About Ear Level Audio

Ear Level Audio began with a simple request — I asked my wife if I could keep a guitar rig in our living room. She agreed, but only if I could make it look nicer. Knowing nothing about cabinet design, I built a few speaker arrays using surplus store speakers. They sounded surprisingly good considering the speakers I was using and my lack of knowledge, but the idea sat idle for eight years.

At some point I found some 6.5-inch guitar speakers and decided to try again. I built one cabinet, then another. By making them tall and narrow, I discovered I could even hang a guitar on them. After experimenting with several designs using small speakers, I moved on to 8- and 10-inch drivers.

When I started working with 10-inch speakers, I built two identical cabs for A/B testing. What began as a novelty project turned serious when I heard the pair side by side — they sounded incredible, and I realized I might be onto something special.

I placed some prototype 10-inch cabs at Eclipse Music in West St. Paul and refined the design based on customer feedback. Players liked the sound and concept but wanted 12-inch speakers. Switching to 12s meant a full redesign — a more angular shape, better bracing to manage weight, and CNC-cut parts for precision and consistency.

After more than 30 iterations, I finally landed on the ELA 112 — a cabinet that combines great tone, smart design, and a clean aesthetic. More designs are already in the works.