Skip to main content

Hal 9000 meets premium sound in the new OD-11 Cloud Speaker

hal 9000 meets premium sound new od 11 cloud speaker
Image used with permission by copyright holder
When it comes to classic speaker designs, few are as iconic and distinctive as Stig Carlsson’s OD-11, a solid block of sound from the 70’s that offered performance, and aesthetic sensibilities that were far ahead of its time. Recently, Carlsson’s fellow Swedes at Teenage Engineering decided it was time for the famed “Carlsson Cube” to stage a comeback, morphing the vintage-yet-futuristic design into modern wireless block of sound in the new OD-11 Cloud Speaker.

One of the things that made the original OD-11 such a great performer was its omni-directional sound pattern, which allowed the cubic cabinet to disperse powerful sound throughout room. The new OD-11 Cloud holds on to that design with the configuration of its dual premium drivers, including a long throw pulp cone woofer, and a ferrofluid-cooled cone tweeter. The speaker also packs 100 watts of class D analog power on board to blast sound from a low 28Hz, up to 20kHz.

Recommended Videos

The speaker is also built for the new age of audio, and that means wireless streaming and more. An on-board “brain” in the form of a processor called the Ortho Engine allows the speaker to do some fancy tricks, including controlling DSP, streaming via Wi-Fi with Airplay support as well as Bluetooth, and even reading your Twitter feed via a built-in voice synthesizer – if you’re into that sort of thing.

Of course, the cloud also comes into play via an iPhone app that allows the speaker to source music from your preferred cloud-based service, with the ability to add more services through future updates. And once you’ve set the OD-11 up for cloud playback, the speaker’s Ortho Engine is designed to remember “everything you have played since the day you first turned on the OD-11,” and will also source sound from the cloud with or without your phone connected.

We don’t know about you, but this speaker is the kind of device that reminds us we’re planted deeply into the future these days – and damned if the future isn’t awesome. If you’d like a piece of that state-of-the-art feeling – with a neo-retro twist – you can order up your own OD-11 Cloud Speaker from Teenage Engineer’s website today for a cool $900.

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is an audio engineer, musician, composer, and all-around lover of all things tech, audio, and cinema. Hailing…
We just got a hopeful update on the second season of ‘Black Doves’
The show follows a pair of spies on a revenge mission
Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw in Black Doves

Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw might be back for more spying in the near future. The two actors, who starred together in Netflix's Black Doves, seem likely to be back for a second season of the series. That makes sense, given that the show has been hovering in Netflix's Top 10 ever since it was first released.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, show creator Joe Barton, said that the show's staff is full steam ahead on a second season.

Read more
Could the new ‘Superman’ movie save the DC universe?
This new movie looks a lot brighter and more colorful than Zack Snyder's take
David Corenswet in Superman

As an early Christmas present, we got our very first look at James Gunn's new Superman, which is set to hit theaters on July 11. The first trailer, which signals a pretty radical departure from Zack Snyder's version of the character.

The responses to the trailer online have been largely positive, with many noticing how vibrant and colorful the film looks, and also taking note of its use of John Williams's original Superman theme, which has been repurposed here for electric guitar.

Read more
‘Squid Game’ debuts a new Google-based game ahead of season 2
The game replicates the 'red light, green light' game from the first season
Squid Game Season 2 Teaser

The second season of Netflix's Squid Game, which was a massive phenomenon following its first season, is finally almost here. Now, ahead of the second season's release on Dec. 26, Googling Squid Game will get you a fun way to pass a few minutes.

Netflix partnered with Google on the game, which will appear if you tap the brown envelope that appears on the bottom of the screen. The game is a replication of the "red light, green light" came from the show's first season. By pressing the blue circles, you advance six players in pink suits while Young-Hee's head is turned. Your players must stop before she turns around, and if they don't one of them will be eliminated. Thankfully, they don't get brutally shot down and left to lay there like they do on the show.

Read more