, tells Wired. “It’s about our overall approach to integrity in design, and how we want to be seen by our clients. So we’re exploring different materials and different ways we can incorporate that design vision into new projects. can reveal
“We did a previous project on a limited release called Acoustic Sculpture, which is an organic sculptural speaker inspired by the human ear. We were keen to do another speaker in this category, but one that is more closely related to our minimalist design approach.
“We were looking at Brutalism a lot because it’s such a fascinating architectural style—you don’t know if these buildings are from another planet or from Earth. But it also lends itself well to positioning components for acoustic performance. “