Marantz Horizon: The Industrial Design Story With Begüm Tomruk

Marantz Industrial Design Director & Creative Director Begüm Tomruk takes us behind the scenes of the design process for the Marantz Horizon and Marantz Grand Horizon. She discusses the key features, how they developed over the engineering process, and how these cutting-edge firsts for Marantz took inspiration from over 70 years of Hi-Fi design heritage.  

Can you walk us through the design journey of Marantz Horizon? How did it evolve from initial concepts through to the end product? 

Begüm

"With Horizon and Grand Horizon, everything was built from scratch. Both products were perfected through extensive research and development.

"The starting point should be to look at the goal that we defined for Horizon. We wanted a product that really struck people, one that opened the door to a completely new audience for Marantz. While historically, Marantz has produced a few loudspeakers, this is our first wireless speaker, an area of the market that is incredibly competitive. 

"But we are Marantz, and we have over 70 years of heritage to draw from, something most of our competition does not have. So, we drew from our design DNA. 

"The main inspiration was the iconic Marantz porthole; its circular shape was there in the initial drawings of Horizon. While we obviously did a lot of work on proportions, the idea of using the iconic porthole shape was always key."

What other design elements did you draw on?

Begüm

"Another core element of the Marantz design DNA is symmetry, something that you can also see today in the designs of the high-end Marantz 10 Series products. We used this symmetry in the overall design, but also for the illuminated user interface, which also features the classic Marantz Star icon, while the gold trim ring features the Marantz Pattern.

"This pattern represents the distribution of sound, and we use it across the Marantz product range; you see it on the front panel of the 10 Series, you see it on the top mesh cover of both the MODEL M1 and the MODEL 10, which shows you the interior, and you see it on the gold trim ring of Horizon. This is a consistent approach that makes the brand stand out in a competitive territory, adds a level of uniqueness, and means you can immediately recognize these as Marantz products. I like the fact that it can be used in these different cases and that it can continually evolve.

"Finally, Horizon was inspired by authenticity and tactility, which we refer to as 'warmth.' This concept significantly influenced the material selection and contributed to the sound quality."  

How did you balance form and function throughout the process? 

Begüm

"I believe form follows function, but it also works the other way around. With Horizon, the drivers were positioned in a coordinated way within the form, so this automatically gave us improved stereo and more depth to the sound and really contributed to the audio quality. The result was a product with very strong, very rich sound." 

Were there any moments during the development process that were eureka moments or real breakthroughs? 

Begüm

"I think creating such an iconic but also deceptively simple-looking product with great sound quality is hard to achieve. That's why the design and engineering teams that collaborated on this product can be incredibly proud of the result. 

"There are some great design moments, such as the touch ring, which features the Marantz Star logo—but this was a challenge. We wanted an illuminated, interactive smart surface that wakes up when the user walks in front of it so it feels like the product is alive. But we also wanted an interactive surface, one that, when you tap on the surface, the 'volume' control follows your finger around, and you can use it as an interface for 'play', 'pause', 'next' or 'previous' song. That was a big challenge; we aimed very high and achieved something very strong and unique."

What were the challenges in creating two products in the same family, but which were different sizes? 

Begüm

"Finding the right proportions was important for both Horizon and Grand Horizon. There was the added benefit that the Grand Horizon could accommodate more drive units for even stronger sound.

"The difference in scale also impacted the design of the touch ring and the user interface. The UX team had to treat them differently because the larger surface requires different programming.

"We also had to differentiate between where the products will live. Grand Horizon needs a larger space or a bigger shelf unit, whereas Horizon can live in a small space, even on a kitchen counter, in a niche, or on its dedicated Tripod.

"When we scaled the design up for Grand Horizon, we maintained the proportional beauty by increasing the thickness of some elements. The marble base is thicker, and even the logo is larger, and there is a nice harmony within that scale as a result."

Horizon blends luxury and performance. How did the choice of materials play into that balance?  

Begüm

"The performance benefit mainly comes from the fabric. Because we had to create an acoustically transparent fabric, it had to be very thin but also durable and seamless over the complete 360 degrees of the Horizon. 

"We also wanted it to be sustainable, so together with our partners at Willy Hermann, we developed Marantz Radiance™ 360° Seamless Fabric, which is made using recycled ocean plastics.

"The fabric development took months and months. The Willy Hermann factory in Austria has specialised knitting machines working on Horizon and Grand Horizon. The knitting process is very quick and allows you to define the pattern and the color composition requirements. So, we created sample after sample to perfect a pattern that ensured this fabric wouldn't look thin and flat. It gives you a visual depth and appears more tactile and more luxurious. We added gold Lurex so it shimmers beautifully when it catches the light, giving this luxurious look and feel without impacting the sound quality. 

"For the three finishes, Midnight Sky, Moon Ray, and Marantz Champagne, the base color is the main one, and the gold Lurex on top gives you this shimmer. After a lot of iterations, we achieved what we wanted as a pattern, but that involved a lot of creative thinking with the colors: a little bit darker, a little bit lighter, a little bit more or less Lurex." 

How did you prioritize user experience?

Begüm

"First, it was the illumination and how it could be implemented in a smart way. And, of course, how it interacts with you when you approach the product. Our aim was to create timeless products—but with new technologies. From the engineering point of view, there are so many things behind that touch ring: Firstly, that illumination with the Marantz Star, but also allowing the consumer to access the capabilities of the product directly, without resorting to an app, because that can be annoying for luxury products.

"We went through extensive internal and external testing programs. This had significant input on the user experience, particularly around the touch ring, and it helped us really understand the illumination response and how the touch ring should work.

"In terms of the look and feel, this prototyping and testing approach ensured that we had a final design that had the right look, color, and feel of a product designed for this luxury space."

The user experience starts from the moment the customer gets the product. How did you achieve that?

Begüm

"Our packaging design team did an amazing job with the unboxing experience. We wanted to reveal a jewel. We wanted to avoid the use of any other implements, such as a knife or scissors. When you open the box, Horizon is revealed like a jewel, sitting there within its specially designed protective bag. Plus, of course, the packaging must withstand all the rigorous drop tests and humidity tests required for transporting a high-performance, luxury product. 

"Also, when you first unpack the unit and plug it in, during set up it welcomes you with a specially composed piece of music. This is a key part of the user experience, as it immediately demonstrates the capabilities of the product. By selecting MyMirage you can really understand how Horizon is capable of warm spaciousness and clarity."

How did you differentiate Horizon and Grand Horizon from other products in the luxury audio space?

Begüm

First and foremost with the Marantz brand's values and purpose, not only the industrial design. A lot of the competition in this sector doesn't have over 70 years of Hi-Fi heritage; we are the experts in that regard; it's in our DNA. For example, in the months before Horizon launched, we released the 10 Series—an incredibly high-end, audiophile range of Hi-Fi products." 

Do you think Horizon will introduce a new audience to Marantz?

Begüm

“Horizon is a great way to introduce a new audience to the experience of great sound. We provide the consumer with a certificate of authenticity. That, again, takes us back to the Marantz legacy and introduces it to a new audience. Having that attention to detail is core to the values of a 71-year-old company. And those values translate well to the modern luxury space."

How close to the original design, the original sketches, and the original concept is the final product?

Begüm

"I think it's really close, but I also feel so happy that we ended up where we did because the design process was interesting. When you look at the initial sketches, they now look very rough and underdone compared to where we ended up. And that gives you the confidence that we went in the right direction, that the design is more mature, with the right balance and harmony."

Final question: What aspect of Horizon are you most proud of?

Begüm

"I would say the timelessness of the design language. How it sounds, of course, but that's down to the great work of the engineering team. I'm really proud of what we achieved, from the unboxing experience to the product design, the user experience, and the sound quality. It's all part of a holistic design approach."