Designakustik Schäfer

Designakustik Schäfer was founded in 1992 by physicist Norbert Schäfer, who previously worked at Phonogen, ATL, and Translife. Based in Germany, the company specialized in innovative high and low-frequency loudspeakers, with their most notable achievement being exponential horn speakers made of concrete. Designer Holger Scheel created the distinctive concrete exponential horn design that became the company's signature. Their product lineup included the Pictor, Strator, and Sculptor speaker models, with the Sculptor winning a prestigious HiFi design competition in 1993. Despite this recognition and innovative approach to speaker design, Designakustik Schäfer operated for only seven years before closing in 1999. Following the company's closure, founder Norbert Schäfer established Translife GmbH in 1999 to continue development of the Trans speaker series. The company's brief but impactful existence demonstrated the potential for unconventional materials and designs in high-end audio, leaving a legacy of innovation in loudspeaker engineering despite its short operational period.