The Transparent Speaker
Stockholm’s People People design studio present a wireless, modular home sound system
Managing to both blend in and stand out at once, the Transparent Speaker from industrial design studio People People takes an unconventional approach to home sound systems—and we love it. Based in the undeniable design capital of Stockholm, Sweden, the creative crew of designers and strategists have dissected the traditional speaker and replaced all non-essential surfaces with tempered glass, giving a space age aesthetic to what once would’ve been considered a ghetto blaster. We saw their first prototype in January at CES and are psyched that 11 months later they’re geared up for manufacturing.
Billing the Transparent Speaker as “a speaker for everyone, for any space and any taste,” People People lean on the versatility of the simple design as the strongest selling point. After listening to the boombox actually play music though, we were equally impressed with the performance of the 6.5″ sub and two 3″ full range drivers. The tempered, sealed glass box is engineered to be air proof and well suited to prevent vibration or sound diffusion. In short, it acts much like a traditional speaker box.
To speak to the tagline more indirectly, purchasers can opt to receive the speaker without the glass, allowing for one hell of a DIY project. Take this route and People People will deliver all the technical components sans glass, free to be installed with any material structure of your choosing. An option we find very appealing.
A built-in power amp ensures proper sound distribution, and a rear slot allows for the addition of a Bluetooth or WiFi dongle or even a Apple Airport Express to Airplay enable your speaker. Either way to learn more visit the project on Kickstarter, where it’s already well on its way to being funded since launching last week. Back with $360 for an early kit version or commit $490 for the full version.
Images courtesy of People People
