Sculptured Sound Limited has aimed straight for the high-end niche loudspeaker market and certainly seems to have pulled out all the stops in doing so.

And its name is fitting for a company whose mission was to design a loudspeaker that is visually unique with complex sculptured curves that ooze classic/retro styling. Its first release, and named the Stratosphere 57, it features beautifully handcrafted cabinets that are finished in a high-gloss black polyurethane with fine metallic flakes. With beautiful Italian leather and polished stainless-steel features, the styling should fit right in with both modern and classic decor. 

Terry told StereoNET:

The S57 also take inspirational design cues from iconic creations of the 20th century; including the gorgeous 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic coupe sports car and the world-famous and very collectable Fender Stratocaster 1957 guitar. With sweeping curves, the cabinets not only offer beautiful and unique aesthetics, but also offers very stiff and structurally strong 'boxes' that greatly reduce unwanted vibrations and internal standing waves.

The S57 features a considerable 380mm (16”) full-range driver that according to Sculptured Sound, “takes its design and performance DNA directly from the world-famous Voice of the Theatre (VOTT) loudspeaker”. The modern-day version of this driver weighs in at a hefty 17kgs thanks to the huge Alnico magnet. The driver is housed in a ported designed cabinet along with its own custom-made passive network crossover that can be adjusted to fine-tune the response for different tastes and room acoustics. The port is machined from solid Ash timber to match its front solid Ash 'fretboard' feature. Stratocaster guitar anyone?

The main cabinet sits atop the separate bass cabinet that features two curved opposing driver enclosures. Each one houses a 180mm (10”) bass driver that is powered by a 500watt D-Class built-in amplifier. The rear-firing ports are again precision turned solid Ash timber and are both set at a 15-degree angle from the back of the cabinet. This eliminates direct feedback into the ports from near rear walls, according to Terry.

Terry's final word:

Designing a real eye-catching loudspeaker also requires performance to match. The Sound of the S57's is big, bold and beautifully implemented. It has an effortless wide soundstage that makes you feel like you're in amongst the performers. You really can 'feel the music' and all the little nuances that you'd expect to experience from a live performance.

The Stratosphere S57 is expected to retail just under $100,000 in New Zealand, and Sculptured Sound is seeking distributors both locally and abroad. For more information, visit the website.

Specifications

Main Drivers

• Full-range driver with centrally mounted 25mm (1”) high-frequency compression driver/horn and a 381mm (16”) low/mid-frequency driver. These high-quality speaker drivers are driven by huge Alnico Magnets
• Frequency Response: 40 Hz – 20 kHz
• Dedicated crossovers for fine-tuning (on rear)
• Minimum Impedance: 8 Ohms
• Sensitivity: 104dB (2.83 V @ 1m) extremely efficient
• Power Handling (continuous): 100 Watts
• Driver Weight: 17.3kg (38lb) (each)

Bass Drivers

• Twin high quality 236mm (10”) Subwoofers (2 x drivers per cabinet)
• Frequency Response: 20 – 100Hz
• Nominal Impedance: 4 Ohms
• Sensitivity: 86dB (2.83 V @ 1m)
• Power Handling (short-term) 500 Watts
• Power Handling (long-term) 250 Watts
• Driver Weight: 10kg (22lb) each

Power Amplifiers (for bass drivers only)

• High quality 1000 Watts class-D amplifier (per side). Amplifier is built-in to the rear of each bass cabinet and sonically isolated

Dimensions, (over-all)

• Height: 1620mm (63.7in)
• Width: 890mm (35in)
• Depth: 680mm (26.7in)
• Weight: 142kg (313lb) (per side)