Nocs Monolith wireless speaker is a mighty sonic experience

(Image credit: Nocs)

last updated 13 December 2022

Speakers come in all shapes and sizes; chances are there’s something out there that’ll fit perfectly with whatever your design, décor or spatial availability happens to be. After an era of ‘invisible sound’ sources that were hard-wired into architecture, we entered the era of the small wireless speaker, effortlessly portable and designed to be placed anywhere you like.

Nocs Monolith wireless speaker: a mighty beast

The Nocs Monolith is cut from a different cloth. Company founder Daniel Alm specialises in headphones and earbuds, designing and engineering products for high-end applications like music production.

As the name suggests, the company’s new Monolith is a mighty beast, a single structure that contains five drivers, housed within a CNC-milled birch plywood case, blackened and oiled to a dark, rich finish.

Alm’s project also brings manufacturing home to his native Sweden, with each piece assembled at the Nocs Lab headquarters in Lund.

Two years in development, the Monolith was designed in collaboration with Danish speaker maker Scan-Speak. The aim was to build a speaker that also functioned as an ‘interior piece’, while still delivering the precise and accurate sound that defines Nocs’ other audio products.

While the angled case is robust and timeless, the design is modularised so that individual components – such as the speakers themselves – can be upgraded or replaced if need be.

Alms points out that ‘we’re doing what we can to reduce electronic waste worldwide’, so the Monolith is perfect for inveterate tinkerers or perennial upgraders. Two 6in woofers and three full-range 3.5in drivers make up the sound delivery system, and there’s even the ability to link up to eight units together.

A full connectivity suite allows you to stream music from all the major services, from Tidal through to Spotify Connect, ensuring the Monolith remains a mainstay of your interior scheme.

Nocs Monolith, pre-order €1,500

NocsDesign.com (opens in new tab)

Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.