DEEPTIME IONIC MERGES ART AND SOUND

The Ionic comprises a pair of passive satellite speakers and a subwoofer, like any conventional 2.1 system, but we’re sure you’ll agree the design is a little bit “out there”. There’s a good reason for the Spirula speakers and Thunderstone subwoofer looking the way they do, though.

The speakers resemble shells or the anatomy of the human ear. DEEPTIME says it is the “perfect shape”. There are no flat surfaces inside the speakers, meaning any unwanted vibrations from the speaker driver don’t get passed on to the listener. 

The Spirula are fitted with 3-inch full-range drivers with bamboo fiber cones. DEEPTIME says it has used bamboo because it is durable under high volumes but flexible enough to absorb any vibrations. 

As for the material used to build the Spirula speakers, we reckon you’d be hard-pressed to guess they’re made from sand. Deeptime has 3D printed the enclosures using sand for its structural and acoustic properties, claiming the weight and density helps to eliminate unwanted frequencies.

The Spirula speakers can be purchased as a pair for €899, but they are limited to 1,618 pairs. 

DEEPTIME would love it though if you bought them with the accompanying Thunderstone active subwoofer. Like its Spirula sibling, the Thunderstone sub is 3D printed from sand and houses a 5.75-inch driver, powered by a 110 Watt Class D amplifier. 

The company has also fitted an additional two Class D amps for powering the Spirula speakers when connected. The Thunderstone sub can also accept a variety of music sources: 3.5mm analogue, digital optical and wireless Bluetooth with support for aptX and AAC codecs. 

Only available to be purchased as part of the 2.1 package with a pair of Spirula speakers, it will be available for the specific price of €3141.59. Shipping is due to start in January 2019.