Ceramic Speakers

Yamaha

What - Groundbreaking new speaker design for Yamaha combining the beauty of slipcast porcelain with high-end audio. This project is a story of Japanese audio technology meeting British manufacturing knowledge. We worked closely with the undisputed gurus of pottery; the ceramics professors and technicians of Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent to produce these Barbara Hepworth influenced hifi speakers for our long-term partners at Yamaha Design Lab, Japan.

Audience - Those who love beautiful sound and beautiful objects.

How - Ceramics is an excellent material for speakers, providing both rigidity and the ability to produce organic forms so well suited to high quality audio. Add to that the infinite variety of colours and textures offered by pottery and you have a powerful combination. We made sketches, drawings, CAD models, foam models, plaster models and many, many prototypes. After several ‘back to the drawing board’ moments, some kiln disasters, a couple of explosions, and several years of patient development with Yamaha designers and the University staff, the speakers were born.

Outcome - A piece of advanced design and global collaboration to be proud of. There are now several working prototypes in the UK and Japan, with impressive initial audio test results that stand up to Yamaha’s high expectations one sound quality.