Swedish audio company Transparent debuts Brutalist Speaker in time for the holidays

With the holiday season right around the corner, it’s time to look at a unique gift idea that is sure to inspire fans of Brutalism from the trendy Swedish audio company Transparent.

Their new Brutalist Speaker is designed especially to utilize the geometry of indoor spaces to boost the already high-frequency sound produced from two 3” tweeters that are placed at 90° angles and reference the porthole windows commonplace in Brutalist residential structures in the ’60s and ’70s. 

Transparent’s co-founder Per Brickstad says the designs of Fritz Wotruba and sculptural work of Hans Aeschbachers in particular served as inspirations for the stylish creation.

The 23.5-inch-tall, 26.5-pound speaker has a Bluetooth 5.2 capacity and 24-bit audio output and is made from 70% post-consumer recycled aluminum materials. Certain components such as its wireless module can replaced to keep apace with the advancement of technologies in the future. Prices start at $4,000, and the audio system currently supports Airplay 2, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Tidal streaming services.

“All our creations are in some aspect retro-futuristic,” Brickstad tells Archinect. “They are always a homage to a classic component or a classic and well proven technology, but always made for a modern context. The Brutalist Speaker is no exception. This time bending quality of brutalism was especially intriguing for us in order to interpret it into a Transparent object. We believe this legendary style of architecture has an immortal quality to it, the main product can transcend any technology trends, and potentially become as immortal as brutalism.”

You can glean more holiday gift ideas from our new 2024 Holiday Gift Guide. The Brutalist Speaker is available for purchase now on Transparent’s website and at other select retailers.