Plumb Horn Speakers White/Natural – Prototype
$8,600
1 in stock
This special pair of Plumb horn speakers are the original prototype for the Plumb horn speaker model. They are flat white and quite elegant as they are, but can also be finished any way you like!
A natural evolution of my evolving geometries for the Specimen audio line. It occurred to me while contemplating twining vines and creeping foliage, that there is a symbiotic interface between architectonic structure and organic growth patterns.
This can be put to good use when a load bearing column cannot easily be eradicated from a new dream loft space.
If you cannot beat the enemy, embrace reality and face the music.
They are Column Solvers!
- Plumb Prototype
Horn Speakers - Opaque White Audio Horn Speakers
- Dimensions
- 65" tall overall
- 9.5 " horn diameter
- 9.5" cube base
- 11.5" minimum shelf depth - Specifications
- Driver: FE126 Fostex full range
- Impedance: 8 ohms
- Sensitivity: 93 dB
- Frequency Response: 83Hz - 25kHz - Shipping
Freight By Arrangement
The Plumb horn speaker is a new generation of Eremurus horn (center), seen with Calla horn (left), Protea horn (right) at Garfield Conservatory in 2014
Plumb Horns
Specimen Plumb horns are a natural evolution of my evolving geometries. It occurred to me while contemplating twining vines and creeping foliage, that there is an symbiotic interface between architectonic structure and organic growth patterns. This can be put to good use when a load bearing column cannot easily be eradicated from a new dream loft space. If you cannot beat the enemy, embrace reality and face the music. They are Column Solvers.
Compatibility and Placement
All Specimen Horn speakers can be paired with my hi-fi tube amplifiers for a beautiful sonic symbiosis. Or they can be paired with virtually any other system and achieve excellent results. They are also perfect for home/office theater use.
These speakers are designed to work well elevated as a typical bookshelf speaker, out in the open, or even placed on the ground to achieve a more spatially expansive installation, as in the Sonic Arboretum exhibitions. The sound of Specimen Horns has been described as “holographic” in that the sound seems to be coming from behind the enclosure.
Design & Construction
All Specimen Horn speakers are entirely handmade at Specimen in Chicago, IL.
Considering this design as an evolution of the horn speaker series featured in the Sonic Arboretum and a new iteration of the Emerus horn, one of eight new and unique prototypes produced for my show Aero Dynamisms at Packer Schopf Gallery, it seemed logical to have the horns integrate well with nature. These materials accomplish this as they create their own foliage-like effect. They work exceedingly well in any botanical setting. They almost look as if they have grown in place.
The Specimen Plumb horns are made from recycled newsprint, dryer lint, and shellac, making them by far the most eco-friendly Specimens to date. Dryer lint is one of earth’s greatest squandered resources and we are now putting it to use. It has incredible strength from all the interlocking fibers. Each horn is unique and embodies a variety of markings that result from the construction and finishing process. This raw and organic finish lends a unique patina to each horn.
The bases are made of premium quality Baltic Birch plywood.
A full range driver is rear loaded with a horn shape to match the acoustic impedance of the air in the compression chamber with the air in the listening room. There is no crossover distortion.
Museum Legacy
The Specimen Leiderhorns, Hornlings and the smaller Hornlets horn speakers were first created for the Sonic Arboretum, a collaborative project between Ian Schneller and composer/violinist Andrew Bird. The Sonic Arboretum installation had its debut at New York’s Guggenheim Museum in 2010 and in 2011 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The installation included a collection of 76 different Specimen horn speakers and Specimen Custom Tube Amplifiers. The Sonic Arboretum exhibited again at the International Contemporary Art Museum, ICA Boston in 2015, where the specially designed Specimen ICA Calla Horns System made its debut.
