Website
In the beginning of 2019, I started building a website for Desaudio, with the very first, conceptual loudspeaker and audio components designs. Those were much more primitive than what is available today, as they only had the purpose of being able to show the overall concept of Designer Home Audio. An overview of those can be seen here on the First designs page.
At the same time, I decided to write down the ideas and theories behind the Designer Home Audio style-innovation, to be able to present an explanation of what it is all about.
The reason was to show that Designer Home Audio is not just a passing fancy, a quick idea, but rather carefully researched and extensive theories. They have been in development for a long time, which is better explained on the history page.
A book
I decided to write a few blog posts to have on the Desaudio website, but then the writing kept on stacking up, and I saw that this was so much that it would make sense to simply publish this as a book. And so I did. The first edition was named Designer Home Audio & Home Cinema Devices, of 76 pages, appeared on Amazon.com in June of 2019. The Designer Home Audio ideas were formally existing. I subsequently added to the material in the book, and a second edition of 108 pages was published in January of 2021. The title was slightly changed, and it is Designer Hi-Fi and Home Cinema Speakers and Devices. You can see the full chapter index below, and read a few chapters right away if you are interested. If you are interested in acquiring the book, then the printed version is here, and the Kindle version is here. However, it is not necessary to buy the book to enjoy the Designer Home Audio creations of Desaudio.
Research videos
At the same time, I also conducted extensive research on the Internet, to try to find if someone else had been speculating something similar about loudspeakers and audio components? Or was I possibly the only one thinking about this extensively enough for it to be findable on the Internet? Were there some companies, designers, artists, students, who were exploring new looks for these equipment, new colors and patterns, and perhaps with the strategic aim to let their design be in better harmony with known interior design styles?
The searches were recorded in screencast videos. They took place on the websites Google, Instagram, Pinterest, and the artist websites of Deviantart, Dribbble and Behance. In all, dozens of different search terms were checked. I also searched on Google in nine different languages: German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Chinese And Japanese. On top of that I searched the website of the design magazine Designboom, and also the websites of the design magazines Wallpaper and Dezeen. (The two last were not screencast recorded). In total, the research videos are two hours and 25 minutes long, or more than a standard feature film.
The videos were then posted on Youtube in 2019, and the date can be seen under each video. They contain undeniable proof of what was happening in this space, at the same time when the first website, first conceptual designs, and the book were presented. If something was happening among designers, artists, students, companies, in this field, which wasn’t found during these searches, then that material must have been very well hidden.
You can see a more thorough explanation of this, and the research videos, all six of them, embedded in chapter 3 of the book.
The general conclusion was that it was not possible to find any evidence of anyone else speculating in new inspirations, colors and patterns the aesthetic design of loudspeakers and audio components, with emphasis on well-known interior design styles, in the way Desaudio presents. I personally found that pretty amazing.
It seemed pretty clear, that Desudio would be able to present something that the world had never seen before. You could even call it a new product segment in premium design and luxury products.
So instead of just presenting these ideas in the book and on the website, I decided to take decisive steps to create designs and patterns for devices, as well as organize the operations and production for a company, that would offer these solutions. This has taken a lot of work, and is now nearing frutition in the latter half of 2021, after two and half years of development.
Chapters in the book available here on the web
Chapter 1: Form Follows Function… But What Is The Function?
Chapter 2: The „Places“ Where Designers Are At Play And The „Place“ Where Little Is Happening
Chapter 8: The humorous but very serious WAF (Wife Approval Factor)
If you are interested in acquiring the book, you can get it here:
full chapter index
Table of Contents 4
Introduction 8
What is new in this second edition? 11
Chapter 1: Form Follows Function… But What Is The Function? 12
High-technological function 12
What is the actual function? 14
What is the best form? 15
The three functions 16
Function 1: Connect you with music 16
Function 2: Be there and be visible 16
Function 3: Being technologically capable 17
Form should follow three functions – and strike a balance 18
Chapter 2: The „Places“ Where Designers Are At Play And The „Place“ Where Little Is Happening 19
Created by nature versus created by man 19
The „places“ where designers are active 19
Audio devices are visible 21
Thousands of designers are working every day 22
Home audio: You can have any color as long as it‘s black, grey or wooden 24
Understandable because of business risk 24
Black isn‘t “invisible” 25
Minimalistic tech modernism does not “blend in with any decor” 25
The „place“ that isn‘t full of dramatic and dazzling creativity 26
Not experiencing the extra joy of seeing and showing 27
A very significant difference between preference groups 28
Should there be more activity in this „place“? 28
The research question was: 30
First results: It doesn‘t seem that much is happening 31
Desaudio seems to be breaking new ground 31
The searches: 31
One instance of colorful and patterned loudspeakers 32
The screencast videos 33
Screenshots of several search results 34
The search terms from March 8, 2019 36
„Home audio“ search terms 36
Addition 38
Analysis of the product offering from Linn 39
Flat panel wall art speakers 42
An option for consumers 44
Home audio equipment are visible! 46
Styling in home audio promotional material 47
The styles that harmonize with currently common home audio and home cinema styles 48
All the other styles… 49
How well or badly do they harmonize? 52
Chapter 5: What Are The Most Popular Home Interior Decoration Styles? 53
Styles that harmonize with current home audio styling versus those who do that less well 55
These lists are not wholly accurate 57
Chapter 6: How Interested Is The Public In Home Interior Design, Compared To Interest In Home Audio/Cinema Technology? A Simple Test 58
The editorial content in the magazines 60
There are other ways to find out 61
Chapter 7: Which demographic groups are the most enthusiastic about high end audio today? 62
What you can see at Hi-Fi shows 63
The CES show 64
The possible reason for this 65
Hi-Fi was the hottest technology 66
New generations became fascinated by different technologies 67
The general conclusion and future vision? 68
Chapter 8: The humorous but very serious WAF (Wife Approval Factor) 71
„Guaranteed divorce“ 71
„Audio gear and music don‘t make ladies look sexy nor beautiful“ 72
„It‘s definitely not wife approved“ 73
„Wife will kill me 100%“ 73
„I must find a smaller set of speakers“ 74
„The wife would only accept these small sweet speakers in HER living room“ 74
Chapter 9: The Problems Facing The Home Audio Electronics Companies 76
Looks don‘t matter? 77
Escalating business risk? 78
„Un-design“ 79
This simplifies the operations 79
The industry‘s attitude towards styling and design 80
How do they know? 83
Chapter 10: Nothing, Something Or A Fabulous Thing To Bring New Life And New Excitement 84
Three tendencies on how to deal with the situation 84
The Desaudio approach 85
„Designer home audio“ or „designer home cinema“: A new concept 86
Chapter 11: Possibility Of New Premium And Luxury Segments 88
Is high-end audio the (only) luxury segment in this market? 90
The focus of the new premium and luxury segments 91
Devices as beautiful as music itself 92
A new premium or luxury segment isn‘t seen often 93
Not easy as no one is looking for this 93
A new operations/business model needed 94
Chapter 12: The possible market potential of this new market segment 95
First step: The current market 95
Second step: Demographic segments 96
Third step: Preferences of demographic segments 96
Fourth step: Evaluation of effect on markets 97
Fifth step: Plotting a course 98
How about technological developments? 99
Conclusion 103
Chapter 13: The websites (and brands) Desaudio 104
Chapter 14: The Eight Fundamental Theories Behind The Desaudio Project 105
Final word: Contact 107
About the author and founder of Desaudio 108
