This dodecahedral speaker wants to mimic nature
The 12-sided omnidirectional speaker scenery by Listude
Music is a highly human endeavor – but it doesn't need to sound that way.
Two sound engineers in Nara Prefecture, near Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto, have taken on a mission to build speakers that blend into the soundscape of nature itself. To achieve this, the duo behind listude began building specialized omnidirectional speakers.
Traditional speaker arrangements separate sound into highs, mids and lows and send sound in a single direction towards the listener, allowing for an unobstructed listening experience. Listude's speakers, meanwhile, are designed to emanate all of these frequencies from a single point in every direction.
scenery can be found in cafes and other stylish spaces around Japan
For a sound designer, this very idea sounds like a nightmare – but it's entirely intentional. The speaker is intended to be placed in various environments – both indoors and outdoors – so that the listener can enjoy this natural reproduction of sound as it reverberates off its surroundings, much like an instrument in the hands of a skilled musician.
In truth, directional speaker setups rarely fit the environment they find themselves in. After all, cafes and store owners aren’t about to sound dampen their interiors and direct customers towards a certain spot in a room simply to optimize the in-store listening experience. So an omnidirectional speaker designed specifically to work with reverberations is the perfect solution.
Dodecahedrons are the closest regular polyhedra to a perfect sphere, making them a highly suitable shape to transmit sound evenly in every direction. Dodecahedral speakers have been used for measuring sound quality in concert halls, but few consumer products have been made available, usually requiring custom cables and amplifiers.
The 12-sided design works to harmonize with a given space’s soundscape.
Listude's coaxial omnidirectional scenery speakers are compatible with any regular amplifier, making it an easy installation for any space. In fact, the speakers can be found in cafes, shops and hotel lobbies throughout Japan.
Let's take a closer look at Listude's coaxial omnidirectional dodecahedral speakers scenery.
The scenery units consist of six pairs with tweeters on one side, a bass reflex port on the other, and mids around the axis, allowing for a speaker that is coaxial from the front while retaining its omnidirectional nature.
The unit is designed to be coaxial from the front, while also remaining omnidirectional.
The speaker uses 2.5" full range units paired with 1" tweeters, and is constructed with birch and polished with beeswax. The units come in a range of finishes, including birch; American black cherry; walnut; white oak; koto gray; and bog oak.
scenery comes in a set of two, made to order over approximately three months. Ceiling fixtures are also available. Pricing starts at approx. US$7500/set.
For inquiries or quotes, please reach out through our Contact page.
A scenery unit in the bog oak finish
Ceiling fixtures are also available upon request.
Technical details
Dimensions: 286W / 292H / 268D (mm)
Weight: 4.2kg (per speaker)
Finish: birch / American black cherry / walnut / white oak / koto gray / bog oak
(prices differ for anything other than birch)
Form: Two-way bass reflex dodecahedral coaxial omnidirectional shielded speaker
Units: 1" tweeter x3 / 2.5" neodymium full-range unit x8
Frequency: 71 Hz - 25 kHz (±6dB)
Sound pressure level: 84.8 dB
Max. input: 100W
System impedance: 8Ω
