Clairtone Project G

Sleek, sculptural and impossibly alluring, the Clairtone Project G, a modular Space Age–style stereo system, was a big hit for the audiophiles of yesteryear. Manufactured during what we now know as the era of mid-century modernism, a console stereo such as the Clairtone Project G encased in exotic dark woods might have been the centerpiece of your (sunken) living room. Frank Sinatra and Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner were big fans of the system when it debuted in 1964, and today, Lebron James owns a vintage Project G.

At nearly seven feet in length and resting on a solid aluminum swivel base, the Project G stereo was introduced by an electronics company called Clairtone Sound Corporation Limited, in Toronto, Canada, in 1964. It was designed by Hugh Spencer and features a turntable and receiver inside a comely Brazilian-rosewood cabinet that mirrors the celebrated case pieces crafted by the day’s Scandinavian modernists.

Positioned on either side of the console — and markedly, outside the cabinet, which was revolutionary at the time — are oversize satellite-like sphere-shaped speakers made of spun aluminum. With rotating capability, the speakers promise state-of-the-art sound during any kind of party. The experience came with a hefty price tag, so Clairtone introduced a less expensive iteration — the Clairtone Project G2 — in 1966.

Although fewer than 400 models were manufactured, the Clairtone Project G was featured in Time magazine and won a silver medal at the 1964 Milan Triennale. Vintage audio lovers also don’t need to look too closely to find Project G series models in films such as The Graduate and Zabriskie Point.

Find a vintage Clairtone Project G stereo and other 1960s stereo consoles today on 1stDibs.