Eagle-eyed readers with good memory will recall early concept sightings of a Crystal Cable speaker called Arabesque whose cross section was based on a tear drop and whose enclosure was glass. Converting concept into commercial reality proved challenging: "We had to change the idea of the curved glass concept as it caused big problems with reliability and was nearly impossible to manufacture. After a lot of experimenting, the final concept uses vertical 1.9cm thick facets of cut transparent glass assembled into the original Arabesque shape, running three proprietary Audio Technology/Crystal Cable drivers and a RAAL ribbon tweeter. The geometry is excellent for acoustics and the panels are glued with invisible, UV-resistant polymers. The Arabesque is a passive two-way design with a 1.6kHz crossover frequency, 4-ohm nominal impedance, 450-watt RMS power handling, frequency response of 27Hz to 100kHz -3dB, <0.5% THD at 1kHz and a voltage sensitivity of 93dB. Max SPLs are 115dB and the weight is approximately 80kg.

"The basic premise becomes clear in the Arabesque concert ad [above - Ed.]. You see the big Concert Hall of the Liszt Academy/Conservatorium in Budapest where I played plenty of concerts in my 'previous life'. The goal of Crystal Cable is to give the listener this live-music experience using elegantly designed, transparent sounding and looking, nearly invisible equipment. We will always remain the brand Crystal Cable. That is our core business. And that's why the name of the speaker is Arabesque by Crystal Cable. It is actually a piece of art if you want to see it. But it can also be invisible if you prefer to listen without seeing 'disturbing' equipment." - Gabi van der Kley
Crystal Cable website