Build your own modular speaker system with Sonic Blocks

By Kris Wouk August 7, 2016

sonic blocks

Usually when you buy a wireless speaker, choice only extends as far as picking which model you want — once you’ve made your purchase, that’s it. But what if that wasn’t the case?

Enter Sonic Blocks, the product of a father-and-son team recently launched Indiegogo that takes a much more flexible approach to sound. As the name implies, the Sonic Blocks system is modular, allowing the customer to choose between different woofers, tweeters, and midrange drivers in addition to more cosmetic touches like lights.

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“Sonic Blocks is a unique new modular approach to audio/music system design that allows users to quickly and easily swap or add individual speakers to meet their individual preferences and needs,” Sonic Blocks co-founder and CEO Scott Wilker told Digital Trends. “The virtually limitless expansion options and future-proof architecture of Sonic Blocks makes other music systems obsolete.”

Whether or not the system is so revolutionary you’ll want to throw out your home stereo or other speakers remains to be seen, the specs do look pretty impressive. Not only is Bluetooth connectivity supported, but Wi-Fi and DTS Play-Fi are as well, while wired connections are available in both analog and digital forms, with S/PDIF, TOSLINK, and USB connectors available.

Actual performance will vary based on the configuration, but the class D amplifier is claimed to be capable of producing over 90 dB SPL at one meter distance, which would mean plenty of volume. The lithium ion battery is described as offering over 15 hours of playback, though again, this could vary based on any number of factors. Light panels not only pulse to the music, but can show Wi-Fi strength, battery power, and more.

Backers can pledge as little as $25, but to actually get your hands on a speaker, you’ll have to pay at least $200, and that’s for the limited edition starter bundle, of which only 50 units are available. Most backers will have to spring for at least the $430 Double Stack, which includes one “brain,” two “exoskeleton” housings, two tweeters, four full-range drivers, three bass drivers, and a total of nine speaker grilles.

For $530, a sound bar kit is available that uses a similar component list for a more home theater-oriented setup. For those willing to spend even more, a $650 twin stereo kit is available as is a $1,600 kit offering multiroom functionality for up to a total of five rooms. While the kits offer a starting point, users can mix and match components as they wish.

The 30-day campaign is looking to raise a total of $50,000, but this is a flexible funding campaign, so the creators intend to move forward no matter the outcome. If everything goes according to plan, finished units will ship in early 2017, but potential backers should keep in mind that as with all crowdfunding campaigns, there is a level of risk here. For more information, see the Sonic Blocks campaign page on Indiegogo.

A version of this post was first published on our brother site, Digital Trends.

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