Полочная акустика — Transparent Brutalist

The Transparent Brutalist Speaker is a wireless active loudspeaker from the Stockholm company co-founded in 2012 by Per Brickstad, Martin Willers and Magnus Wiberg, a firm that describes itself as the first circular tech brand. Unveiled in November 2024 with creative direction by Per Brickstad, it takes its name and its stacked geometric shape from the Brutalist architectural movement that began in the UK in the 1950s. Prices were set at USD 4,000, EUR 3,800 and GBP 3,200, and two finishes are listed - Black and Metal.

Key specs that matter

Two 3-inch tweeters sit in extruded cylinders on raised points of the enclosure and are angled at 90 degrees to each other to spread high frequencies over a wider area. Low frequencies come from a bass reflex design working in an 18 litre acoustic volume, nearly twice that of the brand's first speaker. The quoted frequency range is 32 Hz to 20 kHz. The unit measures 59 x 36 x 26 cm and weighs 12 kg. The maker does not publish amplifier power or the size of the bass driver. Streaming is handled by a pre-mounted WiiM Mini module with dual-band Wi-Fi at 2.4 and 5 GHz, and Bluetooth 5.2 covers direct connection from phones. Supported protocols and services include AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Amazon Music, and the speaker works with Amazon Alexa. Hi-res files up to 24-bit and 192 kHz are accepted, along with MP3, FLAC and WAV.

Engineering and use context

Most of the enclosure is metal, and 70% of its aluminium comes from post-consumer recycled sources. The wireless electronics sit in a dedicated module instead of being built permanently into the cabinet, so the streaming part can be upgraded or replaced as technology moves on while the acoustic housing stays in service. This follows the modular approach the company applies across its range, where products are meant to evolve and improve over time rather than be thrown away. The casing is composed of intersecting geometric volumes, and the tweeters are expressed as separate cylinders instead of being hidden behind a grille, which makes the driver layout part of the visual design.

Pairing

With its amplifier and streamer on board, the Brutalist needs no external amplifier, receiver or network player - a mains socket and a Wi-Fi network are enough. Playback is controlled from the phone apps of the supported services through AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect or Tidal Connect, or by voice through Alexa, while Bluetooth suits guests and devices without network streaming.

Alternatives

The Transparent Speaker, the brand's first wireless model, sold in black, white or red at EUR 1,100, is the smaller alternative with a 10 litre cabinet.