Instead of turning the dial up to 11, Irish bespoke speaker designer David Magnier of Quiet Island says good sound doesn’t have to be loud.
Audio is trending. After decades of visuals commanding all the attention,n there is a shift from the sensory overload of thousands of images a minute in the digital era, towards spending time in a more serene space.
Bespoke speaker designer David Magnier of Quiet Island has tapped into the zeitgeist.
“Good sound doesn’t have to be loud. When people hear good sound, it feels more impactful,” he says. “For too long, listening has been removed from culture. A lot of people listen to Bluetooth speakers where you’re not getting the full spectrum of good sound.”
He believes access to the full spectrum of detail, delivered the way it was intended when it was recorded, is essential.
Having studied product design at NCAD, he hit his reset button during COVID, as he puts it, and went into the bespoke business, building furniture out of hardwoods under the name Barkwood Furniture.
At the same time, he was working in tech in a remote AI position and living in Co Wicklow. With two young kids, it suited him to have a digital job. But he always wanted to get back to the workshop and started making speakers in his spare time. “I built some for this own house and started exploring that.”
He also noted a shift happening socially and sonically. “People were returning to listening to music socially rather than listening to disconnected songs on a platform to which they had no emotional attachment.” He says the joy and wellness it provides is measurable.
“I decided to take a risk, a punt on making really sculptural sound furniture, things that are beautiful to look at.”
Central to some of his designs is a resin horn, custom-made for a space to keep the sound off the roof and the floor. He used a 3D printer and so tested it, bringing in the talents of props designer Greg Keeley of creative agency Ape.ie to fine-tune it.
He spent five or six months perfecting the look of his tiled Sherkin speakers, a design he came up with for Fíonn Eile, a wine shop cum wine bar cum events space in the centre of Phibsboro village. Prices for a pair of these beauties will set you back between €4,000 and €5,000.
His speakers are hand-built, to order; he also does one-off commissions. They’re “designed for people who care deeply about sound, but aren't boring about it”, is how he puts it on his website.
The tiles don’t affect the quality of the sound. "If the speaker box isn’t correctly built, it can turn into a speaker itself and can end up resonating. A measurement mic will tell you of any deficiencies. There is something heartbreaking when [a speaker] is lacklustre in tests."
He’s participating in Neighbourhood Goods taking place at Hen’s Teeth, a market with a listening area where you can come in and put a record on.
It’s a space that has a custom sound system built by another Irish audio designer, Toby Hatchett, who created systems for Alta restaurant, Fidelity audiophile bar, the aforementioned events space Hen’s Teeth and the recently opened Bo Concept store in Navan, Co Meath.
Passionate about the quality of sound, David cites Fidelity as a place where “you can talk to each other on the dance floor. You can hear the full range, the full warmth and accuracy of the song. You can hear the detail. The sound is crisper.”
See Quiet Island’s selection of speakers and hear the difference at Neighbourhood Goods at Hen’s Teeth, Blackpitts, Dublin 8 on Saturday, November 7th
