A wirelesss loudspeaker isn’t likely to be the first thing you’d guess the Joey Roth Steel Speaker to be. I mean, it looks more like a fancy desktop toy or a high-design decoration than a music-pumping contraption, but that’s exactly what this stylishly crafted object is supposed to be.
Sporting a monolithic look, the speaker bears an unusual design that consists of a rectangular tower standing atop a wooden ball. More than mere aesthetic decoration, each element of the design actually serves a very specific purpose in the way the speaker produces sound.
The Joey Roth Steel Speaker uses a mechanism called a “mass-loaded transmission line,” where the single full-range driver sends its output down to the ball at the bottom, which then diffuses it around a 360-degree angle, creating omni-directional sound. Construction is solid stainless steel for the enclosure, ensuring all the hardware can function without any sonic interference, with the ball cut in hard maple. The ball, by the way, houses the Bluetooth transmitter, since it’s the only element in the design that won’t block radio frequencies. Features include a Fountek FR58EX driver, a bridge mono TPA3118 amplifier, and an alternate RCA input for tethering to an audio source. It measures 3 x 4 x 15.5 inches, making it ideal for desks and tabletops, with a weight of 12 pounds.
Available now, the Joey Roth Steel Speaker is priced at $450.