THE ORIGINS

I was having a cup of coffee with one of my friends, and we where chatting about many different subjects, one of them came to be about loudspeakers, of course, nothing new.  

He remarked that nowhere was I talking about what my designs meant to me, their back story and how they came to be. We kept going with the discussion for quite some time, elaborating on ideas, how to bring across the digital gap, the emotional connection, the character.

The concept idea for a loudspeaker design started all the way back in the beginning of 2016. I was commencing a new semester, and the university where I was undertaking my engineering degree, was trying a new course programm. It consisted in a project that lasted a full semester and during this entire period, there would be no exams, no homework, no midway deliverables, just one large practical project.

The idea was to give students a situation that felt more like the real world, pushing them to get creative and think outside the box when tackling an abstract problem. Additionally, if a student wanted, they could also propose their own projects. 

There it was, an unbelievably great opportunity for me, to finally work on something related to audio. With such rare luck on my side, I called the shot and went all in. I signed up for a group project that would collaborate with Wageningen University. Additionally, I proposed my own project, a mid range, two-way, active loudspeaker. 

By the end of the semester, I managed to have a solid prototype, which ended being the foundation of what is currently the KAS sound systems. Sure, the prototype looked like a messy tangle of wires and hot glue, nonetheless still managed to get a proper PCB designed and manufactured locally. 

Once I had the first loudspeaker prototype, it didn’t take long to see that there was plenty of room for improvement both in the electronics and aesthetics.

Fresh out of university, I landed a solid, well-paying job and moved into a lovely apartment with my partner at the time. Everything was falling into place, and I felt like I was riding high.

In that ecstatic moment of prosperity, in my free time I would start improving on the prototype. When working on the aesthetics, a friend of mine let me use his backyard to build the new acoustic enclosure revision. The electronics got compacted at the bottom of the loudspeaker, thus allowing a more stremlined design. And slowly but steadily the new revision came to be.

I spend uncountable hours sanding to achieve a slight mirror finish and I was not liking the look whatsoever. It was a horrible fingerprint magnet. Which immediately lead me to re-do the enclosure and improve on some minor things that where anoying me. 

The matt finish was most definitely way more of what I was looking for. Furthermore, the relocation of the electronics gave the loudspeaker a very well-proportioned form factor and an aesthetically balanced shape, if these last words can somehow make sense in your head, then you know what I mean.

When I got to this stage, I genuinely thought I was done. The design seemed final, complete in every way.

However, with time, I grew apart from the design, I was not able to connect with it on an emotional level. The aesthetics did not appeal anymore, the sound was harsh and was annoying me.
At that moment in my life, I was going through a dark period, questioning myself, who I was, who I wanted to be, who was surrounding me and how I would interact with people, people that came and went. I don't know what it is, although once you go over your 30s, shit for some reason changes. And I needed major changes in my life, since the way I was living was asphyxiating me. 

In those dark days, that coincided with the pandemic, I had a lot of time for myself. Time to reflect and process all the bottled baggage that used to sit in the dark conrner, however, now sitting in the middle of the room and a bright spotlight was shining on it.

Even though it was a painful and misserable moment in my life, now that I have been through it, I am greatful for it, for opening my eyes, for teching me, for providing me the opportunity to become a better version of myself. 

From this moment onwards, the 80/20 rulling was a crutial instrument in improving my life. I left the stable corporate job that was making me missable, I cut off all people that were dragging me down. Kickstarted Kinef Designs and focused on it full time, I ensured to surround myself with the right people that would encourage me in being a better version of myself, and, I prioritized my physical and mental health. 

This re-connection with myself and the right people around me, dirrectly influenced my designs. Simultanously discovering the design aesthetics of mid century modern architecture and furniture design, soviet constructivism, brutalism, the Bouhaus movement, minimalism, a form follows function design.

Soon after I started designing, and this time, I was more mindful of how I translated and transmited my inner being within my designs. I stripted out all the unnecessary ideas, simplified it to the core.

All this, let to the birth of the KBAS.

It took 11 months to complete the first unit. From design, simulation, to small scale proof of concept, to a fully fledged build. 

It brought me through a journey of learning, to push myself outside of my comfort zone, to break new barriers, self exploration, meditation and a mixed bag of roller coaster emotions.

I design and build loudspeakers for people that can relate to them. The imperfections in them give them their uniqueness and their character, just as it does with people. And I realized that this is the case with me and the closest people that surround me, and through that, full circle, here we are.

The loudspeakers represent, ME, the imperfect me. The music that comes out, with its sound profile, is my soul.

From that moment onwards, the rest of the designs followed the same design methodology/language.

Eventually bringing them all together.

KINEFDESIGNS