14 DAY TRIAL // HTC is out to prove that you don't need big speakers for a big sound or that you need an expensive dock to get nice sounds coming out of your phone. It believes that the stereo frontal speakers it packs into its flagship HTC One are enough to fill a room, albeit with a little help.
The company enlisted the help of British designer Justin Wolter to create a dock system for the phone that would stand out.
It's safe to say "mission accomplished." The Gramohorn II is a speaker dock unlike any other. Every mode is 3D printed to order and finished in the color the customer wants.
HTC uses a composite material based on plaster for the dock, but the speakers are finished by hand to give them a polished look. Alternatively, wanting customers can get the contraption in stainless steel and bronze, also 3D printed. The metal version is a limited edition of 10 pieces in each of the three finish versions.
The unusual gramophone design actually serves a purpose, since the dock doesn't actually have any speakers or any active amplification. Instead, the sound from the phone's speakers gets amplified naturally by the shape of the two horns.
"The design aims to function as a commercial product as well as contemporary art, in prompting discussion and thought around materiality and physicality," Justin Wolter explains.
"Essentially questioning the lack of uniqueness in 3D printed objects, the Gramohorn attempts to introduce values such as 'bespoke,' 'customised,' 'hand-finished,' and 'limited edition' to offer a conceptual counterbalance and theoretical underpinning to the project, that is part Art, part Design," he adds.
3D printed objects aren't exactly cheap most of the time, but the Gramohorn takes this to another level. The basic plaster model sells for £999 ($1,605 / €1195), while the metal one is £4,999 ($8,035 / €5,983), so they're not for everyone.
