The Appeal of Vintage Audio Today.

Did you know that designers like Charles Eames, active in the 1950s, successively released audio products, such as speakers, related to "sound"?

What is now called vintage audio, at the time of its release, existed in a unique harmony with its space, even while competing with interior design.
Their forms were crafted from materials that matched furniture design, and their functions were often hidden within furniture, showcasing various ingenious approaches. Of course, their sound, deeply influenced by the musicality of their country of origin, could also embody a unique and wonderful quality.

These vintage audio systems continue to be cherished today by those drawn to their style, for their superb form and sound.
Nobuhiko Kitamura, designer for Hysteric Glamour, uses a JBL PARAGON in his home audio room. About four years ago,
I accompanied him to California to source furniture and furnishings for his newly built home. We scoured all over California by car to gather them.
During these sourcing trips, we frequently came across 1950s audio cabinets. They possessed an appearance that harmonized exquisitely with other furniture. After returning from that buying tour, the furniture and audio equipment assembled in Kitamura's home became a space uniquely his own, skillfully blending "playful objects" with "timeless, calm pieces."

Kitamura's furniture and audio equipment, through which he listens to various music in his own distinctive style, feel like a single apparatus for the room itself. (Incidentally, the amplifier is a SONICFRONTIERS, with the front panel removed, which is quite chic. The player is a GARRARD MODEL 301, with the body other than the original parts replaced with walnut. The cabinets on both sides are also custom-made walnut to match.)

I first became aware of vintage audio when I saw a McIntosh amplifier in Georgia O'Keeffe's former home in Santa Fe.
Within that space, the McIntosh was quietly placed on a wall shelf, almost like an objet d'art.
Today's so-called home appliances rarely blend into a room. They function effectively, but their sheer size and unconcerned presence can be overwhelming. If something is to have a presence, a size that harmonizes with the room is far better, I think.

I believe the way vintage audio exists holds the key to overcoming the dissonance we feel with today's function-driven appliances.