Turntables generally follow an established design. You have a heavy base (plinth), an electric motor (belt-drive or direct drive), a platter, a tonearm, a cartridge, and the electronics for output and more. However, it’s possible to get a bit creative with the presentation. But make sure it does not affect the basic functionality. To illustrate, we have a cool tribute to an avant-garde take on an audio system dubbed the RA84 Turntable and RA84 02 Speakers.
If you’re intimately familiar with the early days of music playback machines, these concepts by Stu Cole should evoke nostalgia. These are remakes of Ron Arad Studio’s Concrete Stereo, which was limited to 10 examples only at the time. The idea behind it seems so simple, yet the execution is as artisanal as it gets. Meanwhile, the British designer’s version incorporates a contemporary twist.
Instead of its namesake’s materials, the RA84 collection adapts a more sustainable approach. You won’t find concrete or metal rebars here, as recycled consumer plastics find new life as the plinth of the turntable and cabinet of the speakers. Moreover, this is not a 1:1 aesthetic copy, but resembles a mainstream construction composite called terrazzo.
Available in light and dark shades, these would look great as a sculptural showpiece in any room. Cole even goes as far as to recreate the broken sections on the turntable and speakers. This endows the audio system with a stylish, weathered appearance that withstood the ravages of time.
“This future-forward turntable revives the attitude of Ron Arad’s 1984 concrete icon. Back then, it was brutalist concrete. Today it’s waste transformed into a new kind of permanence. 41 years on, the apocalyptic turntable is back. Same spirit. New material. Full circle,” writes its creator.
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Images courtesy of Stu Cole/Behance
