There’s a category in home audio referred to as architectural speakers, audio gear specifically conceived to seamlessly blend into interior decor. TAKAHIROMIYASHITATheSoloist. Sounds. represents the exact opposite with a towering 43″ tall slab of polycarbonate composite resin fashioned to look like a piece of cracked concrete to reveal one of New York’s most iconic landmarks underneath. It is a floor standing wireless speaker intended to be seen as much as heard.
The speaker connects wireless via True Wireless Stereo and Bluetooth 5.2.
Co-created by fashion designer Takahiro Miyashita, the TAKAHIROMIYASHITATheSoloist. Sounds. sold out its second run featuring the same multi-floor vertical architecture housing 7 speaker units within: two 6.5″ woofers, two 3″ mid-range, and three 1″ tweeters. In sum, it’s good for a muscular output of up to 110dB, rated at 2000W power, and operates at a frequency range of 20Hz ~ 25KHz. That should be plenty loud, with the engineers promising “spectacular sound pressure that can be felt directly on the skin.”
Housed within a deteriorating triangular block of faux concrete weighing about 55lbs, the floor speaker gives off a strong whiff of Daniel Arsham’s similarly conceived “modern artifact” aesthetic, with the 175 Fifth Avenue address reproduced in intricate detail.
Priced at $6,345.32, TAKAHIROMIYASHITATheSoloist. Sounds. speaker’s main appeal might be built upon the premise of purchasing a collectible statement piece rather than a serious audiophile component. But as the first time around proved, there’s as much a market for visually engaging objects as there are aurally satisfying creations.
