MARKUS

GRELKA

Wood has a soul. Music has a spirit. I bring the two together.

When the first note fills the room and the vibrations touch your heart, you know: this is not just sound. It is an encounter with music.

Experience the difference between hearing and feeling.

Personal

VITA

Back in 1986, at the age of 14, when I put together my first proper hi-fi system (my first speakers were, of course, homemade), I could never have imagined that my love of music and solid wood would lead me to become so deeply involved in the world of loudspeaker construction and development.

The fact that Joachim Gerhard (founder of AudioPhysic, Sonics and SüsskindAudio) later found me and took me under his wing was the starting point for a very intense journey.

I am very happy and proud that, along the way, I have had the opportunity to meet incredibly wonderful people and exceptional experts, and to work alongside them. And I am certain that this story is far from over…

TECHNOLOGY

Solid wood: bringing nature to life

There are many materials used for loudspeakers. MDF, usually veneered or lacquered, is the most common choice. For practical reasons, this is undoubtedly the simplest and most sensible option. Solid wood is used by very few people for obvious reasons, as it is highly susceptible to changes in ambient humidity, causing it to swell and shrink… Lots of problems… but only solid wood has the charm of solid wood.

You can see and feel the difference.

Here, you can really give the wood a good tap.

Acoustic conditions tend to be rather poor, particularly in modern, minimalist homes. The interior design is dominated by many hard surfaces such as glass, tiles or parquet flooring. This results in unwanted reflections.

We use horn attachments (waveguides) to reduce the occurrence of reflections. We also aim to improve the balance towards the low frequencies by using a frequency response that slopes down towards the high frequencies, so that the speaker does not sound lifeless.

Why we use waveguides

CROSSOVER

Tweeters handle the high frequencies, woofers the low ones

As little as possible, as much as necessary

We aim to use only the absolute minimum of components. True to the motto: less is more.

Frequency response linearity even at an angle

Even off-axis, the frequency response should remain beautifully linear without any dips. The crossover topology is responsible for this too.

Many roads lead to the same destination?

Not always… Modern loudspeaker technology is capable of producing an exceptionally full sound even with 2-way or 2.5-way systems, something that wasn’t possible a few years ago. We therefore use the very latest driver technology.

Who invented it?

No, Joachim Gerhard did not invent the crossover, but thanks to his decades of experience, he knows where the tricks and potential lie. That is why our crossovers are designed ‘in the style of’ Joachim Gerhard, the master of passive crossovers.

THE PURE ACOURATE SOUND PROJECT

No more rumbling: the audio revolution that makes every room sound perfect!

Have you ever invested a lot of money in a high-end audio system, only to find that the bass booms in your living room or the sound seems somehow ‘muddy’? The problem usually lies not with the equipment, but with the room itself. This is exactly where the Pure Acourate Sound Project comes in. It combines the world’s best audio technology with intelligent software to reproduce music completely distortion-free and linearly – even in acoustically imperfect rooms. A real eye-opener for every music lover!

The secret lies in the perfect interplay of hardware, craftsmanship and digital precision:

Put simply, this means an end to booming bass and muddy rumbling in the room. Thanks to ultra-low distortion, you can expect a crystal-clear soundstage that allows you to pinpoint the exact location of every single instrument in the room.

As this system is not a mass-produced, off-the-shelf product, it is individually bespoke and perfectly tailored to your specific room conditions.

The best part? The advanced technology can be flexibly upgraded and easily integrated into your existing stereo or multi-channel systems.

VIDEOS

NEWS & REPORTS

01.06.2026

GERMAN PREMIERE OF THE NEW EVERSOLO MODELS

audioNEXT, Joachim Gerhard, Markus Grelka and ROSE-HANDWERK invite you to experience the full HIGH End Vienna 2026 setup in the Sauerland region. You’ll also get an exclusive preview of all the latest eversolo products!

At ROSE-HANDWERK, 19–21 June 2026

29.05.2026

CERUBIN 2: DEBUT AT HIGH END 2026

Joachim Gerhard, a leading authority in loudspeaker design who once worked at Audio Physic and later made his mark with Süßkind Audio, is back with an extraordinary collaborative project. Together with Rose-Handwerk, he presents the new Cerubin 2…

25.05.2026

MARKUS GRELKA AT HIGH END VIENNA 2026

High End 2026 is set to open its doors very soon at the Austria Center in Vienna. 3 June is press day, and from 4 June to 7 June, all interested visitors will be able to explore the more than 500 exhibitors showcasing over 1,000 brands.

01.04.2026

FACTORY TOUR: ROSE-HANDWERK

Dear reader, I owed you a factory tour from Sauerland, ever since I visited ROSE-HANDWERK, the German manufacturer of solid wood loudspeakers. My connection with ROSE-HANDWERK is a very strong one, I hold them close to my heart, ever since I fell head over heels…

26.11.2025

THE LISTENING ROOM EXPERIENCE

Dear reader, this autumn I visited the workshop and listening room of our friends at Rose-Handwerk, a solid-wood loudspeaker manufacturer located in the western region of Germany, whom I first met last year in Warsaw at the Audio-Video show….

06.10.2025

INTERVIEW

Dear reader, this autumn I traveled to the beautiful Sauerland region in Germany to visit the workshop where Markus Grelka crafts his exquisite ROSE-HANDWERK speakers. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sit down with Markus for an interview…

18.06.2025

SPONTANEOUS VISITORS FROM THE FAR EAST

The special appeal of the Sauerland The quest for the perfect sound brings unexpected visitors from Taiwan and Hong Kong to Brumlingsen. Whilst in mid-May, at the renowned “HIGH END” hi-fi trade fair in Munich…

03.09.2025

VITESSE WAVE

Dear reader, I am continuing my Rose-Handwerk series of articles with an in-depth review of the Vitesse Wave – solid-wood speakers proudly hand-crafted in Germany in the Sauerland area. The speakers are designed by Markus Grelka and built in the Rose-Handwerk…

TEST REPORTS

Nestled in the heart of the Sauerland region, more specifically in the vicinity of Meschede, Rose-Handwerk is a centre of excellence for high-end audio reproduction. Primarily a manufacturer of its own furniture ranges—which are displayed and sold in a cosy showroom—Rose-Handwerk also builds loudspeakers with expertise and passion.

For their presentation, there is even an acoustically perfect demonstration room on site, which one would not expect to find in the outwardly unassuming industrial hall. But that’s not all: mastermind Markus Grelka – the driving force behind the company’s loudspeaker division – maintains close collaboration with the acoustics and electronics specialists behind the sophisticated ‘Acourate’ software for digital room correction. They played a crucial role in creating the near-ideal conditions at Rose-Handwerk and use these as a base for sophisticated demonstrations, for example.

„But that brings us right back to the question of just how prominently a loudspeaker needs to define that final kick at the top end. When in doubt, the Midi opts for silky highs, a flowing smoothness and a wonderfully rich, full-bodied reproduction with strong fundamental tones.

Markus Grelka himself says of his sound philosophy and its acoustic ingredients: ‘The tweeter with waveguide improves direct sound and reduces diffuse sound. Room reflections are suppressed, and localisation and transparency in modern, acoustically harsh rooms are improved. At the same time, the gently sloping energy frequency response in the high frequencies ensures long-term listening pleasure.’

Indeed, his loudspeakers are completely devoid of any sense of nervousness or irritability. Their high musicality stems from a midrange that is by no means exaggerated, yet always present and supportive, lending the music great colour and vitality. It is marvellous to experience the lifelike atmosphere the Midi can conjure up in the listening room, as if at a live concert.

A vibraphone has a powerful and beguiling substance with every strike. An organ can fill a church, with the individual stops coming into their own just as magnificently as the spatial illumination. Markus Grelka does not build off-the-shelf loudspeakers. Craving every high-frequency kick and superficial effect is not his style.

The loudspeakers from Rose-Handwerk follow the broad contours and dynamic developments of the music. The Midi are wonderful sound bodies with character. They guarantee a consistently stress-free and enjoyable listening experience.“

The Maxi is far from aiming to deliver a dissecting sound that prioritises unconditional linearity. It builds on an impressive foundation that provides a truly rich low-end drive from two seven-inch drivers on each side.

At the other end of the spectrum, however, things look different: the large dome driver operates with majestic beauty, yet reveals its more reserved side. The high-frequency range thus fits perfectly into a modern, sparsely furnished setting, where more conventional set-ups can often be a bit too much of a good thing. Vocals have expression and a very fine texture, for which high-quality dome drivers are ideally suited.

The large Maxi is a loudspeaker that integrates perfectly into everyday life. It still sounds full and rounded even when playing a little more quietly and providing only background sound. You can really lose yourself, for example, with Bohren & Der Club Of Gore, who almost build a cave for you to crawl into via these loudspeakers. The powerful foundation of the Zambo Signature is just right here. It generously renders the subtle nuances in both depth and width, and even creates a rather convincing soundstage when you’re not sitting in the sweet spot. I even dared to put on 80s icon Tracy Chapman again, which turned out to be not a bad idea at all. The Maxi manages to create a pleasant atmosphere here too, which works well even at low volumes. A very well-thought-out tuning!

Conclusion

A top-of-the-range model that dares to adopt a distinctive tuning: a powerful foundation, smooth and silky treble – this is a speaker built for the long haul and, above all, one that integrates perfectly into everyday life.

„Do you have a small or medium-sized listening room and are you looking for a speaker that will keep you – and your partner – happy for a long time to come? Do you love a coherent, harmonious and immersive spatial presentation, a fine attention to detail without auditory strain, a balanced tonal character where nothing seems to be missing and everything is ‘somehow rounded’, without ever becoming boring? Then a listening session with the Nano is almost a must.

It combines the sonic qualities described above wonderfully with a timelessly elegant design, superb craftsmanship and beautiful materials. The Nano proves that even a ‘small hi-fi system’ can deliver genuine audiophile enjoyment. Of course, the ‘power bass, dynamics & volume’ crowd is unlikely to warm to this driver – but then again, the speaker is called ‘Nano’ and not ‘Mega’, ‘Giga’ or ‘Tera’.

Profile: Nano:

Offers a harmonious tonal reproduction with no emphasis or gaps across a wide frequency range.
The low-frequency range is limited at the lower end – there’s no real sub-bass, which is hardly surprising given the size of the drivers. However, in the fundamental frequency and even an octave lower into the bass, the Nano sounds clean and is reasonably agile, if not lightning-fast.
The midrange and treble are essentially difficult to assess separately, so coherent and seamless is the interplay between the drivers and the crossover. The sound is clear and free of distortion here. Acoustic instruments and vocals in particular are a real treat; the Nano impresses with the authenticity, clarity and richness of detail in its reproduction. It is striking that the dome tweeter remains fully present even in the super-high frequencies, offering fine detail and ‘air’.
In terms of dynamic range, it sits more in the mid-range for its price category, but is by no means ‘sluggish’ or ‘mellow’. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement here – as there is with volume handling.
Well-positioned in terms of fine dynamics. Soft sounds alongside loud ones are presented clearly and accurately at all times. And even when listening at low volumes, nothing is lost.
The soundstage presentation is exceptional, indeed strikingly good. The ‘layout’ established in the recording studio or during the recording becomes immediately apparent when listening, intuitively and with remarkable precision – the positioning of the sound sources is equally precise across all axes.
Design, craftsmanship and material mix are of the highest quality. These speakers are eye-catching and a real gem, with a casual, timeless elegance.

EXCELLENT SPATIAL DISTINCTION

In the listening room …, the Nano immediately demonstrated the advantages of its slim, low-diffraction cabinet. The speakers vanished completely into the wide soundstage. At the same time, the speaker effortlessly brought out the characteristics of the recordings. On Chet Baker’s wonderfully soulful ‘As Time Goes By’, the instruments and vocals were clearly defined in the room, and the intimate, direct atmosphere of a jazz club was almost palpable.

It was a completely different story with Lou Reed’s classic ‘Sweet Jane’ from the Cowboy Junkies’ exceptional album ‘The Trinity Session’. In this recording, made in 1987 in a church in Toronto using a single multi-channel microphone, the guitar, bass and parts of the drums form a tapestry of sound in which only the cymbals, hi-hat and Margo Timmins’ unique voice are clearly defined. It was, in essence, a given that – provided the recording quality was up to scratch – the sense of scale and depth would also be of the highest standard.

It is hard to imagine greater spatial differentiation. But can two sets of two 10-cm woofers handle the bass? “Way Down Deep” by Jennifer Warnes is a good benchmark for exploring this. The low-frequency foundation of this song can quickly sound excessive if the speaker loses control due to overemphasis, but also thin and insubstantial if it omits too much. The Nano handled the track with complete maturity, depth and a thoroughly balanced overall presentation. Only true connoisseurs of the track would notice that speakers capable of reaching the 20 Hz mark can make the lower frequencies vibrate with a little more physicality.

In terms of maximum volume, too, the Nano delivered more than its name and size would suggest. Given the right music, it is capable of playing at levels that could cause hearing damage over time, even if it doesn’t reach the levels of a heavy metal concert. Yet for noise-filled orgies, this tonally wonderfully balanced, highly nuanced loudspeaker is not the first choice anyway. But when it comes to enjoying music first and foremost, and then directing your attention to one aspect of the reproduction or another as the mood takes you, the Nano is a speaker that, for all its love of tonal and spatial detail, never loses sight of the artists’ musical intention. Simply cool.

Conclusion

The Hochsauerland region is well worth a visit, and not just for its breathtaking scenery:

The Nano can be heard, seen and felt here, and can even be ordered in a version tailored to your personal preferences. A small but exceptionally good loudspeaker, whose musical performance always carries a touch of magic.

The Vitesse is a stunning two-way loudspeaker. Its front panel, which is an exceptionally thick four centimetres, is made of natural wood and slopes towards the edges in such a way that diffraction (reflections from the cabinet edges) is kept to a minimum.

On the rear of the cabinet sits a large radiator – a passive radiator – which extends the Vitesse’s tight, punchy bass response down by a good octave. The dainty speaker sounds so full-range, complete and voluminous that, whilst testing it in my 36-square-metre listening room, I occasionally had the meaningful glances of my neighbours in my mind’s eye. No doubt they, too, enjoyed the focused, impulsive and, even at the highest volume levels, unshakeable tone of the Vitesse. We quickly placed the cabinets in the listening room, set the Vitesse on top and connected it. Despite this rather rough handling, the little speaker delivered a vivid, holographic, sharply defined sound from the very first second, revealing the finest details. The imaging and soundstage depth already stretched into infinity.

In less than a minute, we were floating right through the music and found ourselves on a huge stage. In short: the joy of playing and precision of this little speaker are pure magic! Otherwise, the Vitesse behaves like a state-of-the-art compact speaker. It is full-range, completely free of colouration and, in principle, reasonably undemanding. It goes without saying, however, that a speaker of this size, which also has almost no internal volume, requires a fair amount of power. One should steer clear of an extreme mini-tube amp; with ‘normal’ transistors such as Trigon’s Exxceed or Naim’s Uniti Star, however, it worked excellently and proved to be a thoroughbred
showstopper.

Conclusion

An incredibly musical and lively compact speaker with a deep bass foundation and clear, transparent treble reproduction. The real highlight is its eye-catching design and superb build quality. A true masterpiece.

TESTIMONIALS

LISTENING ROOM

Don’t just experience music – immerse yourself in it.

The ROSE-HANDWERK listening room was created to allow visitors to experience sound in all its natural richness and depth. In a relaxed atmosphere, the handcrafted solid wood loudspeakers reveal their exceptional spatiality, precision and warmth. Far removed from traditional demonstration rooms, this space offers a listening experience that uniquely combines technology and emotion. Book your personal listening session with Markus Grelka and rediscover music.

Visit me in the Sauerland and book an appointment.

FAQ

Markus Grelka is one of the rising stars of the German high-end loudspeaker scene, primarily because he combines classic loudspeaker design with traditional solid wood craftsmanship. He works at the ROSE-HANDWERK workshop in Meschede-Brumlingsen in the Sauerland region, where he develops loudspeakers that are exceptional in terms of both technology and craftsmanship.

Grelka began building his own loudspeakers while still a teenager. By his own account, he built his first speakers as early as 1986. Thanks to his relationship with his wife, Daniela Rose, and the family business ROSE-HANDWERK, Markus was able to make the most of the opportunity to let his creativity run wild and tinker away in the workshop. This led to the creation of his first ‘market-ready speakers’ in the early 2000s. This development was rapidly accelerated from 2019 onwards through his contact with Joachim Gerhard, one of Germany’s best-known loudspeaker developers.

A key feature of his loudspeakers is the use of solid wood cabinets. Whilst most manufacturers use MDF or plywood, Grelka deliberately opts for solid wood – despite the challenges posed by fluctuations in humidity and the material’s tendency to swell and shrink. His view is that only solid wood offers the desired tactile quality and visual appeal.

Markus Grelka’s loudspeakers are regarded as truly unique in the high-end audio scene for several reasons. They combine traditional craftsmanship on a par with that of fine furniture makers with innovative, uncompromising acoustic technology. The key aspects that make his loudspeakers so special can be summarised in these core areas:

Enclosures made from genuine solid wood (combined with glass, slate and metal)

Use of state-of-the-art speaker drivers

Acoustic innovations for true living room hi-fi

Collaboration with legendary developer Joachim Gerhard and leading scientists in the industry, such as Dr Ulrich Brüggemann, Dr Wolfgang Klippel (Pure Acurate Sound Project)

Exchange and cooperation with leading driver manufacturers (Purifi, Seas, Wavecor, DLM)

The loudspeakers are manufactured in the Sauerland region by Markus Grelka. ROSE-HANDWERK has been producing high-quality interior design products for over 60 years. The address is Zum Wasserturm 14, 59872 Meschede-Brumlingsen, Brumlingsen Industrial Estate.

Since 2019, he has been working closely with Joachim Gerhard – the legendary mastermind behind brands such as Audio Physic, Sonics and Süsskind Audio.

This collaboration has resulted in a series of loudspeakers that have been showcased at a wide variety of hi-fi trade fairs. Gerhard is Grelka’s mentor and teacher. Grelka’s designs are closely linked to Gerhard’s philosophies.

The crossovers and the acoustic fundamentals bear Gerhard’s ‘DNA’ to a significant degree. The aim of the tuning is not a short-lived ‘show-off sound’ with exaggerated treble, but rather an extremely durable, homogeneous and stress-free music reproduction that follows the broad contours of the music.

YES – at ROSE-HANDWERK, we also craft hi-fi racks to order. The design can be tailored to match the speakers and the existing décor of your living room or listening room. Among other materials, he likes to use solid wood for this purpose, particularly reclaimed timber (historic oak from approximately 200-year-old half-timbered beams), combined with legs made of aluminium or black anodised metal. The ROSE-HANDWERK workshop also produces dining tables, coffee tables, laptop tables and side tables made of wood, metal and glass.

Speaker demonstrations are available here:

In the ROSE-HANDWERK listening room, hosted by Markus Grelka:
Zum Wasserturm 14, 59872 Meschede, Brumlingsen Industrial Estate – Please book an appointment!

At BLACK VINYL SOUND on Lake Constance with Andreas Bodenschäfer:
Grünweg 38, 79793 Wutöschingen

At AUDIO CONNOISSEUR in Wuppertal with Lucas Dehnert:
Beyeröhde 1, 42389 Wuppertal

Location and contact details

ROSE-HANDWERK
Lautsprecherbau by 
Markus Grelka

Zum Wasserturm 14
Gewerbegebiet Brumlingsen
59872 Meschede-Freienohl

Telefon: +49 2937 969 890
E-Mail: info@rose-handwerk.de

Opening hours

Monday and Tuesday
Thursday and Friday: 10 am – 6 pm
Wednesday: By appointment
Saturday: 10 am – 2 pm