Video: Sony's $10k Sountina glass speaker gets a production nod

Remember Sony's non-directional, glass-tube speaker prototype we showed you back in 2007? Guess what, it's now slotted into a production run. On June 20th, our Japanese brethren with ¥1,000,000 (about €6,500 / $10,000) to burn can take home the 6-foot tall, 50- to 20,000Hz trembling monument to music now known as the Sautina Sountina aka NSA-PF1. Inputs include analog RCA and digital coax and optical TOS supporting up to 24bit/96kHz linear PCM (stereo). As to the sound quality from the 13-cm subwoofer, 7-cm mid, and organic glass tweeter... who cares? This is all about making a visual statement which you'll communicate loud and clear, poser.

Gallery: Sony's Sautina glass speaker gets a production nod

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[Via Impress]

[alex @ May 28th 2008 1:31AM]

a million yen is more like $9600

[Thomas Ricker @ May 28th 2008 1:40AM]

Damn, that was supposed to be Euro. Fixed. Thanks!

Thomas

[joeyboy @ May 28th 2008 2:20AM]

While you are at fixing...I think it's called "sOuntina" (like in "sound"). When writing it with an A it reminds me of a Finnish Sauna or something.

But no matter how you spell it: is the white room above an apartment or a room in a loony bin?

[Thomas Ricker @ May 28th 2008 2:48AM]

Ugh, you're right, the machine translated text differed from the video. Fixed. This is going to be a long day...

Thomas

[NineT9 @ May 28th 2008 2:15PM]

i dont get it... this 1 speaker is the full surround sound?

or you need to buy 5~ of these for the full surround sound?

[AJ in the East Bay @ May 28th 2008 1:32AM]

Just keep your drunk guests far from the speakers.

[kjb434 @ May 28th 2008 1:46PM]

That's what we need, friends with shards of glass stuck in them when the party goes wild doesn't sound fun.

[erhan @ May 28th 2008 1:33AM]

"Honey, The kids broke the $6,500 speakers again."


These type of speakers are the reason why products should stay in concept model.

[happy_penguin @ May 28th 2008 1:33AM]

Well...... it's pretty.....

[Michael @ May 28th 2008 1:41AM]

I like the way they push the speaker to its very limits in the promo - by playing what sounds to me like a Transport Tycoon midi!

[roflercopterer @ May 28th 2008 2:26AM]

Omg...Transport Tycoon. My favorite game from my childhood. And you mentioned the music, one of the best parts.

You sir are a brilliant man.

[kjb434 @ May 28th 2008 1:45PM]

Ditto that!!!!!!

I played it on a old Dell Optiplex with a 100MHz Intel Processor.

It still looked awesome for a DOS based game!

[jbspeyer @ May 28th 2008 1:41AM]

What's the point of making a 'commercial' for the concept of speakers if sound quality isn't even mentioned...I love how pretty the new amazon kindle is, but should I spend my money on it? Guess not, there's better options...

Wow, I'm having the premonition of a low ranking for this post and some major complaints coming my way =) LoL

JbS

[AC @ May 28th 2008 7:56AM]

It seems you aren't as controversial as you were hoping to be.
Pro Tip: Try flaming Apple posts, you'll get more low rankings.

[Darkroom @ May 28th 2008 1:46AM]

i could never sit in that cold-ass, sterile, contemporary-gallery room and listen to music... who lives like that?

[BobTurbo @ May 28th 2008 2:31AM]

Well I do, but I am a serial killer.

[Kurian @ May 28th 2008 4:18AM]

Agent 47 does.

[Johan Strandberg @ May 28th 2008 11:03AM]

> i could never sit in that cold-ass, sterile,
> contemporary-gallery room and listen to music...

I read that as "i could never s_h_it in that [...]" and made a mental double take; was it a picture of a bathroom?

I almost scrolled back to look at the picture again before realizing that my brain had inserted yet another obscene typo into text I read. I gotta get my Freudian filters replaced again. Once every 6 month or 600 million characters read doesn't appear to be enough.

[the_fozz @ May 28th 2008 1:54AM]

I'm trying to figure out what makes it special besides looking different and having RGB LEDs.

[Ryan @ May 28th 2008 1:58AM]

Seems prett pricey. It would never pass my wife.

[phanbouy @ May 28th 2008 2:22AM]

yeah; stick to conveyor belts

[Pavan @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:47AM]

Have her mount it and play something with a ton of bass...then see what she has to say.

[cupidpsyche @ May 28th 2008 2:01AM]

Nice, but where are the speaker wires, and power cord for the sub?

[Gerk @ May 28th 2008 3:12AM]

Did anyone else feel that this is the irl version of the GoldenEye level complex?

(The basement...)

[DiscoCat5 @ May 28th 2008 2:11AM]

ill will buy 2 of these....

after i win the lottery.

[Colin Potter @ May 28th 2008 2:13AM]

this looks like some futuristic museum exhibit of a ski pole

[A.C.E.R. @ May 28th 2008 2:35AM]

They should have a stripper straddling that thing.

[Amol @ May 28th 2008 2:41AM]

Why is it placed smack in the middle of the room?

[Traycer @ May 28th 2008 2:48AM]

It's an omnidirectional speaker.

[tim @ May 28th 2008 11:12AM]

Its gonna get right in the way of the tv, isnt it.

[Lemmiwinks (SSBBFC: 0903-2436-0891) @ May 28th 2008 4:22PM]

tim -- That's why it's made out of glass!! ; )

[bodypainter @ Aug 11th 2008 3:25AM]

this is funny: the product is called sautina, but in german the first part of the name "SAU" means "pig"! also: adding an "a" at the end often makes a femal version out of the word, for example "martin" -> "martinA". so literally translated in german "sautina" could be translated as "female pig"!!! ha ha! i fear they should change the name of this product in germany / switzerland / austria... ;-)

[ken @ May 28th 2008 3:21AM]

Cool, glass shards in knuckles of my Wii-mote hand.

[M.D.Jakati @ May 28th 2008 5:05AM]

Its very nice
product made for new generation.very wondering.
whats the price and how much power output.

[Bob @ May 28th 2008 10:23AM]

Uh...

[anabouboula @ May 28th 2008 5:26AM]

Take that B&W!

[Wayne R. @ May 28th 2008 8:30AM]

B&O maybe?

[happy_penguin @ May 28th 2008 10:44AM]

I'd pick B&W over B&O for speakers although I'd love B&O components to play through the B&Ws.

[Lemmiwinks (SSBBFC: 0903-2436-0891) @ May 28th 2008 4:24PM]

I, personally, thought he was referring to those pesky Motor-Wurking Bavarians.

[Pavan @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:48AM]

I thought it was werking?

[Pavan @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:49AM]

I thought it was werking?

[Wayne R. @ May 28th 2008 8:24AM]

WTF is "organic glass"?

[Wayne R. @ May 28th 2008 8:37AM]

I looked it up: It's "clear methacrylate polymers" or the trademarked "Plexiglas"!

[frankXchange @ May 28th 2008 8:34AM]

Wow, throw in that sound track and it's a deal! BTW, is that a mood ring inside the speaker?

As a bonus it can also amplify your transporter pattern buffers.

[Corbin Siddall @ May 28th 2008 9:03AM]

My kids would tip that over and break it in a second!

[couphingbreeze @ May 28th 2008 9:57AM]

@ Thomas Ricker, why call Sony a poser for making a new really nice looking piece? Isn't that what's this site about?

[Bob @ May 28th 2008 10:25AM]

Hmm... If they can sell a small tower of speakers for $10K, maybe I could make some money here by putting speakers in a sculpture or something... Mine would be original though, no production art.

[ssjchar @ May 28th 2008 1:29PM]

why don't they just make a chandelier that has a built in omni directional speaker. atleast it'd be out of the way of drunken partygoers.

[srue @ May 28th 2008 1:05PM]

A nod for the rod?

[Iridium @ May 28th 2008 1:53PM]

I don't think it is actually glass. Probably just like the plastic film in directional B&O speakers only in tube form.

Gotta say that it looks very cool. If they could start mass producing these and get them down to $500 a pair I would definatley buy a set.

The people that will buy them are th esame people picking up Sony XEL1 OLED displays like candy at Sony Style stores, the lifesucking lawyers. Seriously every lawyer in Beachwood Ohio has one on his desk.