How loudspeakers have been generally designed has remained the same for almost a century now. We have the enclosure, which is fabricated or built out of various materials, typically these are shaped like boxes and hold the drivers and other necessary electrical components. The 3Eel, on the other hand, defines conventional form factors and opts for something with organic influences.
The way artists see it, modern technology opened the floodgates for more avant-garde approaches to presentation. In fact, contemporary manufacturing methods allow for a wide range of customizations. As such, the 3Eel is an ideal example of what happens when we let our imagination take over. This creation by Andrew Roberts or Red Roberts Design is more than just an acoustic output platform.
It’s not often that you stumble upon consumer electronics that are completely free of any angles. Nevertheless, the New Zealand-based designer managed to envision and build a molded resin housing brimming with nothing but curves. The name reportedly means “Three-Eyed Eel” and its serpentine silhouette suggests it’s spot on.
According to reports, the 3Eel is more than just eye candy. Roberts apparently studied how the loudspeakers crafted by Laurence Dickie for Bowers & Wilkins and Vivid Audio relied on tapered tubes to produce their signature sound. The freestanding structure purportedly optimizes the performance of the forward-facing driver units to deliver the fidelity discerning listeners want to hear.
“The 3Eel is undeniably a product that caters to a particular audience: the audiophiles,” reads the official project page. “Audiophiles are an exceptional breed of people who are fascinated by pure audio, motivated by sound quality, and addicted to discovering ways to do so.” We can’t say for sure if it lives up to the claim, but the sculptural outline is definitely on point.
Learn More
Images courtesy of Andrew Roberts/Red Roberts Design
