Money no object
We love to give practical buying advice on the latest gadgets here at TechRadar. But sometimes what we love even more is to indulge in the most outrageously high-end, cutting-edge, luxurious tech on the planet. That’s what we bring you in these Money No Object columns – you can read the whole series here.
The best stereo speakers sound fantastic but often underwhelm in the visual department; I know that I’d be hard-pushed to pick my bookshelf speakers out of a line-up, and I’m a working musician. So it’s always a joy to see speakers that look as good as they’re intended to sound – like the new Stratton Acoustics Element 6 and Element 8 speakers here.
These are not budget buys, with price tags of £15,000 / $20,000 (about AU$31,385) for the Element 6, £20,000 / $25,000 (about AU$41,850) for the Element 8 and £3,500 / $5,000 (about AU$7,323) for the stands. But just look at them. If I had the wealth to buy these for my mansion, I absolutely would. If I had a mansion.
Stratton Acoustics Element 6 and Element 8: not just a feast for the eyes
The star here, other than those enclosures, is Stratton’s own, patented decoupled and waveguide loaded 29mm soft dome tweeter. That’s paired with a six-inch mid/low driver in the Element 6 and an eight-inch unit in the Element 8, making the Element 6 more suited to smaller spaces or near-field listening positions.
The enclosures have dual-resistive port vents to reduce unwanted resonance from the bass reflex port, and they’re made with acrylic-silica reinforced polymer matrices – again with claimed resonance-reducing powers – and aerospace-grade aluminum baffles.
According to Stratton, the combination of enclosures and baffles “ensures clean, transparent sound with a durable, luxurious finish that will last for decades to come.”
As for the stands, they’re precision-machined from aerospace-grade aluminum too. And Stratton is making big claims for their design: “Their sculptural form mirrors the jewel-like detailing of the front and rear baffles of the speakers, with a flawless finish that plays with light and reflection to striking effect, elevating the entire system to the level of modern art.”
Stratton says that these speakers “offer a visually arresting presence, premium materials, class-leading electro-acoustic design, and engineering, delivering a luxurious experience for both the eyes and ears.” I’m sure they do, although sadly I think it’ll be a long, long time before I can afford a pair.
The new Stratton Acoustics Element 6 and Element 8 are available now.
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