You won’t necessarily have heard of PIEGA, a Swiss family business dedicated to audio perfection. The company started in a garage and still maintains a relatively low profile, with two workshops on the shores of Lake Zurich.
Those in the know will enjoy PIEGA’s range of hi-fi speakers of exceptional quality, all of which are still hand-built. Kurt Scheuch, the founding sound engineer, partnered with industrial designer Leo Greiner to create the company in 1986. PIEGA is now run by Greiner’s sons, with the same attention to detail, low volumes, high quality materials and components, and hand-craft processes.
PIEGA’s newest product is the Ace Wireless series. For the company, this set of three matching wireless speaker systems is relatively affordable, offering its refined aesthetic at a price point that comes in way below its flagship models. The highest of high-end PIEGA speakers, the 175cm tall Master Line Source series, tops out at around €100,000 a cabinet, so the compact Ace series is very much entry level.
Ace Wireless comes in three different sizes, which can be paired and joined for everything from true stereo up to 7.1 surround sound. Like all its speakers, each model uses the company’s signature aluminium cabinetry, combining ultra-strong and light extrusions with hand-finishing. For the Ace series, the company has worked with Swiss architect and product designer Stephan Hürlemann, based in nearby Zurich.
Hürlemann has shaped three distinct objects, the Ace 30, Ace 50 and Ace Centre, with the 30 and 50 models priced individual depending on whether they are Tx (transmitting) or Rx (receiving) models – you need to pair one of each for stereo music. If you’re using a WiSA-certified television, for example, this will act as the transmitter to solely Rx speakers.
The Ace 30 is the bookshelf-sized, ultra-compact speaker. It is joined by the Ace 50, a 105cm tall floor-standing model, and the Ace Centre wireless centre channel model.
All have built-in streaming clients including Spotify Connect, Google Chromecast as well as Bluetooth, and are available in natural aluminium, or satin black or gloss white. Finding high quality speakers that aren’t massively over-scaled or excessively sculptural is an increasing challenge. PIEGA’s low-key elegance is well-suited to minimal interiors, places where the Swiss values of solid but subtle craft are well in evidence.
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Prices are below.
Ace 30 Wireless
TX – £1090.00 each (Aluminium) / £1140.00 each (Black Anodised / White Gloss)
RX – £900.00 each (Aluminium) / £950.00 each (Black Anodised / White Gloss)
Ace 50 Wireless
TX – £2090.00 each (Aluminium) / £2140.00 each (Black Anodised / White Gloss)
RX – £1900.00 each (Aluminium) / £1950.00 each (Black Anodised / White Gloss)
Ace Center Wireless
RX – £990 each (Aluminium) / £1040.00 each (Black Anodised / White Gloss)
Ace Wireless series is available exclusively through PIEGA audio retailers.
Read more at PIEGA.ch.
This article is part of The T3 Edit, a collaboration between T3 and Wallpaper* which explores the very best blends of design, craft, and technology. Wallpaper* magazine is the world’s leading authority on contemporary design and The T3 Edit is your essential guide to what’s new and what’s next.
Jonathan Bell is Wallpaper* magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor, a role that encompasses everything from product design to automobiles, architecture, superyachts, and gadgets. He has also written a number of books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. His interests include art, music, and all forms of ephemera. He lives in South London with his family.
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