Manifesto of Desaudio
Desaudio is not just another design brand. It is something far larger and more fundamentally revolutionary.
Desaudio is introducing what none other seems to have truly considered before: To add a fundamentally important attribute into home audio and home cinema loudspeakers and device visual aesthetic design, in a much more extensive and varied way, and satisfying for certain segments of the public, than has been done before by the home audio device industry. By that, Desaudio heralds the birth of a new premium design and luxury product category.
The home is a place where you replenish in security and comfort, with your family and friends, or in serene solitude. It is a place to enjoy personal interests that are non-work or study related, including the arts and entertainment. This allows you to reload your batteries and nourish the heart and soul. Sound and music are a very important key to enjoyable experiences, through listening to music you love, or enjoying great multi-channel surround sound while watching TV.
To enjoy the music you love the most, or great surround TV sound in their homes, you need home audio or home cinema audio electronic devices. (The kings, dukes and counts had bands to play music in their splendid palaces in past times, but few can afford such luxuries. Instead, modern home owners have the wonderful innovations of loudspeakers and audio electronics to bring the music inside their rooms.)
They need to place these devices inside their homes, and for the best audio quality, the devices ideally need to be placed in such a way that the sound waves reach the listener without obstructions being in the way. That means they will be visible. If you don‘t see an individual loudspeker, you can‘t hear it clearly either.
Here comes the problem.
The image shows some pretty typical looks on loudspeakers.
Loudspeakers and audio devices have to a great extent been offered as minimalistic black, grey or brown. These looks are no problem at all for those segments of the public who love music and/or great TV sound, and are perhaps fascinated by the technological gear and acoustical optimization, but are not concerned much about home decoration and interior design.
The looks above have proved to be an eyesore for many, and even reason for completely rejecting the idea of placing high-performance, high quality loudspeakers into a living room. This is especially among home owners who are very interested in home decoration and interior design. In this group, this is especially true for individuals that are interested in warm, natural, romantic and classical/vintage interior design style influences.
The WAF factor
There has been humorous yet serious talk about the WAF, an acronym for “wife approval factor”. Wikipedia defines WAF as „Wife acceptance factor, wife approval factor, or wife appeal factor (WAF) is an assessment of design elements that either increase or diminish the likelihood a wife will approve high-fidelity loudspeakers, home theater systems and personal computers“ inside the home.
This has meant that high-performance audio devices have not been acquired and enjoyed in households where this point of view prevails at the end of the day, even if the home owners in question love music and/or great TV sound.
Is Desaudio first to offer a solution?
Desaudio is about offering a solution to this: To create designs that harmonize much better with the many known interior design styles. This means a much wider and varied emphasis on the product attribute of look, style, color combination, patterns. Comprehensive research indicates that this is an approach in home audio and home cinema device design that no one has introduced before.
This attribute or looks and style is of fundamental importance in the field of furniture, furnishings, and of course decorative objects, as well as fine art for the home. It is available in many different interior decoration styles, so that style loving homeowners are always able to choose the atmosphere and symphony of colors that they want to enjoy inside their home. It is among the key desired aspects of furniture and other items for the home, along with the basic, mechanical purpose of the object (i.e. a chair is to sit on, a table is to put things on, a lamp is to emanate lights, etc.)
Desaudio, (or the new premium design and luxury product category of designer home audio), “fetches” this key desired attribute of looks and style from the furniture, furnishings, decorative objects and fine art markets, to “install” it into the field of loudspeakers and audio components.
A choice of stylish options
This will mean that, instead of being often stuck with the black, grey or brown monotone looks, homeowners will be able to choose between the potentially myriad of options, while the acoustical performance of the loudspeakers is not hampered in any way by this innovation. The acoustical performance, of course, continues to be the key desired product attribute of audio devices.
The fundamental focus is not necessarily to create the most striking designs for loudspeakers, that scream the loudest. The focus is on the room, the style and color palette, and the refined and sophisticated style sensibility of the homeowner. It is about how the design harmonizes and creates an interesting and satisfying total picture with the other objects in the room. The homeowner can choose if the audio devices should be strikingly prominent, or have a distinct character in an interesting way, or to blend harmoniously and modestly with other objects in the room.
The innvation is not presented with the approach that loudspeakers and audio components “should” have a different look. These are simply a new option, for those who might find this option to be an important and well received one. Which I am sure there are demographic groups among the public that will. For others, who prefer audio devices like they have been, the conventional looks will continue to be available. Some audio device manufacturers boldly proclaim that the sound quality is the only thing that matters and they focus on that. They are free to have that opinion, and there are many who have those opinions. Nothing wrong with that. But surely there will be some who will welcome the option of more varied colors and styling, and they may even be in considerable numbers.
Choice of looks and choice of technology independent
The style loving homeowner will be able to choose the look, colors and pattern first, and then choose the audio devices which the look will adorn, according to the homeowner’s wishes. This has not been possible before. Style loving home owners will for the first time have a chance of choosing loudspeakers (and electronic audio devices) that will fully satisfy and enchant their style preferences.
These are individuals who love music, and love to watch TV with great sound, but did definitely not love the loudspeakers and audio devices that have been available until now, because of their looks. In fact, they didn’t want to see those object in their living room.
A radically different product mix
The approach, and the variety, that the homeowner can choose from is radically different from the product mix and variety of this important attribute that was available before. As the homeowner has a totally different approach, and different combination of options when choosing the home audio or home cinema audio equipment for the home, then this can be defined as being in fact a different product, incorporation a new set of attributes. Thus, this is a new luxury product category that didn’t exist before. It is called Designer Home Audio, instead of just home audio.
Is there proof for a new luxury product category?
A new design product category? Isn’t that a rather bold assumption? Has no one else done this before, in this way, from this angle? Is there a proof for that?
Yes, actually the proof exists. It is available in two places:
First, is the book Designer Hi-Fi and Home Cinema Speakers and Devices (second edition, January 2020). This book describes in a thorough way the fundamental theories behind this innovation. The first edition of the book was published in June of 2019, under the name Designer Home Audio Devices.
Second is a series of screencast recorded videos, created around the middle of the year 2019. In these videos, Sverrir, the author of the book and creator of the Designer Home Audio innovation, searched for if it was possible to find any signs that anyone else had thought of doing something similar to this, in the field of home audio devices. The videos total two hours and fifteen minutes in length, and the search took place in ten different languages, on all the major websites where you would search for this kind of thing. The search revealed only one instance of something similar. However, that instance emphasized the style of the creators, and did not focus on harmony with the many different interior decoration styles, as Desaudio does.
Thus it is fair enough to say, that hereby is heralded the birth of a new premium and luxury design product category: Designer Home Audio.
The narrow decorative focus of high-end audio
In the home audio and home cinema markets, it is true that there has existed a luxury segment. This is the so-called high-end audio segment. High-end audio systems can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even north of a million, in total. But high-end audio has been very equipment and technology focused, with very narrow and even limited wow factor offered in terms of a home design and decoration influence. High-end audio shows have been mainly attended by middle-aged or senior age males. You hardly see any style-lowing female home owners at these shows.
This segment has mainly featured the common design vocabulary of black or grey high-tech, modern and minimalistic forms, with brown wood veneer used as luxury accent. The pinnacle of this tendency is the spectacular Wilson Audio WAMM Master Chronosonic loudspeakers. These behemoths are 210 cm or almost 7 feet high, and weigh more than 400 kg or 900 lbs, and retail for a whopping $ 850,000 a pair. That is more than the list price of the very expensive Rolls Royce Phantom VIII Extended Wheel Base. This is a aerospace aluminum, space-age, masculine, brutalist high-end audio piece of machinery.
The audio quality is beyond belief, but they are in very little harmony with the flowery patterns, embrodieries and drapes of the currently trendy Cottagecore and Grandmillennial interior design styles, and would therefore be not welcome at all inside the home of a style-conscious homeowner who revels romantic and natural inspirations, no matter how the great acoustics are. A luxury segment in high-end audio, offering looks, colors and styles that resonate in a highly attractive and desirable way with different interior design styles has not existed. Desaudio is creating this new market segment.
Isn’t it a mind boggling mystery?
Homeowners will have a choice of a virtually endless variety of looks and styles in furniture, furnishings, decorative objects and fine art. When you think of all the things that people choose between for their homes, then it is a mind boggling mystery that no one seems to have thought of this before: To offer options in style, colors and patterns in loudspeakers (and audio components) that are systematically created to harmonize with the many interior decoration styles that style-loving homeowners can choose from.
At first sight, increasing greatly the choice between different styles and color combinations might seem prohibitive, because it would make manufacturing and stocking ready products, so much more complicated, and greater in volumes. It would be entirely unrealistic from a productional, organizational, logistics and cost point of view.
That is perhaps the reason, that Desaudio seems to be the only one in the world developing these kind of ideas for new solutions in this field. It seems the industry hasn’t had the idea of how to do this, so that it will be viable from an economic and operational point of view.
Different from the traditional approach of the industry
This approach, of offering a wide selection of looks, patterns and colors is very different from what the home audio and home cinema devices industry has offered consumers until now. It is completely against the basic ethos of some, who say that the sound is the only thing that matters, and as little emhpasis should be put on the looks as possible.
The managers of these compaines can say this for themselves, and there are groups of consumers who agree. But they cannot dictate this for the certain consumer groups I mentioned, who have different sets of personal interests and preferences.
They can communicate and generate interest among the consumer groups that are very interested in audio quality and technology, but have little concern for home decoration. But they are a not strong force in thrilling and winning the hearts of the groups that love music and watching TV with great audio, but are also interested in home decoration and visual aesthtetics, but at the same time not very interested in the electronic technology as such.
Three ways to “solve” the undesired looks problem
The companies seem to know that looks are a problem with some customer groups, and they have tackled the problem mainly in three ways:
- They have created looks that are supposed to be neutral, to blend into their environment, so that the equipment is as little obtrusive as possible. But their look is not particularly appealing to certain consumer groups. And as long as a device is visible, it will have a certain harmony or disharmony with other objects around, for good, not so good, or for bad.
- They have been making smaller devices to make them less visible. However, smaller loudspeakers generate „smaller“ sound quality. You need a loudspeaker cone of a certain size to generate sound waves inside rooms of a certain size. Tiny little speaker cones don‘t do that.
- They have made the loudspeakers invisible with „architectural solutions“, i.e. loudspeakers integrated into walls and ceilings. This is expensive to install, often requiring a specialzied team of professionals, not all living spaces are suitable for this, and this does not offer the best placement of loudspeakers for optimal audio quality.
The basic message is: We know our products are seen by some to be not very pretty, so we want to make them to be unnoticed in the room as much as we can.
But the point is, that this does not serve the goal of maximizing the joy and satisfaction that people get from using these devices in the home. These groups don‘t get the extra joy from acquiring something new, placing it inside their homes, looking at them, showing others, and enjoying their great style and how they enhance the room and make it more beautiful than it was before. This will mean, that this will be lower on their wish list, and they will be less likely to enjoy these equipment in their homes.
Offering new solutions that work
Desaudio will be about offering covers for loudspeakers in beautiful patterns and colors.
What is best known today is black, grey or brown monochrome acoustically transparent fabric stretched on a grille in front of the speaker drivers. These are standard with most high-performance loudspeakers that are available today. The fabric does not harm the acoustic quality and is recommended to be kept on by manufacturers to protect the speakers.
Instead, Desaudio will be about printed acoustically transparent fabric which is stretched all around the loudspeaker and across the top. This transforms the loudspeaker from being a dull black, grey or brown box much of the time, which many style-conscious homeowners absolutely don’t want to see in their living rooms (which the phenomena WAF or wife acceptance factor tells a clear tale of), into beautiful and stylish design objects that harmonize with the décor of the room and the homeowner’s personal taste.
These will lift the room into new decorative design heights, as you can see in the many ready designs and designs in example room pictures presented here on Desaudio’s website. The homeowner will feel joy and pride when looking at these objects that harmonize so nicely with the rest of the room, and the homeowner will enjoy the music most loved in great acoustical audiophile quality, or great TV sound.
The production technology and fabrics for the most part are already present, and Desaudio has the knowledge of how to produce these. However, actual production facilities, equipment, raw materials in stock, and trained staff are not in place yet. While those are not fully opreational, production will be slower, and will be served on a first-come first-served base. There may be considerable waiting times in the beginning, which customers must know about and be content with, if they decide they want to be amont the first to enjoy the fruit of this innovative thinking.
Huge amount of time went into thinking and organizing
A lot of time has went into not just creating the 18 pattern designs and 100 color versions introduced, but also the basic organization, design rules, form, color, trend and color trends, and definition of different aspects of this whole thing. You cannot spy on what other brands are doing, and copy their ways, since there are no brands in this field as this is a luxury product category that has not existed until now. Sometimes weeks went by, with a certain problem in the back of one’s head, speculating how it should be organized and defined, and how it would fit systematically, operationally and economically with all other parts of the puzzle. Bit by bit the pieces of the puzzle were created and got together, and now it is time to launch this.
Own your part in the new beginnings
The birth of a new luxury product category does not happen often. The very first creations may have potential to have collector’s value.
You have the chance of participating, of owning a unique creation that is a numbered, part of the very first limited-edition design collections in this new luxury product category, produced by this first brand in this new market, by the individual who is the mastermind behind the innovation.
Desaudio has been in full stealth mode since 2019, and actually the founder of Desaudio got the very first idea about more beautiful and stylish loudspeakers and audio devices in the fall of 1991. Now Desaudio is getting ready to step out and introduce this style innovation.
You can acquire a part of the beginning of this new luxury product category in the form of a:
- Ready colored pattern (numbered, limited edition)
- Custom colored pattern (limited availability)
- Bespoke creation of pattern and colors (extremely limited availability)
Rights to having a pattern realized
In the beginning, this ownership is in the form of the rights for a numbered, limited-edition or single edition color version, custom coloring or bespoke creation, the rights to have this realized on a loudspeaker cover. The buyer can have delivered the pattern on a starter product to receive an example right away. This can be a pair of pillows, a blanket, or similar.
There are various ways to hold and manage the ownership of a ready colored version, a custom coloring, or a bespoke creation. The basic form of ownership will be certified with a digital certificate of authenticity, which is registered on the Bitcoin block chain. It will also be possible to have a concierge service, provided by Desaudio for an additional service fee. And then there is interest in offering the service of minting the acquired numbered rights, the custom coloring or bespoke creation as a NFT, or non-fungible token, on the Polygon layer of the Ethereum block chain.
Realizing owned patterns on actual speakers
The pattern can then be realized on customized loudspeaker covers later on (where it will be necessary to know the exact number, size and dimensions of the speakers in question to generate the customized print files). This will be done as the production capabilities are developed, on a first come, first served basis. The technologies and production processes are known and available already, but the production capacity in the beginning will be slow. Those who are first to order a bespoke creation, a custom coloring, or a numbered, limited edition ready color version, of a ready pattern, will be served first, and the category first mentioned will have priority, while the latter will come after that.
Welcome to the birth of a new luxury product category
The first designs presented are all created by Sverrir, the founder of Desaudio and author of the book. Sverrir is not a professionally trainded designer, although he was an art school student, but didn’t finish since no school in his country taught what he was thinking of studying at the time. The designs and this website are by no means perfect. This is a one-man accomplishment without the millions of dollars budget of larger and more established companies. But they are significant because they are a start of something new.
The first automobile with an internal combustion engine, introduced by Mr. Daimler and Mr. Benz in 1885, and the first heavier than air aeroplane that could carry a human pilot, of the Wright brothers in 1903 weren’t perfect either in today’s standards. But without them there would have been no further development in their fields. Step number two, three, hundred or thousand isn’t taken unless someone has taken step number one in the beginning, or not at least until someone else has the idea of taking step number one in some undetermined future.
That undetermined future isn’t necessary, because Desaudio is the first step in this new product segment, developed based on the basic thinking of setting interior design styles and the individual personal taste of each home owner as the fundamental benchmark. The subsequent steps will probably be more focused, more stylish, more perfect…
These may seem pretty bold words, but they are simply based on bare facts, evaluated with cold, rational thinking. This is what it is.
I welcome you to look around here on the Desaudio website, to enjoy the rare thrill of exploring a new luxury product category that has not existed before, and to become among the first to own an authentic creation, a possible collector’s gem, from Desaudio, which is establishing and defining the rules of this new segment.
Thank you for joining this exciting journey
Sverrir (Sven) – founder of Desaudio, creator of the Designer Home Audio concept, and author of the book Designer Hi-Fi and Home Cinema Speakers and Devices.
