Orbitsound introduces Air D1, a £12,000 single-speaker system

Orbitsound Air D1: a £12,000 single-speaker system

Over the years, we’ve come to know Orbitsound for its consistent slew of affordable soundbars and wireless speakers. Pay a visit to the British company’s website and in its current catalogue you’ll spy such products - all below the £500 mark, and all built around its Airsound technology.

That proprietary technology aims to deliver a convincing stereo image to all positions in a room from a one-box design. And it's now being utilised in a much, much more ambitious speaker; something that is far removed from anything we've previously seen from Orbitsound.

The all-new Orbitsound Air D1, which can be yours with a trip to Harrods and the willing handing-over of £12,000 (yes, £12,000), is a single-unit active speaker that, Orbitsound says, is the "world’s only one-box luxury loudspeaker".

Orbitsound’s chief audio engineers, father-and-son duo Ted and Daniel Fletcher, have been tweaking Airsound whilst also working to improve sonics through - physics caps on - transconductance. Essentially, the speaker's performance is monitored and the amplifier's output dynamically corrected accordingly in an effort to eliminate distortion in the audio signal.

The Air D1 complements its audio engineering and, hopefully, high-end performance with a full suite of connectivity: wi-fi and Bluetooth for streaming music, plus a single optical and three aux inputs. An Ethernet socket is also present and correct for hardwiring the speaker system to your home network.

The Air D1 is available exclusively through Harrods for an initial launch period, the perfect place for a £12,000 product...

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Becky Roberts

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of the brand's sister magazines Down Under – Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Esoterica. During her 11+ years in the hi-fi industry, she has reviewed all manner of audio gear, from budget amplifiers to high-end speakers, and particularly specialises in headphones and head-fi devices. In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.

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