Getting to Know Hawthorne Audio...
About Us
Aaaah................
Music
Hi, My name is Darrel Hawthorne and I love building audiophile speakers. Always have it seems. Over the years I have built most of the common configurations and have enjoyed listening to music my entire life. The idea to one day start an audio company had been tucked away in the back of my mind for a very long time. In 2005 I did just that. I started Hawthorne Audio, and I offered my services as a speaker builder.
One particular speaker configuration stood out above all others for me personally, and this was the open baffle. Open baffles, or OB's as they are commonly called, do not require any sort of enclosure. They sound amazingly lifelike and are very musical. The challenge was in finding suitable drivers that could be run in free air without a box . I realized very early on that if I were to make this configuration work, I would need better, open baffle specific, drivers to work with. At that time this proved not to be an easy task. One could not go to the typical driver suppliers and order an OB specific driver. What to do?
This is when I made the decision to develop my own line of drivers with
the initial focus on making open baffle specific drivers. The Silver
Iris line of audiophile drivers was born. Over the next several years we
developed many additional drivers in the Silver Iris line, and by the
end of 2009 had sold these drivers to other DIY's as well as other
professional speaker builders in 39 countries. We openly shared
everything we had learned about building open baffle speakers and helped
countless music lovers build their very own high end OB speakers.
For those of us that love spending time listening to our favorite performances, our gear must be capable of breaking down the barriers that come between us and the music. This is never an easy task and requires products that were designed to excel at their given duties while also helping to bring out the very best in the other pieces of associated gear that make up the long chain of components from the performer to our ears. Sources, amplifiers, wires and speakers all must work as one to ensure that the final sound we hear is as it was intended by the artists performing it.
I believe that the best way to ensure this system synergy is to
develop products that not only perform exceptionally well but
also perform harmoniously with other great audio gear. System synergy and system integration being
key ingredients.
I came up with the idea of evolving Hawthorne Audio into something more than just a speaker company. My idea was simple... Seek out other audio artists to collectively design and build products that cover every major link in the audio chain from source through speakers and eventually the listening room itself with regard room treatments and equipment stands.
The Hawthorne Audio Fellowship of Audio Artists was established to provide the music lover with sources, amplifiers , wires and speakers that all share a common goal of making music come to life in our homes. Products that reflect our design goals as well as our personal goals of offering a very high measure of real value.
When I was asked to put together some ideas for this "about us" page, I tried to imagine what I could say about myself or our little shop from which we work. I could tell you all about my past accomplishments and list all of the usual details about my audio interests and my involvement with the various components that make up the typical audiophile system. But I think perhaps a slightly different approach is in order and will serve to better understand us and what we hope to accomplish with the realization of the Hawthorne Audio dream.
We want Hawthorne Audio to be a little different from what you may be accustomed to. We want you to feel that you have been treated with respect and honesty above all else. I think this is sadly missing and too often not a priority. I want to help you experience the joy and satisfaction that comes from listening to music and for some of you, share in your dream of creating your own gear.
I avoid thinking about how very different our lives would be without music, art and beauty. If I can help bring just a bit more of this into our lives, then I have lived a good life indeed. Please join us here and discover for yourself the possibilities...
Darrel Hawthorne
Hi, My name is Darrel Hawthorne and I love building audiophile speakers. Always have it seems. Over the years I have built most of the common configurations and have enjoyed listening to music my entire life. The idea to one day start an audio company had been tucked away in the back of my mind for a very long time. In 2005 I did just that. I started Hawthorne Audio, and I offered my services as a speaker builder.
One particular speaker configuration stood out above all others for me personally, and this was the open baffle. Open baffles, or OB's as they are commonly called, do not require any sort of enclosure. They sound amazingly lifelike and are very musical. The challenge was in finding suitable drivers that could be run in free air without a box . I realized very early on that if I were to make this configuration work, I would need better, open baffle specific, drivers to work with. At that time this proved not to be an easy task. One could not go to the typical driver suppliers and order an OB specific driver. What to do?
This is when I made the decision to develop my own line of drivers with
the initial focus on making open baffle specific drivers. The Silver
Iris line of audiophile drivers was born. Over the next several years we
developed many additional drivers in the Silver Iris line, and by the
end of 2009 had sold these drivers to other DIY's as well as other
professional speaker builders in 39 countries. We openly shared
everything we had learned about building open baffle speakers and helped
countless music lovers build their very own high end OB speakers.For those of us that love spending time listening to our favorite performances, our gear must be capable of breaking down the barriers that come between us and the music. This is never an easy task and requires products that were designed to excel at their given duties while also helping to bring out the very best in the other pieces of associated gear that make up the long chain of components from the performer to our ears. Sources, amplifiers, wires and speakers all must work as one to ensure that the final sound we hear is as it was intended by the artists performing it.
I believe that the best way to ensure this system synergy is to
develop products that not only perform exceptionally well but
also perform harmoniously with other great audio gear. System synergy and system integration being
key ingredients.I came up with the idea of evolving Hawthorne Audio into something more than just a speaker company. My idea was simple... Seek out other audio artists to collectively design and build products that cover every major link in the audio chain from source through speakers and eventually the listening room itself with regard room treatments and equipment stands.
The Hawthorne Audio Fellowship of Audio Artists was established to provide the music lover with sources, amplifiers , wires and speakers that all share a common goal of making music come to life in our homes. Products that reflect our design goals as well as our personal goals of offering a very high measure of real value.
When I was asked to put together some ideas for this "about us" page, I tried to imagine what I could say about myself or our little shop from which we work. I could tell you all about my past accomplishments and list all of the usual details about my audio interests and my involvement with the various components that make up the typical audiophile system. But I think perhaps a slightly different approach is in order and will serve to better understand us and what we hope to accomplish with the realization of the Hawthorne Audio dream.
We want Hawthorne Audio to be a little different from what you may be accustomed to. We want you to feel that you have been treated with respect and honesty above all else. I think this is sadly missing and too often not a priority. I want to help you experience the joy and satisfaction that comes from listening to music and for some of you, share in your dream of creating your own gear.
I avoid thinking about how very different our lives would be without music, art and beauty. If I can help bring just a bit more of this into our lives, then I have lived a good life indeed. Please join us here and discover for yourself the possibilities...
Darrel Hawthorne
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