The MA770 Wireless Speaker is comprised entirely of a proprietary concrete composite
Master & Dynamic, the New York City-based premium audio company redefining the sound experience for creative minds, has partnered with renowned architect Sir David Adjaye to design a bold and immersive new speaker for the home audio market.
The recently knighted Sir David Adjaye is known globally as the architect behind Washington D.C.’s new Smithsonian museum – The National Museum of African American History and Culture. Together, the two industry innovators have rethought the home speaker, reinventing it with an elegant design that draws upon the distinctive use of materials and sensory-focused craftsmanship for which they are known.
Made of a proprietary concrete composite – the first of its kind – the piece has a rich, sculptural quality, with a robust, tactile heft that is delicately balanced with gentle, sculptural curves. The design’s distinctive geometry follows directly from functional considerations, with intimate detailing elevating the form to a truly unique, state-of-the-art piece. Fittingly, Master & Dynamic and Sir David Adjaye have chosen the MoMA Design Store to be the speaker’s U.S. launch partner.
“This speaker is not about the traditional idea of making boxes, but about a directional form. I became fascinated with the idea of using triangles to break down the mass of the box, and to see if we could dissolve the sense of volume through sculptural detail,” said Adjaye. “We created a new geometry for this speaker. A new geometry of sound.”
The new concrete – the result of Master & Dynamic and Adjaye’s shared passion for innovation with a variety of materials – provides a number of acoustic benefits such as increased dampening, reduced resonance from the enclosure, a purer sound and added durability. The dampening properties of the concrete are so impressive – five times better than wood and ten times better than plastic – that the speaker can be placed just inches away from a turntable and play at full volume without causing the record to skip.
“As the industry ebbs towards smaller and more disposable pieces, we continue to defy convention,” said Master & Dynamic’s Founder and CEO Jonathan Levine. “The MA770 reinforces scale and prominence. Its luxurious design and use of premium materials further enhance its beauty.”
The use of premium materials can be found throughout the speaker’s audio componentry, including dual 4” woven kevlar long throw woofers, a 1 ½” titanium tweeter powered by 100 watts of Class D amplification and diamond-cut anodized aluminum controls. A magnetically attached etched stainless steel grille serves to protect the speaker’s componentry. The elegant grille is removable for those that prefer the chic look of the hand-finished speaker and its exposed componentry.
At 410mm x 510mm x 245mm and 16kgs (approx. 16in x 20in x 10in and 35lbs), the speaker is capable of filling a large room with sonically sophisticated sound. The MA770 can be used as a single stereo unit or paired with another speaker via Wi-Fi to provide a larger stereo image. Utilizing Chromecast built-in, the MA770 provides multi-room audio. It is the first speaker to use this technology for stereo pairing.
Less than three years after hitting the market, premium audio company Master & Dynamic has pushed the envelope with a growing line of beautifully crafted, richly appointed, technically sophisticated sound tools. Continuing their mission of utilizing luxury materials such as premium leathers and metals, the brand’s products have set a new standard in headphone and earphone design. With this latest innovation and collaboration, Master & Dynamic continues to redefine the audio space with boundary breaking work.
The MA770 Wireless Speaker is available now for $1,800 via pre-order online and at the MoMA Design Store, starting April 25th.