ARQOS EDITION I· 11 WORKS
Each work carries a unique serial number
ARQOS series ·
lead time 6-8 Weeks
Hand-sculpted in mineral composite with OBEN signature drivers. Every mark on the surface is a record of its making. No two pieces are identical.
Terra Palette·
Chalk, Silica, Stone, Burn Oxide, Dust Blue, Rose Clay
Custom pigment upon request
ARQOS
Arqos speaks in the language of earth and form. Its hand-shaped surface recalls primordial architecture reimagined as a vessel for sound. Each surface bears the gesture of its making, where gravity, texture, and resonance converge. Grounded yet transcendent. Primitive yet precise. It carries the gravity of something excavated rather than built.
Arqos is concerned with what survives. The series draws from the visual language of ancient architecture: the arch, the portal, the threshold. Forms that human beings have returned to across every culture and every era because they do something to the body when you stand before them. They signal passage. They signal meaning. We kept asking what happens when sound moves through them. What does it mean to make a vessel for frequency out of the same forms that once held fire, water, the sacred?
SKETCH @
BIRTH
ARQOS David ·
From $71,000
8" Single-Driver Pair
47"H x 16"W x 14"D per speaker
ARQOS Golaith ·
From $88,000
15" Single-Driver (Pair)
76"H x 25"W x 17"D per speaker
TRUE SOUND IS FELT, NOT HEARD
Most high-fidelity systems are engineered toward a flat frequency response. This industry standard reduces music to a measurement.
A flat frequency response is a tool for measurement.
Music is not a measurement.
And music was never meant to be flat.
It breathes. It expands. It disappears into silence.
Sound is not data to be optimized.
It is a force to be preserved.
OBEN works are not engineered alone, but composed, by artists working with sound as a material. The people who understand sound most intimately are the ones who create it. The ones who shape it in real time, who feel where it breaks, where it holds, where it becomes something more than signal.
This understanding is built into every system. Each driver is tuned for the full emotional range of recorded music. Not to satisfy a metric, but to preserve the integrity of the original performance. A full-range architecture eliminates crossover fragmentation and allows sound to arrive as a single, coherent event. What emerges is not a technical result, but a recognition.
The response from some of the most sought-after producers, engineers, and songwriters is immediate and consistent:
Not “this sounds impressive”
Not “this is accurate”
BUT
This is how I wanted this to sound.
This is how it sounded in the studio.
Sound is not data to be optimized.
It is something that can be lost.
It is a force to be preserved.A full-range, single-driver architecture designed to preserve coherence across the audible spectrum. By eliminating crossover networks, the system allows sound to arrive as a unified event rather than a collection of separated frequencies.
High sensitivity enables exceptional performance with low-power amplification, revealing nuance, dynamics, and spatial detail with immediacy and precision.
Each system is tuned by ear within the sculptural form, balancing technical performance with the physical presence of the object itself.
Clarity & Coherence — Every note is delivered from a single source, without crossovers or competing equipment.
Accuracy & Realism — Free from electronic filtering, tonality remains pure and lifelike.
Imaging & Soundstage — All frequencies radiate from one point, creating a holographic, dimensional field.
Transparency & Efficiency — Fewer components mean less loss and a truer connection to the artist’s intent.
TECHNICAL COMPOSITION
SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
Full-range, single-driver
DRIVER OPTIONS
8 in / 12 in / 15 in high-efficiency full-range
FREQUENCY RANGE
8in / 12in: Fo – 20 kHz
15in: Fo – 16 kHz
SENSITIVITY
8 in: 95 dB SPL (1W / 1m)
12 in: 95.5 dB SPL (1W / 1m)
15 in: 96.7 dB SPL (1W / 1m)Nominal Impedance
8 Ω
POWER HANDLING
8 in / 12 in: 30W nominal / 50W maximum
15 in: 50W nominal / 80W maximumA full-range, single-driver architecture designed to preserve coherence across the audible spectrum. By eliminating crossover networks, the system allows sound to arrive as a unified event rather than a collection of separated frequencies.
High sensitivity enables exceptional performance with low-power amplification, revealing nuance, dynamics, and spatial detail with immediacy and precision.
Each system is tuned by ear within the sculptural form, balancing technical performance with the physical presence of the object itself.
Clarity & Coherence — Every note is delivered from a single source, without crossovers or competing equipment.
Accuracy & Realism — Free from electronic filtering, tonality remains pure and lifelike.
Imaging & Soundstage — All frequencies radiate from one point, creating a holographic, dimensional field.
Transparency & Efficiency — Fewer components mean less loss and a truer connection to the artist’s intent.
TECHNICAL COMPOSITION
SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
Full-range, single-driver
DRIVER OPTIONS
8 in / 12 in / 15 in high-efficiency full-range
FREQUENCY RANGE
8in / 12in: Fo – 20 kHz
15in: Fo – 16 kHz
SENSITIVITY
8 in: 95 dB SPL (1W / 1m)
12 in: 95.5 dB SPL (1W / 1m)
15 in: 96.7 dB SPL (1W / 1m)Nominal Impedance
8 Ω
POWER HANDLING
8 in / 12 in: 30W nominal / 50W maximum
15 in: 50W nominal / 80W maximumEach work is constructed through a convergence of acoustic engineering and sculptural process, where material choice and enclosure geometry directly shape both sound and form.
The system utilizes a lightweight paper cone for a natural tonal response, paired with a fabric surround for controlled movement and durability. A ferrite magnet motor structure provides stability and efficiency, while an aluminum phase plug supports clarity and dispersion.
The sculptural form is not applied after the fact, but developed as an acoustic body. Proportions, internal volume, and curvature influence resonance, projection, and the overall character of the system.
External materials and finishes are selected and applied by hand. Variations in surface, texture, and tone are inherent to the process and are not imperfections, but traces of authorship.
Each OBEN work is produced as a limited edition or singular commission.
Editions are released as small collections, handcrafted, numbered, and finite. Once an edition closes, it does not reopen.
Every piece is fabricated by hand in Los Angeles and serialized as part of an ongoing archive of sculptural sound works. Each carries a unique serial number, certifying its authenticity and its place within the lineage of the work.
Material, finish, and form are resolved through hand processes, resulting in subtle variations that reflect the conditions of making and the presence of the artist.
