|
|
Whisky casks have good acoustics
Are you working too hard? Do you have time at the end of the day to turn down the lights and relax with a glass of whisky in one hand and some music playing on the stereo? The speakers you listen to when you sit back and reward yourself for having done a good day' s work. That' s the image I had in mind when I developed the Pure Malt Speaker.
The name "Pure Malt Speaker" probably says it all, but the idea was to create speakers using Suntory whisky casks. "What?" I hear you say. "You mean recycling?" But the object was more than just to use the earth' s resources more effectively. These casks are made using timber from 100-year-old North American white oak trees. They then spend a further 50 years at the Suntory distillery where they help the whisky mature. During this time, the timber in the casks also matures as a result of being in contact with the whisky. When I tapped a piece of this timber to get an idea of what kind of sound it would make, it produced a soft, mellow tone that lingered in the air. Tap a newly sawn piece of timber and you won' t get a soft sound like this. "That' s it!" I thought. "Why not make a speaker out of this cask? It' s sure to produce a great sound."
At the time that I came up with this outrageous concept, I was a member of a project team assigned the task of "developing totally new products that meet the needs of consumers." The cask I was working with was 150 years old, while I was hardly a day over 30. The aroma of whisky filled the air as I stood in front of the cask, almost petrified when faced with the prospect of getting the most out of this natural object that had been on the earth for 150 years.
|
 |
next |
|
|
1