When the Phonosuper SK 4 was launched on the market in 1957 the competition scornfully termed it “Snow White’s coffin”. What was meant as a provocation has since become the iconic name for one of the most influential 20th-century HiFi designs.

The Super Phono SK 4 combines a radio, record player, amplifier, and loudspeaker in a single compact casing. But one thing was truly revolutionary: The SK 4 did not follow the pattern set in the 1930s and have the controls on the front. For the first time, the user controls were on the top and protected by a Perspex hood that could be folded back and ran the length of the set.

The clear, basic rectangular shape made of white sheet metal with elmwood ends was mainly the brainchild of Hans Gugelot. At that time, he was professor at the Ulm College of Design. Wilhelm Wagenfeld designed the record player. And Dieter Rams, an architect on the payroll at Braun and later long-standing head of the company’s design section, created an eye-catcher in the form of the transparent lid made from the then new material of Perspex. As a result, the technology was visible.

The SK 4 brings together the signature styles of three designers who played an important role in German design history. It also marks the beginning of the famous “Braun Line” which, in particular thanks to Dieter Rams’ designs became the epitome of German design in the second half of the 20th century.