We all know about famous Eames lounge chair and ottoman, but not everyone knows about his take on the speakers… “Stephens Tru-Sonic, Inc., based in Culver City, California, had a reputation for high quality audio products. In 1957, Bert Berlant and Bernard D. Cirlin took over the company. The two were friends with Charles and Ray, and drew upon this friendship to enlist the Eames Office in the design of new loudspeaker enclosures.”
These images show four of the models that the Eames Office developed, two of which were put on the market. Berlant and Cirlin were very happy with the results, as indicated in this excerpt from an article in Industrial Design magazine:
Initially the Eames enclosures were not to set the world on fire or sell by the carload, but simply to impress the industry with the imagination of the new management. They feel that the new designs have done just that, and that there is a resultant industry-wide attitude of “look-to-Stephens-for-the-new-and-unusual,” which is exactly what they wanted. Furthermore, the Eames speakers, originally figured to represent 3% of annual sales, already represent 7%.
From “Under New Management,” Industrial Design, 4, no. 10 (October 1957)
Via – www.eamesoffice.com
