14 DAY TRIAL // Not a long time ago I was telling you about how designers tend to break free from the conventional-shaped sound systems and start modifying usual, common, household objects so they can accommodate drivers, wireless transceivers and so on.
It's time to meet the Sonicum speakers, presenting a completely different approach to how a pair of desktop speakers should - or better said could - look like.
I guess true class doesn't come from design only but from a mixture of design and efficiency, a blend of "looks" and "works". The Sonicum 2.1 system has really made a very nice first impression on me: OK, the woofer is a woofer, together with the classic box and bass horn, with integrated on/off controls as volume and bass knobs.
It's the 2 satellites where all the real fun is: viewed from the side, they really look like the stylized shape of a speaker, that ultra-common shape you see in trains or buses when there is something related to sound or music. Now, this way to build a speaker is truly uncanny; nevertheless, it looks smashing; the cool thing is that these desktop speakers can be set in place facing the ceiling (for whatever purpose may such a thing be) but they will also fit excellently on a tabletop when tilted just like stage monitors.
The rest is "common sound gear": connectivity with PC, MP3 player and any similar device through a standard 3.5mm jack and an external power supply. When it comes to acoustics and power, the Sonicum system looks very promising as far as your desktop needs are concerned: a 15W woofer in the 50Hz-250Hz range and the 2 speakers running on 5W each (with a peak of 15W... strange specs) blending their frequencies with the bass as they will cover the 200Hz-18KHz range.
I guess adding 8 Ohm impedance and a 80dB SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) will help you get the final picture. Available from May on Art Lebedev, you can get your hands on the Sonicum 2.1 system for roughly $80 on preorder before April 6th and $120 after this day.
