Product Design / Consumer Audio
Gramovox
A vintage-meets-modern Bluetooth gramophone speaker that began as a one-off passion project and evolved into a Kickstarter sensation with two production runs totaling 6,000 units.
01 - The Origin
From One-Off to Production
It started with a genuine 1920s Magnavox speaker horn. The original Gramovox was a one-of-a-kind creation - a full-size horn married to modern Bluetooth audio technology. But the response was immediate and electric: people wanted one of their own.
The challenge was clear: how do you scale something born from a single vintage artifact into a product that can be manufactured in the thousands while preserving the presence and character of the original?
02 - Design & Engineering
Precision Meets Craft
The production Gramophone evolved to feature a 3/4-scale replica of the horn - carefully proportioned to retain the original's commanding presence without overwhelming the space it lives in. The horn mates to a milled piece of solid walnut or maple via a notched bronze bushing, a detail that is as functional as it is beautiful.
Inside the wood base sits an injection-molded carriage housing all the hardware of a Bluetooth speaker specially designed for this application. Every material choice was deliberate: the warmth of real wood, the patina of bronze, the acoustic properties of the horn geometry.
03 - The Result
From Kickstarter to Kitchen Tables
The Gramovox launched on Kickstarter and resonated immediately, raising $241,173 from 927 backers. The campaign earned Kickstarter's "Project We Love" badge and was featured in Gizmodo, CBS News, the Chicago Tribune, and VentureBeat. Two production orders followed, totaling 6,000 units shipped to customers around the world.
6,000
Units Produced
$241K
Kickstarter Raised
927
Backers