Tag: Speaker

With a name like U27, this all-in-one desktop audio system may sound like some sort of old German submarine, but its looks are clearly inspired more by Apollo 13 than by Das Boot. The system combines both an MP3 player and a compact speaker system in a single conical device.

Here’s a speaker for your computer that’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. The Nexspeaker FS-701SW sound system is designed to look like a wee sailboat that you can set on your desk. Left and right channel speakers are embedded into the sails, while the boat’s hull serves as the woofer.

While the metal “planets” floating above these speaker cones may look a bit like disco balls, they actually serve a purpose. The spheres are designed to disperse sound in a perfect 360-degree soundfield. Designer Markus Duevel is the mind behind the Urban Fidelity Planet Speakers.

The latest in Yamaha’s series of “Digital Sound Projectors” takes the critically-acclaimed virtual surround technology found in their larger YSP series and shrinks it down to a box that’s just 24-inches wide. (The full-sized models are around 40-inches wide).

Industrial designer Pieter Maes, one of the artists responsible for developing LaCie’s cool golden hard drive created this design for a cluster of speakers which are formed into a near perfect sphere. By joining a number of individual speaker cones to a single central spider-like structure, the orb can project sound in every direction.

Tired of the same old speaker designs? Here’s some compact speakers with a decidedly different look. These Microbon speakers are have a hexagonal case design which is certainly unusual. Instead of a typical cheap plastic case, these speakers have cheap wooden cases.

These colorful plastic pieces may look a lot like a LEGO blocks, but they’re actually tiny iPod docks. Each block even has some scrawny little speakers built in, making it completely self-contained. Since the speakers don’t even require external power, don’t expect much volume, but what do you expect from something this small?

Somebody at Pottery Barn’s PBteen division was assigned the task of creating a bookshelf stereo, and appears to have taken the concept a bit too literally by creating a bookshelf with speakers built into it. Actually, the Modular Speaker Double Shelf is actually a pretty clever idea, combining both a sound system and a storage unit into a single piece of furniture.

At almost 5.5-feet tall, you certainly won’t miss these giant speakers in your living room. The Ferguson Hill FH001 loudspeakers feature a huge acrylic horn balanced on a delicate aluminum base. The speakers’ massive horn design allows them to crank out plenty of volume with as little as 5-watts of power driving them.

Who needs headphones when your MP3 player’s main feature is a big old speaker right smack dab in the middle of it? That’s what these digital music players from China are all about. Lanhui’s LH-555 media players come in several bright colors, and have a retro sort of feel to them.

I can definitely say I’ve never seen a subwoofer that looks quite like this one. Elemental Designs $2500 Dodecasub offers up ten individual ten-inch subwoofers in a single, geometrically striking package. The enormous multi-element subwoofer looks like a giant twelve-sided die to me.

Soundmatters is best known for their all-in-one surround sound systems which cram an entire 5.1 home theater into a single small box. Up until now, their designs were still a bit too unwieldy for placement anywhere but on a shelf or on top of rear-projection set.

The latest in DecalGirl’s series of skins for Apple’s iPhone is a real hoot. Perhaps to overcompensate for the notoriously low volume on the iPhone’s speakers, the Bass is Good sticker set makes your phone look like a mini-boombox.

Bird-Electron, the people who brought us iPod speakers made from gourds, has released another set of unique speakers for your portable media player. This time, the speakers are using recylced plastic containers from 35mm film to produce sound.

Crosley portable turntables have been around since the 1950’s. Now they’ve added a modern spin to their briefcase-like record players by adding the ability to easily rip tracks to your Windows PC or Mac. The Crosley Keepsake USB Turntable not only lets you play back and listen to your old albums through its built-in stereo speakers, but includes a USB output.

If you’re looking for some deluxe speakers to complement your shmancy crystal radio, look no further than these noisemakers from ELAC. Their new 240 series speakers feature drivers that look like crystal. They’re made from aluminum covered with a angled crystalline surface that mimics the look of a cut precious gem.