Most of you have surely never ever heard of the Rauna Leira speakers. These are transmission line speakers made out of concrete, and were designed by the Swedish record company Opus 3 (courtesy to the late Mr. Bo Hansson). The Rauna Leira speakers resemble a magnified periscope, and to me they are a genuine example of classic timeless design where form meets function.
The overall idea behind this concept was to try to create a speaker box with a minimum of vibration/distortion. It was felt that concrete was superior to wood to achieve this target. Mr. Hansson was of the opinion that the worst thing you can do with six pieces of wood is to build a speaker.
The version that I have is the Rauna Leira II. This is an “easy” speaker in that it displays very small variations in impedance. In practice, it is not particularly sensitive to the type of amplifier you choose to drive it.
As far as the listening impressions of the Rauna Leira II go, it is to be noted that these speakers are very placement sensitive. Thus, by simply moving them around you can achieve everything from crap to absolutely beautiful sound. Ideally, these speakers should be placed 50-100 cm away from the wall. The further the distance to the wall, the higher the risk that the bass is getting too thin.
The mid-range is very clean, present, airy, three-dimensional, detailed and dynamic. Male and female voices appear very natural. The treble is also very clean, airy, detailed and contains a natural warmth. There is though a tendency to slight boominess with certain music or recordings. This is, however, mostly relevant when you listen to rock and pop music. Therefore, I would say that these speakers are more for those of you who normally listen to classical music, jazz, blues, male/female voices etc. Here, they really sound musical, warm, natural and with a huge presence.
The Rauna Leira speakers are unfortunately no longer produced, and the chances to find a well-preserved example on the second-hand market are quite low. They do show up from time to time in ads in Scandinavia (predominantly Sweden), but outside of this market, they are pretty much non-existent.
Should a pair of Rauna Leira speakers ever cross your path, you are well advised to stop and take a closer look at them. Chances are that you will never see them again, and it would perhaps be a pity to miss out on what these unique 25kg sonic wonders of Scandinavian design are actually capable of.
One thing is for sure. Mine will not leave my system any time soon…
vintagehifiproducts 
My daughter knocked my rauna leira II speaker over and broke it in half. I can’t bear to throw it away, but there is not chance to rebuild it. Best speakers I have ever owned – I agree with your column. What would you recommend?
Ouch! That’s a real pity. Trying to repair the damaged speaker will not bring anything, I’m afraid. Judging from your choice of speakers you are more likely to have a preference for classical/jazz/vocal/instrumental music than modern pop/rock/new wave music.
The speakers I would recommend to you would of course first be another pair of Rauna Leira II in mint condition. Knowing that the chances are not great to find these again, I can warmly recommend the following speakers to you: Mulidine Cadence. I don’t know where you are based, but if these French-made speakers are available in your market, you should really take a closer look at them. Absolutely adorable!
My personal preference so far…
The new owners of Rauna of Sweden have visions to start casting new speakers in concrete. And they have also developed new speaker kits to the already existing Rauna speakers.
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It is likely that the two new owners of Rauna of Sweden will present a new line of speakers in concrete already in 2014. The kits to existing Rauna models have been available for a while now. So, there is still hope for those in the end of the line…
I have them still is pretty good condition. They are for sale but only for the right offer.
I am restoring a pair of Leira’s here in the UK they will be finished in piano gloss black but I am debating whether to opt for the new Rauna upgrade kit or go with something totally different like a single EJ Jordan full range driver which would mean they would be would a customised example.
Upgrade them! Still a custom job. I also consider upgrading them. Besides that, i have orderd a pair of sonus faber speakers so i dont know if i will upgrade the speakers or just let them in this condition and give them to my father for his setup. Im not sure what i will do after ive heard my brand new sonus and fabers
It is of course an interesting idea, and certainly a one-off example. A full-range speaker system is good for music where tone and dynamic behaviour are key elements. If your goal is 120dB low frequency dynamics located precisely at your listening position, then maybe a full-range system is not what you are looking for. If you on the other hand appreciate openness, depth and precise reproduction of the sound image, you are hard to find a better system.
The challenge for you here is to find the right driver to match the speaker cabinet, given that the latter was constructed for a cross-over unit.
You may find Markaudio is worth a closer look.
Personally, I would have gone for an upgrade though.