Unceonentional speakers at CES 2026 – Music Studio 5 by Erwan Bouroullec x Samsung.
Design, Technology. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, audio innovation buzzed through smart headphones and candy. We selected unconventional speakers, blending technology with design. Some products are available immediately, while others arrive later in the year.
RELATED STORIES: Discover more design innovation at the CES tech fair on Archipanic.
Framing Sound: Samsung x Bouroullec
Samsung teamed up with French designer Erwan Bouroullec to create Music Studio 5, a wireless speaker no thicker than a picture frame. Inside its minimalist shell are a four-inch woofer and dual tweeters. Bouroullec explains, “It will blend naturally into everyday life even when not in use.” He continues, “What is the shape of sound? You don’t see it, of course, but it’s always there, giving a place, a sense of being, shaping the way you feel. With Music Studio… I wanted to give form to this feeling.” Such unconventional speakers seamlessly merge aesthetics and function.
AI OLED Cassette and turntable
Samsung also unveiled two playful audio devices shaped like a cassette and a turntable, each topped with vivid circular touchscreens. The AI OLED Cassette features twin round displays: one works like a smartwatch for scrolling settings or picking tracks, while the other handles playback and alarms. Above them, a slim pill-shaped screen acts as a virtual dial, adjusted with a casual finger wiggle. The AI OLED Turntable goes bigger, with a 13.4-inch circular touchscreen that invites swiping, tapping, and rotating menus, mimicking the tactile joy of handling a real vinyl record at home today.
Twist & Share: TDM’s Two-in-One Audio
TDM, short for Tomorrow Doesn’t Matter, unveiled headphones that instantly transform into Bluetooth speakers. Its four 40-millimetre drivers include two inward-facing for headphones and two outward-facing for speakers, with integrated amplifiers to boost volume. Headphone mode delivers clean, balanced sound, while speaker mode invites sharing with friends. This dual-purpose design highlights flexibility and spontaneity in personal listening. TDM proves that unconventional speakers can adapt, switching seamlessly between private enjoyment and social sharing.
Bite the Beat: Candy-Powered Audio
Lava Tech Brands presented Lollipop Star, an audio device you can literally bite. Using hidden bone-conduction technology, vibrations travel from the jaw to the inner ear, pairing taste with sound. Each flavour is linked to an artist, unlocking exclusive tracks. Peach and strawberry connect to Ice Spice, while other tastes correspond to Akon and Armani White. “We’re teaming up with global pop icons to turn candy into a concert in your mouth. Bite down and feel the music!” Among the most imaginative, Lollipop Star turns audio into an edible, ephemeral experience.
Kallsup: Cube of Collective Sound
Imagine you can meet your friends and tune your portable speaker with theirs to create a diffused urban sound setting. For its CES debut, IKEA went beyond conventional home furnishings. Kallsup is a cube-shaped portable Bluetooth speaker roughly the size of a coffee mug. It can connect with up to 100 additional units, creating immersive, shared audio landscapes in urban spaces. Available in multiple colours and launching from April at just $10, it demonstrates playful, social design.
Made by music, designed for living
Cambridge Audio has unveiled the L/R Series, a new family of active loudspeakers designed to deliver high-performance sound to everyday spaces. The launch “marks a new chapter” for the British brand, blending its heritage audio know-how with a “more lifestyle-focused design language.” Advanced acoustic engineering meets simple connectivity, including intuitive TV integration, making setup refreshingly painless. Available in five confident colourways or a premium walnut finish, the L/R Series balances bold, timeless design with performance that feels proudly hi-fi yet effortlessly at home today everywhere
TDM’s Neo headphones and speakers.
Photos and visuals are by the companies.
Samsung AI OLED Turntable.
