Rich Pinto is an audio iconoclast of sorts, and his company, Treehaus Audiolab , produces perfectionist loudspeakers and vacuum-tube electronics . A design philosophy that emphasizes natural sound is underpinned by the use of pure, natural materials in the construction of the audio atelier’s components, where wood, paper, and metal are employed in a truly artisanal fashion. Treehaus Audiolab’s loudspeakers are certainly conversation-starters, and that’s before the first needle-drop.
(Pinto, like many music lovers and cognoscenti of the world’s top audio equipment , understands that LPs remain the apex predator of the audio food chain, eating digital anything for lunch). These speakers look like nothing else, and aficionados of mid-century design will appreciate the respectful reference to the iconic furniture of George Nakashima, whose creations relied upon thick, elaborately grained wood planks, purposefully adapted to his stylistic aesthetic. Pinto uses specimen-grade, line-edge walnut or elm hardwood for the speaker baffles.
Front baffles of box elder, Baltic birch, or unique, cross-sectioned tree trunks that Pinto refers to as “cookies” are available to order. Hard maple sidewalls and legs support each loudspeaker, which weighs from 90 to 150 pounds. The transparent, effortless sound of Treehaus speakers comes from the use of ultra-high-efficiency field-coil drivers, subtly enhanced by a low-range woofer and a super tweeter.
Say “loudspeaker,” and most peo.
