After capturing the admiration of tea drinkers with his futuristic Sorapot – which looks a bit like a cryogenic tube for steeping tea – budding industrial designer Joey Roth has turned his attention to consumer electronics with a pair of elegantly simple ceramic speakers. And they’re just as off-the-wall. We sat down with Roth on a recent trip through Portland to hear his speakers for ourselves – and a little bit of the thinking that went into them. <p><br class="spacer_" /></p> Roth explains how the speaker started with a quest to build simple, desktop-sized speakers designed to mate perfectly with a computer, as well as how audiophile forums and a preference for simple materials – such as ceramic, cork and birch – helped shape the final product. <p><br class="spacer_" /></p> Although Roth’s expertise as an industrial designer led him to pay special attention to aesthetics, sound quality never took a back seat in the design process. Roth gives us a glimpse at some of the electronic decisions that went into building his speakers, from the use of a Tripath amp and Tannoy drivers to the choice to omit a crossover for the absolute simplest electrical path from computer to speaker. <p><br class="spacer_" /></p> The consumer electronics world hasn’t seen the last of Roth, either. The tech-attuned designer leaves us with a few hints at upcoming designs still on his drawing board. <p><br class="spacer_" /></p> You can buy Joey's speakers here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032FPQPYie=UTF8&tag=digitren08-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0032FPQPY