Premiere Design

And now for something completely different—a speaker made of concrete! Designed by Shmuel Linski as his final project to graduate from Shenkar College in Israel, the so-called Exposed speaker is nothing if not unique.

The Exposed uses one driver at the top. It appears to be a coaxial driver with a dome tweeter at the center of a mid-bass diaphragm, but I don't know for sure because I've received no reply to my queries. Behind the driver is a 96cm (38-inch) transmission line that opens into a large horn at the bottom.

Seeing four connectors—presumably for biwiring or biamping—supports my assumption that the driver is coaxial with two diaphragms.

Why use concrete as the building material? According to Linski's website, "We often encounter plastic, wood, leather, and other basic materials in our homes, but we encounter concrete as a 'hidden' material that is covered by layers of plaster and paint. In my work, I tried to give, in addition to great aesthetics, practical reasons for using concrete as a main material in a product." And yet, he continues, "When concrete meets sound, it might distort the sound, because the concrete is very stiff (usually speakers are made of wood or MDF). The speakers might therefore sound strange." I can certainly believe that!

On the other hand, perhaps the speaker's sheer weight—over 123 pounds each—and the anti-resonant properties of concrete might yield some benefit. As Linski concludes, the Exposed invokes "a sense of nirvana for concrete lovers and audiophiles." I don't know about being an audiophile, but he is clearly a concrete lover, having also designed an espresso machine and a working canoe made out of the stuff!