GRADIENT 1.3

In the fall of 1989, Gradient 1.2 was succeeded by the new 1.3 model, which had been under development for some time. The updated Gradient 1.3 stood out from its predecessors with a more rounded and sculptural appearance, offering a softer counterpoint to the minimalist lines of its predecessors. Jorma Salmi, responsible for the acoustic design, invited his friend Jukka Vaajakallio to contribute to the development. Vaajakallio, an industrial designer, had just completed the visual design of the Gradient Avanti speaker.

Gradient 1.3 was honoured with several design awards and has been included in museum collections in Helsinki and Tokyo. It has been featured internationally as part of Finnish industrial design exhibitions—and most notably, the Gradient 1.3 is included in the permanent design collection of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

The 1.3 model also marked Gradient’s first export product. It received critical acclaim from audio publications around the world, including The Absolute Sound, and was featured on the cover of Stereo Review’s Buyers’ Guide in 1992.