Herman Miller blog: Lifework » speakers

Unplggd: Speakers

Cerentha Harris — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 23:33:42 +0000

“Nothing screams “high-end” like throwing in a classic Eames Lounge Chair in your living room. We can’t imagine how many meals one must sacrifice to afford one of those, but if you like your speakers just as classy and expensive, these loudspeakers – which takes some obvious influence from the lines and pricing philosophy of the famous Eames piece – may just be the one for you.

Brought to you by Davone Ray, these beautiful speakers are a passive pair, requiring an external amp/receiver to drive them. Just looking at the specs, they seem to be pretty decent already, but at a $6000 price tag per pair, it’s hard not to recommend investing in something more worthwhile instead.
The speakers come in a lovely walnut finish and can be special ordered here. Ships from Denmark.
[Via Boing Boing]

By Anthony.”

This story appears in partnership with Unplggd, a site for people who embrace technology and design in their home.

Unplggd: Speakers get Arty

Cerentha Harris — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:41:16 +0000

“Last year, Joey Roth brought the world a set of speakers made of pure ceramic. It was a memorable, minimalistic set that everyone at Unplggd thoroughly enjoyed listening to and taking photos of. With its huge success, Joey decided to invite nine of his favorite artists to come over and modify his speakers as they see fit. The result? Some of the zaniest designs we’ve ever seen…You can check out the entire project over at Joey Roth’s site, Sounds Like, over here.

[Via MocoLoco]

By Anthony.”

This story appears in partnership with Unplggd, a site for people who embrace technology and design in their home.

Unplggd: Affordable Speakers Let You Listen While You Work

Cerentha Harris — Thu, 20 May 2010 16:08:01 +0000

“Usually when we hear the term ‘audiophile,’ we tend to immediately think ‘overpriced audio gear.’ Surprisingly, this isn’t the case with Dayton B652 6-1/2″ 2-Way bookshelf speakers. Somehow, some way, it manages to deliver sound that’s surprisingly decent, all for a ridiculously affordable price of $25 a pair.

The speakers are about 12 inches tall, 7 inches wide, and 7 inches deep. Pretty much perfect for the kitchen sound system if we ever saw one.

According to a friend of a friend over at Cnet, one of the most annoying sacrifices you’ll have to make is dealing with the spring clips for the speaker wire, though we personally don’t see it as much of a problem if the sound is as good as they make it out to be.

If you’re looking for some geeky audiophile speaker talk on the sound quality, you can check out their write-up on the speakers over here. But if you’re going to take the plunge, you’ll be needing a receiver or some sort of amp to drive the passive speakers. Just pick one up from your local thrift store and you’ve got yourself an instant little makeshift stereo system.

You can read more reviews on the speakers over here. Shipping starts at around $11.

[Via Cnet]

By Anthony”

This story appears in partnership with Unplggd, a site for people who embrace technology and design in their home.

Yves Behar’s Gift Guide

Cerentha Harris — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:56:38 +0000

We asked Yves Behar, who designed the Leaf and Ardea lights for Herman Miller, to think about gifts that would sit beautifully in anyone’s home office. Here are his recommendations.

1. Remember to drink water and stay hydrated with the tranSglass® Lidded Carafe - a collaboration with Guatemalan craftsmen and Tord Boontje’s combines old-world craftsmanship and sophisticated design, each vessel is a unique, one-of-a-kind piece. Just add a stick of carbon to purify the water, and enjoy.

2. Working and speaking to people on the phone while having hands-free is a must (to take notes, draw cartoons, surf the web to plan the evening during that longish conference call). I designed the Jawbone Prime Earcandy headset in everyone’s favorite colors. It’s a nice way to be able to do two things a once.

3. Something inspiring and spiritual on a desk is important, like some flowers. I would pick Arik Levy’s Ceremony. They are flower sticks made for the Turkish brand Gaia and Gino. Choose clear, silver or bronze.

4. And enjoy your own music, without having to ask cubicle neighbors! These Semi-Audiophile Ceramic Speakers for Ipod or Computer by Joey Roth are bespoke and affordable (under 500$). The ceramic speakers are made from porcelain, cork, and baltic birch. each material is minimally finished, left to add its natural beauty to the design.

5. And take a break once a day for some body stretches and light exercise: an eco friendly yoga mat made of PER (Polymer Environmental Resin), which is a unique material that is more sensitive to the environment and your health is a good place to start.