When it comes to loudspeaker design, looks are much less important than how they sound. There are exceptions that please both eye and ear of course, such as the remarkable Nautilus floorstander or the A9 wireless disc. The rather pricey Jetstream system from Brit brand Ferguson Hill is a gorgeous example of the 'exceptions' design camp.
It's 20 years since the Kent-based audio brand launched its first transparent loudspeaker, and former aeronautical engineer (and company founder) Tim Hill says that the Jetstream Loudspeaker System incorporates "all the changes I have wanted to do since the launch of the FH001."
The 1.65-m (5.4-ft)-high transparent horn speakers are each molded from 8-mm-thick acrylic and now feature a new semi-full-range drive unit manufactured by Ferguson Hill, and developed in partnership with Poland's Cube Audio. The driver is reported to fully integrate with the horn and ring support, and both this metal ring and the stainless steel legs benefit from a number vibration dampening structures. The upshot being "clear, detailed, and dynamic sound that fills the room with music in a way that conventional speakers often struggle to achieve."
As the horns naturally roll off below 140 Hz, the setup comes with a pair of bass speakers, each designed to match the horn both visually and acoustically, and each rocking a 300-mm (11.8-in)-diameter high-efficiency neodymium drive unit housed in a transparent sphere with an internal volume of 150 liters. The final piece of the Jetstream puzzle is a bass amplifier boasting two 200-W Class D amps and a low-pass filter housed within an anodized aluminum body.
This extraordinarily stunning speaker system comes with an extraordinarily high price tag of £105,200 (which converts to around US$133,500), and is available now. If you want to ease yourself into the setup, components can be purchased separately. A pair of horn speakers commands £72,955, two bass speakers cost £22,295 and the bass amp is priced at £9,950. Either way – ouch!
Product page: Ferguson Hill Jetstream Loudspeaker System