WEGA frogpit study 1978 | A Vision Ahead of Its Time

 

This rare music center prototype designed by Hartmut Esslinger of frog design offers a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of modern hi-fi systems. Keen observers will immediately notice its resemblance to the later Wega Concept 51K from 1979 (see here). The system was envisioned as a set of modular components, each with its own dedicated controls and display. These modules included a three-head cassette deck, a digital radio-timer unit, an amplifier and equalizer module, and even a Laser Pick-Up — essentially a CD player concept long before the real thing existed. Now you may ask, how could a CD player be part of a music center in 1978, when the Compact Disc wasn’t introduced until 1983? The answer lies in the innovative collaboration between Hartmut Esslinger/frog design and Sony-Wega. When Sony acquired the German brand Wega, it continued to work closely with Hartmut Esslinger and his frog design studio. This partnership influenced the clean, futuristic aesthetics of many early 1980s Sony products — and also produced experimental prototypes like this one. However, the so-called “CD player” here wasn’t a Compact Disc player as we know it today. The design was actually inspired by several early DAD (Digital Audio Disc) concepts that Japanese manufacturers were testing at the time. The Laser Pick-Up shown in this prototype was part of that experimentation — a forward-looking idea that visually anticipated the CD era, even though it was never manufactured. A brilliant example of 1970s industrial design, this Wega-Sony prototype stands as proof of Esslinger’s visionary approach — merging technology and aesthetics years ahead of its time.

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