Blog

The good news first: Except for our »plus« type speaker cloth, all our fabrics are single jersey—a fine knit fabric that can be sewn like any high-quality jersey. However, there are a few important points to consider. Here's an overview.

In the world of high-quality room acoustics, our speaker fabric is a staple. Professional studio builders like Acoustic Spaces frequently use our sound-transparent fabrics in various projects. Those who cover speakers or use ceiling and wall panels for acoustic optimisation appreciate our fabrics' properties—especially their excellent sound transparency, colour variety, and consistent quality.

Studio design with Akustikstoff.com speaker cloth  in a professional setting: The BRAINWORX PMC ATMOS reference studio in Langenfeld, built by Acoustic Spaces. The studio is the heart of Brainworx, where audio software dreams for Plugin Alliance, now Native Instruments, come true.

But what if a wall panel is wider than the maximum available fabric width of 160 cm? In professional studio and home theatre construction, lar

It’s a fundamental challenge of modern life: even though we like to believe otherwise, we can’t truly live “in harmony with nature”—especially not with our current lifestyles and a global population of around eight billion people. What we can do, however, is use resources as sustainably and responsibly as possible to keep our environmental footprint as small as we can.
That often requires us to think systemically—something that, unfortunately, forces us to question long-held beliefs and comfortable habits. Take fast food, for example: is it now guilt-free just because plastic packaging has been replaced with paper? If we consider the PFAS-coated pizza boxes, takeaway cups, burger wrappers, and straws, it quickly becomes clear that the real solution is to change our eating habits entirely, cutting out fast food, delivery services, and drinks “to go” altogether. Not to mention, our GP would probably be in full agreement.
This is just one example of how systemic thinking often leads to cognitive dissonance, that uncomfortable tension between what we believe and how we actually behave. And let’s be honest: we often deal with it by ignoring inconvenient f

At first, you don’t notice it. Then, one day, you realise that your speaker cloth has accumulated a fair amount of grime. Time to restore it to its former, pristine state. But what’s the best way to go about it?

Loose dust is easy enough to vacuum off. But what if an accident leaves an unsightly stain on your speaker grille or AV unit? And what about the effects of constant exposure to cigarette smoke, vaping clouds, kitchen fumes, or similar aerosols? Over time, these create a sticky film on the fabric’s surface—one that not only dulls its colour (those of a certain age may remember how everything in chain-smoking offices developed an unappealing yellow tinge) but also acts like a magnet for dust and dirt, trapping them in place. If you’ve ever tried to clean the top of a kitchen cabinet, you’ll be familiar with this annoying mix of dust and sticky residue.

For situations like these, putting the fabric in the washing machine is often the best solution. If your speaker fabric is attached using our hook fastener, you’

A new regulation has been in force in the European Union since 1 January: the so-called separate collection obligation. This regulation stipulates that used textiles must be disposed of separately and may no longer end up in residual waste. The aim is to promote the transition to a circular economy in the EU member states. The regulation is part of the "Waste Framework Directive", which aims to promote more sustainable recycling processes in the textile industry.

However, the German Textile Recycling Association (FTR) warns against misinterpreting the new requirements, which could have serious consequences for the textile recycling system that has been established for decades. In particular, there is a risk that charitable organisations such as the Red Cross or Caritas, as well as textile recycling companies, could effectively be downgraded to fr

It’s all the rage to disguise audio gadgets with stylish designs that blend seamlessly into living spaces. Even Ikea has jumped on this trend: under the Symfonisk brand, the Swedish giant offers a „picture frame with WiFi speaker“ that delivers surprisingly good audio quality at an affordable price. Recently, the price of this device was even reduced.

The frame speakers are priced similarly to the Sonos One, and the sound quality is remarkably close too. Unsurprising, as it’s well known that Symfonisk products are powered by Sonos technology. Much like the One, the picture frame speaker sits a notch or two above average smart speakers in terms of audio quality. Sonos has placed a waveguide in front of the tweeter to distribute high frequencies more evenly throughout the room, and generally, the hardware is sufficient to fill medium-sized rooms with sound.

Two Symfonisk wall speakers can be configured as surround speakers for a Sonos Arc or Beam soundbar, and Sonos’s Trueplay function in the iOS app can also be used to fine-tune the spe

The debate over whether to keep speaker grilles on or remove them is a longstanding one in the hi-fi community. Ultimately, it’s a matter of personal preference, influenced by your priorities and the specifics of your listening environment.



Classic, but often more than a matter of taste among purists: speaker covers.

What Do Speaker Grilles Do?
Speaker grilles, typically made of fabric, metal, or plastic and attached magnetically or with clips, serve two primary purposes: protection and design. They shield delicate components—like drivers and cones—from dust, accidental damage, and curious fingers. This makes grilles an obvious choice if your speakers are within reach of children or pets.

But speaker covers also have an aesthetic purpose. They complement the typically well-designed, understated look of the speakers by hiding the technical details. However, some prefer the opposite: exposed drivers showcase the technology and are often seen as a statement in high-end circles—a sign of passion for and knowledge of audio technology. But is this really the case, or is it more about personal beliefs

The week from Christmas to New Year’s Eve is a time to pause and reflect, to give thanks. It is the time of year when we look back on what we have achieved together and, at the same time, set our sights on the road ahead.

What were the greatest opportunities and challenges for you in a year marked by constant change and uncertainty? What new tasks did you tackle, what creative solutions did you find, and what milestones did you reach? And how confident are you as you look towards the future?

For us, the most significant change this past year was setting up and launching our new printing facility. We are now able to offer our premium speaker fabrics with bespoke prints – even certified as non-flammable on request. This opens up a world of new design possibilities, from custom colours to graphics and photographs. Behind the scenes, we

Is your home the cosy haven you’ve always dreamed of – thoughtfully decorated, with every detail just so? Brilliant. A well-designed living space isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s the foundation of comfort and wellbeing. After all, home is where we relax, recharge, and show off a bit of personality.

But for music lovers, pulling this off can feel like juggling plates. It’s not just about taste – there are practicalities to navigate too. Room acoustics, for one, often need a nudge in the right direction with absorbers and diffusers. Speakers demand the perfect positioning, standing proud to deliver peak audio performance. Meanwhile, turntables and amps cry out for AV furniture that’s both functional and visually appealing, offering storage and easy access without looking like you raided a 90s hi-fi store.

Off-the-shelf solutions? They’re decent up to a point. But when you’re after something truly bespoke, compromises creep in fast. Speaker grilles and AV furniture, for example, usually come in black, white, or grey. Fine if you’re going for “recording studio chic,” but not exactly ideal for a home that’s more hygge than hardware s

Unfortunately, we’re no longer able to ship our technical textiles to every EU country. We know this particularly affects our private customers, who have come to know akustikstoff.com as the go-to place for high-quality speaker cloth across Europe.

The reason for this decision is the EU Packaging Regulation, which each EU country has implemented into national law. The result? A bureaucratic nightmare that’s not only impenetrable but also ridiculously expensive.

A mess of rules and red tape
Let’s say a manufacturer, importer, or retailer wants to operate across all EU countries. It doesn’t matter whether they’re selling to private customers, business customers, or even just resellers – they must meet complex national regulations in each of the 27 EU countries. This means joining a waste recovery scheme and submitting two annual reports: one on the planned amount of packaging, and another on the actual amount of packaging they’ve put into circulation.
And that’s not all. In some countries, they also have to:

Do you ever catch yourself thinking that everything used to be better? If we’re honest, it’s often nostalgia – that rose-tinted haze of emotions and memories – that makes the past seem more appealing than it really was. But sometimes, just sometimes, things truly were better. Or at least more beautiful and impressive.  

Take audio equipment, for example. These days, we’re surrounded by compact, app-controlled, “smart” speakers delivering digitally “optimised” sound. Sure, it’s amazing what these pint-sized gadgets can produce in terms of sound volume, but let’s face it: HomePods, Sonos Ones, and Ikea Symfonisks are more about booming bass for the casual MP3 listener than delivering the kind of sound that gets audiophiles genuinely excited.  

Sure to make HiFi enthusiasts‘ hearts race: A complete, well-preserved Sansui ‘Intelligent Super Compo’ with restored speaker grilles.

No wonder, then, that those of us old enough to remember can’t help but feel a pang of joy when we see a proper vintage HiFi system with its classic tower of components and serious speakers

Let’s be honest: have you ever listened to music from a recording that truly captures the spatial depth and precision of a live concert? In today’s world of immersive audio and Dolby Surround, that might sound like an odd question. But think about it—this isn’t about digital tweaks that “optimise” sound and put you in the middle of the stage, where, frankly, the audience would never sit. The real question is: how do you recreate the sound from the front row, where every detail is razor-sharp, and the soundstage feels genuinely three-dimensional?

Most audio purists will agree that traditional speakers just can’t get you there. Speaker cabinets always influence the sound, and conventional speakers are unidirectional: They project sound mostly forward, making the listening experience a bit flat. The room doesn’t “breathe”, and even with perfect phase alignment, there’s usually only one “sweet spot” where everything sounds just right—the much-quoted apex of the stereo triangle.

The advantages of planar speaker

We first reported on the HornAudio system back in 2022. Since then, this extraordinary active system has brought the principles of professional sound reinforcement technology to a high-end level in more and more living rooms and public spaces – and at an amazingly affordable price.


Satellites of the HornAudio SoRi 2 system with front covering from Akustikstoff.com

The story of the system's origins begins with the coronavirus pandemic: the almost complete collapse of the event business initially heralded difficult economic times for the Dutch band Rapalje. However, founding member Maceál, also a manufacturer and distributor of professional PA systems in his hometown of Groningen and far beyond with his company HornAudio, as well as a sought-after expert for all questions relating to sound reinforcement technology, used t