GT Audio Works: Inside Hi-Fi’s Amazing, Must-Hear Planar Magnetic Ribbon Speakers

(November 27, 2025) GT Audio Works is the life’s work of one designer, Greg Takesh, who hand-builds every planar magnetic ribbon speaker that leaves his workshop. No outsourcing, no assembly line, just decades of accumulated know-how shaped into tall, elegant panels that have quietly become show favorites for those who hear them.

In this rare interview recorded at Capital Audiofest 2025, we sit down with Greg to explore his history, design philosophy, and his latest creation: the Giulietta Bellissima. He walks us through the evolution of his craft, the challenges of building a three-way planar system by hand, and why customers travel across the country just to spend a day listening in his home.

GT Audio Works has remained one of the industry’s best-kept secrets, and the force behind a sonic signature seared into my own audio memory banks.

Join me for a fantastic chat with one of the industry's good guys, but also a master craftsman who creates some of the best 2-channel speakers on the planet.

Click here for the full interview.

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[Sonnie Parker]

Definitely a relaxed interview. I'd say the issues hindering his sales is no dealer network, only being able to demo in his home, and the lead time for his builds. He's obviously not turning out that many speakers annually, but I suppose he's doing all he wants to do. I get it.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Great point about a lack of a dealer network for showcasing performance. That said, it all adds to the overall mystique of the brand. Tho, I wish more people could hear what these speakers can do!

 

[Greg Takesh]

Definitely a relaxed interview. I'd say the issues hindering his sales is no dealer network, only being able to demo in his home, and the lead time for his builds. He's obviously not turning out that many speakers annually, but I suppose he's doing all he wants to do. I get it.

Yes, at this point in my life, I'm doing what I like, I don't want pressure. But I sometimes wish I had given it a go in the early 1990s, I might have made a place in the market with dealers. But a wife, kids, mortgage and a steady paycheck took precedent. High end audio companies are like opening a restaurant, the chances of success are slim. Now I have the time and finances with zero overhead and work with little pressure doing what I enjoy. I ask for half down to buy materials for the build and half on delivery, so I have no investments tied up in inventory etc. The way I see it, if someone is truly interested in what I do, an airline ticket is a very cheap investment to hear them at their best in a relaxed environment, as opposed to a dealers showroom where they may push one line more than others due to profit margins and will not be keen on a demo going on for many hours and even days like I can afford to do. Or at a show where it's noisy and crowded, where the room size and dimensions are far from optimal and the upstream electronics may be unfamiliar and take a few days to warm up and settle in....Just in time to break it all down Sunday afternoon and go home.