Stockholm-based audio brand Transparent has a bit of a habit of making wireless speakers that look rather different to the rest of the market. But its latest bold take on speaker design is something of a departure from its more well-known and, well, transparent roots, and a venture into new shapes and materials for the brand.
The Brutalist Speaker takes its reference from a style of architecture that originated 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 a number of its other products, Transparent's Brutalist Speaker is made from 70 percent postconsumer recycled aluminum. With its 6.5-inch side-mounted woofer, alongside dual 3-inch tweeters, placed rather strikingly at elevated 90-degree angles, it laughs in the face of traditional speaker design.
“Even though we are most known for our transparent collection of products, that is not the reasoning behind our name,” Per Brickstad, creative director at Transparent, tells WIRED. “It’s about our overall approach to honesty in design, and how we want to be seen by our customers. So we have been exploring various materials and the different ways we can manifest that design philosophy in new projects.
“We had done a previous project on a limited release called the Acoustic Sculpture, which is an organic sculptural speaker that's inspired by the human ear. We were keen to do another speaker in this category, but one that relates more closely to our minimalistic design approach.
“We had been looking at Brutalism quite a bit because it's such a mesmerizing 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 too.”
However, despite its minimalistic style, this has been far from a simple project for Transparent—the Brutalist Speaker has taken three years to develop.
Standing at more than 23 inches tall, it has a larger acoustic volume than the brand has worked with before, and while that means it can deliver a deeper, richer bass and more powerful sound for larger rooms, it has taken time to get right. Not just that, its cabinet is also made from a new material for the company, and that has introduced its own challenges too.
“Of course, we spent a lot of time in manufacturing to perfect all of the different modules coming together well and ensuring everything sounds great, but actually, the sourcing of the recycled aluminum for the cabinet hasn’t been easy,” Brickstad tells WIRED.
“I think it's exciting to be able to take what is essentially a waste material that has been out in the world before—as soda cans and whatnot—and build a premium object out of it, which is what inspired us to continue. But it has taken time to set up certified sourcing of this material that is right for production. We think it’s worth it.”
Audiophiles should be plenty happy with the specs, as the speaker is able to play back hi-res audio up to 24-bit/192-kHz, with support for AirPlay 2, Tidal Connect, and Spotify Connect, as well as Bluetooth 5.2. There are also two 3.5-mm inputs for physical connections, and it's compatible with Alexa, although there is no built-in mic.
The Brutalist Speaker has just gone on sale for a not inconsiderable $4,000 (£3,200). But does its arrival signal less transparency for Transparent in the future, from a design perspective at least?
“I can’t say that, but I can say I have really enjoyed working with this raw material,” says Brickstad. “It has the precision required for manufacturing, it has the structural requirements for the acoustics, and now we have the recycled raw material streams too. So yes, I am interested in working further with this material. Who knows, a little family perhaps ...”
