Home audio speakers are designed to sound great, but many designers take it to the next level and create something so sexy that people can’t help but stare. They know what they do, because in these days a product that looks good has better chances to be sold. These creative speaker designs that you’re gonna see in this post combine both style and (hopefully) function, and we can say that they look better than they sound. 
These speakers are simply called Speak-er, and for now they are just a very interesting “speak bubble shaped speakers” concept from Sherwood Forlee. This designer has on his page a sentence that I totally adore : “Sherwood Forlee is a designer with no design or art education.” I love this sentence because this is another proof that of a very creative product, without spending years studying. In these days with all the informations available on the internet you can learn anything and master it if you really want.
Take a look at this picture and tell me that these little speakers are not cute. 
I totally love their design …they might not have a huge power, but they are a cute element for your decor. Now for all of you who like do-it-yourself projects I want to announce that these speakers are a do-it-yourself project, and if you want to learn how you can create your own speakers exactly like this one you can see the step by step tutorial on Instructables.
For some people these speakers might look creepy, especially if you are a dog owner, or you love animals. The setup includes two 20-inch tall headless pooches, each sporting co-axial speakers. The custom engineered electronic filters make for great sound, and the aesthetics - well, you’ve definitely got two new best friends. You can purchase these speakers from here for $1,449.00
Created by Symbio Design, the ‘Alpha’ speakers are interesting creative object for lovers of music and design unusual things. You can use them as standard stereo speakers, or pair them with other Symbio products and use it as a 5.1 home theater setup.
Jason Sui has designed a unique looking speaker box that could definitely add some flair to any home theatre system. This speaker box, named N3-8 Kidrobot, looks like a penguin wearing an oversized jacket, can handle up to 150 watts, houses three speakers and costs $190.
The Bowers and Wilkins flagship speaker is very highly regarded with music lovers all over the world, and with good reason. The Nautilus (sometimes referred to as the Nautilus “Prestige”) is the culmination of a five year research and development project by former B&W engineer Laurence Dickie. The Nautilus enclosure houses drivers loaded by reverse-tapered horns to absorb the rear radiation and prevent any enclosure colouration.
Jacob Mathew is a designer with a Vision: to not only fit speakers around/in all parts of your lifestyle but to utilize these speakers in the art of massage. The passionate highs entice from the extended range drivers exposed in the sultry pumps, while the intimate lows exude from the potent subwoofer deep inside the patent leather purse. The engaging sound from this beautiful design is sure to sweep you off your feet.
JBL just launched a new set of speakers that are uniquely shaped to provide multiple installation options depending upon your space. They are called the Control Now speakers and they are priced at around $250 each ($280 for an outdoor version). The Control NOW speakers feature a quarter-round shape which means the speakers can be mounted between a ceiling and a wall or between two walls, or horizontally/vertically on the bookshelf, a few examples of how these speakers can be used you can see in the image below.
Created by Question Mark Entertainment his nifty TIE Fighter speaker doesn’t look like an awesome speaker for some people, but if you are a Star Wars fan things could change very quickly. These TIE Fighter speakers are just out of the prototype stage, and were rolled out at CeBIT, the big consumer electronics confab in Hannover, Germany. - Via - Gizmodo
The PLUG + PLAY wireless speaker designed by Per Brickstad system makes all ones music available, regardless if it is stored on cell phones, PCs or MP3 players. The transparent speakers deliver high sound quality and blend into most interiors. Audio files are transmitted from ones device to PLAY by small PLUG elements. The plugs dock into the side of the speaker for charging, and in the speaker has a transparent LCD-display in the glass, providing information about song title, equalizer, etc. - Via - Yankodesign
In 2003 Ferguson Hill manufactured the groundbreaking FHOO1, the world’s first ever front loaded horn dipole loudspeaker. Since then they have been creating bass systems and their newest project, the Mini Speaker System. The price on the FHOO1 horn speakers pictured above is just under $20,000. Their Mini Speaker System (FHOO7) on the other hand is just under $1,200. The FHOO8 is designed to be a subwoofer for their Mini Speaker System and should be released shortly.
Designer Joakim Axelsson thought that box shaped speakers need some innovation, and this is how Dragon speakers have been born. The Dragon speakers are made for those who are looking for something more then just a good sound. I see this speakers in a Chinese restaurant, or in a room with Chinese influences. The speakers are hand made in Denmark and Sweden out of plastic resin and the elements are high end Peerless/Vifa.
The Minipod loudspeaker follows an organic design, where ‘form follows function’. Each characteristic of the design has a precise acoustical justification. The Minipod is essentially an amalgamation of three spheres to form one pressure-vessel, minimizing cabinet vibration, sound radiation and distortion, allowing sound waves to move more freely.
The Sound e-Motion M100-20 BFs spherical speakers are mounted on a stand rather than on a flat surface, which minimizes interference in both horizontal and vertical planes. Thus, the sound radiates evenly in every direction. The sphere holding the speaker is hand made from high class natural wood, a material unique for its acoustic characteristics. Each sphere is made of hundreds of wood pieces and has excellent anti-resonance properties … more.
These speakers, named DMT-100, balance on a stand that incorporates a technology called driver manipulation. That means the arms can be moved and the speakers can be pointed and adjusted for height to achieve the best sound. Proclaim Audio says the spherical enclosures are the best shape to originate sound because of their characteristically smooth frequency response. The idea is that the speaker shape creates the sound, not the room acoustics.
Made with German engineering, the award winning, contemporary Moonlight Sound globes stylishly conceal integrated speakers providing up to 200 watts of crisp, clean audio combined with rich LED lights that change color with the rhythm of your music. Finally, there’s a solution to the problem of separate light and sound fixtures by combining them both – perfectly. Moonlight Sound is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use whether entertaining at home, for weddings and special events, glamorous nightclubs, luxury residences, four-star resorts, shopping malls, virtually anywhere …. more.
Hive is a simulated surround sound speaker system. The Hive takes the latter approach but adds in a bit of design since sound bars are pretty boring. The hexagonal honey comb pattern is graphic, bold, and each cell can pivot or turn for a truly customized audible experience. And don’t worry about messy cables or cords. The Hive only has 2 at most - one for power, and one to connect to your home entertainment system.
Published by Michael July 6th, 2008 in Home Gadgets
Tags: music, sound, speakers, Speakers Designs
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55 Responses to “17 Cool Speakers Designs that Look Better than They Sound”
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Interesting. But well - for example Nautilus looks so cool BECAUSE
it sounds good - it is one of those high-tech money-does-not-matter speakres.
Hi,
I know the Nautilus ones for a couple of years now and they must be really gret.
I like that transparent set and I really like those transparent ones with the horne dipole.
Best regards,
José
P.S. I couldn’t see what I was writing on the right side of this post.
awesome….where can i buy some of this?:)
Very creative! Big fan of the starwars speakers!
Have you heard about JVC’s wooden cone speakers?
http://www.jvc.com/presentations/WoodConeSpeakers/index.html
They’re supposed to sound superb.
Thanks for the great post.
-Kris
These are so cool, I am totally going to make one.
It is a shame to say that they all sound worse than they look. to say that they would have to be really quite poor sounding and I am sure many of these speakers sound great if not hetter.
I have to say that the hive could be my favorite idea, the possiblities for a line array in my livingroom just became a possibility!
Great find and alot of good examples. Keep up the good reporting.
Who says the Nautilus looks better than it sounds? I own three sets of B&W speakers at price points
through their range (330/x, 700/x, 6000/x MSRP) know several others who do as well, and also
know two dealers.
I feel quite well qualified to make the statement that the B&W entry is the best in its class, whatever
the particular class may be. While the Nautilus, at the top of B&W’s line may be what’s called a
“Halo” offering, I have heard them work, as have I heard the works of Wilson Audio (whose “mere”
midline products can cost several times more than B&W’s flagship), Martin Logan (actually own it),
and a couple foreign exotics, they are every bit as advertised. In terms of performance per money,
I’m sure they don’t stack up to my 802s on a linear basis, just as the 802s aren’t almost ten times
better than my 604s. The Corvette Z06, as Chevrolet’s halo car, isn’t four times as fast as the
Cobalt SS/SC, but people still spend $80000 on it.
This is a poorly researched post that has been given a title to draw in readers from social news sites instead of accurately inform us about the content.
Many of the speakers featured here are designed to sound absolutely amazing and are produced by international and reputable manufacturers. Others follow tried and true formulas of speaker design and simply alter the exterior for a humorous or interesting effect and it can be safely assumed that they sound as good as any other generic pair of speakers on the market.
So your premise of presenting speakers that look better than they sound is false. Please dedicate more thought to your next post than a catchy title and a couple of minutes on google image search.\
Wow these are beautiful, appeal to my inner geek alot!
Hi, I work for B&W and I’m very happy that you appeciate the look of the Nautilus - they are interesting looking speakers!
@ Toya thanks for pointing this out. The design of the Nautilus was based entirely on 5 years of groundbreaking research into creating the most transparent sound achievable in a loudspeaker, and the form of the Nautilus represents the purest embodiment of this research . It wouldn’t be fair of me to say that they sound great because this is subjective and I am of course biased, but I’d would strongly encourage you to have a listen to a pair if you ever get a chance.
Amazing speakers tho the dog one is a bit messed up.
@12
the point was that they sound amazing, but they look EVEN BETTER.
I have had the chance, due to my profession, to listen to all but 4 pairs of the speakers listed above.
The speakers I have not had the chance to listen to are as follows:
Speak-er by Shirwood Forlee
N3-8 Kidrobot
Questionmark Entertainment TIE Fighter
Dragon by Joakim Axelsson
I can say hands down that the B&W Natilus Prestige was my favorite pair.
If you ever have a chance to listen to a pair, I would highly recommend you do so!
wow. need that for my labyrinth
The Hive only has 2 at most - one for power, and one to connect to your home entertainment system.
Great post! Scandyna’s “The Drop” speakersare also really nice.
Think my favorite is your first entry, the Speak-er. Very clever.
you guys forgot this one
http://bencollette.com/blog/?p=22
http://freshome.com/2007/06/19/saint-speaker/
I’m confused …
you title the article “17 Cool Speakers [sic] Designs that Look Better than they sound”
But you then include the Nautilus series which, if anything, sounds better than it looks. Yes, they’re that amazing: despite their awesome design, they ’sound’ (whatever that means, but I think I get the gist) even better.
So … that makes no sense.
It’s cool very nice.Laitai laitai
This gadget is tremendous, it’s amazing… Well, in connection
of high technology gadgets,check what i found while ago Steve
Jobs unveiling the new iPhone in the
clash/newIphone.
Actually, it’s a head-to-head video of the two guys who have
dominated the technology world for the last 25 years. (Steve Jobs
vs. Bill Gates)
looks kool
Who would waste their money on thousand dollar speakers that “Look better than they sound” I mean, small good sounding speakers are good enough for me. No thanks.