The most important element in a speaker system is, of course, the sound, but the look and feel takes a close second. Assuming speakers sound good enough to hold on to for years to come, you’re going to spend a lot of time looking at them, so they had better be nice to look at. And these new wooden works of art from Grovemade have definitely got you covered there.
Made out of either walnut or maple, the wooden bodies of the Grovemade Speaker system should not only make for better sound and a stronger build than the flimsy plastic shells used by lower-end speakers, they also happen to be some of the most eye-catching speakers we’ve seen in a while.
“The Speaker System is unlike anything we’ve ever done in the past and we achieved this through our collaboration with industrial designer Joey Roth and our advanced internal manufacturing and design capabilities,” Grovemade co-founder Ken Tomita said in a statement. “The result is a piece that is timeless, elegant and wholly unique in character capable of delivering an acoustically rich sound.”
The Grovemade Speaker System was designed in collaboration with designer Joey Roth, who happens to be based in the same city as both Grovemade’s shop and our own headquarters, Portland, OR. Roth is known for his intriguing speaker designs, including a unique set of ceramic speakers we reviewed in 2010. The look of the wooden speaker set is designed to fit in with Grovemade’s Desk Collection, though the lovingly detailed and domestically sourced wooden finishes should provide an easy fit with most other desk furniture as well.
The speakers come complete with a small box for wired connectivity, and are designed to be used with computers, turntables, and other line-level audio sources. Dual 25-watt amplifiers power 2-inch full-range driver in each speaker, while the back-loaded horn is designed to create more powerful lows.
There’s a reason these are called luxury speakers, however. Available now, Grovemade’s new speaker system sells for $500 for the maple variety and $600 for the walnut option. That said, if you’re looking for something unique — and environmentally friendly — these might just be the perfect fit for your shelf or desktop.
For more information, check out Grovemade’s website, and check back for our full review coming soon.