Sound Design
Visually appealing electronics offer form with function.
Outdoor Television
Cue the classic Million Dollar Movie theme. At the touch of a remote control, a carbon-fiber column rises from the ground, extending to its full height of 19 feet. Then, over the next 40 seconds, seven LED panels silently unfold like an accordion to create a single, seamless screen measuring 301 inches wide. The C Seed 301 television offers high-quality viewing spec’d for outdoor challenges like wind speeds of up to 15 mph. Six speakers and one subwoofer handle the sonic dimensions. $1.5 million; cseed.tv
All-in-One Vinyl Player
The mid-century modern aesthetic of the Andover Model-One turntable music system evokes vinyl’s golden age, but 21st-century engineering allows the turntable, speakers, and 150-watt amplifier to be combined in a distortion-free, space-saving configuration. The Model-One doesn’t skip a beat as it delivers a remarkable, room-filling performance. Modern conveniences include wireless Bluetooth connectivity. $2,000; andoveraudio.com
High-resolution audio unlocks the sounds musicians intended for you to hear, but it can require a major investment of money and square footage. Smaller than a cell phone, the Astell & Kern SR25 Audio Player produces remarkable sound quality for its size. The device has 64 GB of internal memory and a micro SD card slot for extra capacity. The moving angle design evokes the vibe of pulsating music—for more than 20 hours before recharging—and the feel of a luxury watch, using the same Swiss precision tooling. $700; astellkern.com
Clad in bamboo and elevated by an aluminum frame, the iFi Aurora speaker is designed to be seen and heard. While the Japanese-inspired exterior is noteworthy, so is the hybrid analog/digital sound processing scheme whose most visible element is a Russian-made vacuum tube seen through a window next to the touch-sensitive control panel. The Aurora features both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity for flexibility and several can be linked to create a multi-room system. $1,400; ifi-audio.com
