GOOD DESIGN AWARD
Red Dot Award
JIDA Design Museum Selection
Design for Asia Awards
Audio lighting system.
Elegance
Not just an audio system, but also an objet d'art, these products have been designed as iconic representations of lampshades and aroma candles and can be enjoyed from any angle. Regardless of where you place them, sound and light will simultaneously fill up the room.
Beloved
In these designs, the light is projected so that the silhouette of the diffuser - which simultaneously spreads the sound and light - also looks beautiful. The LSX-70 has a simple cylindrical shape that is enjoyable just to look at. I aimed for a design that the owner would be drawn to.
Harmony
The use of lampshades as a motif enables the LSX-170 to blend naturally with a room’s interior. It has a woofer installed in the lower portion, and you can enjoy music in a calm atmosphere by placing it on top of a large piece of furniture or a shelf.
Instantly-usable
The LSX-70 is rechargeable and can be carried any place you like in your house. Music and light will always be at your side, inviting relaxation.
Akie Hinokio
Designer
Yamaha Design Laboratory
Light and Sound That Fill Space.
The LSX-70 and LSX-170 are members of the Relit series of Yamaha’s interior audio systems that bring speakers and lights together in a single unit. Audio and light are diffused together and projected in 360-degrees. The LSX-70 is rechargeable so you can take and use it anywhere you go.
The first concepts I was faced with in developing the new Relit series was where and how they would be used. While the LSX-700 reflected sound and light like an indirect lighting system, the inspiration to develop the LSX-70/170 came from lamps shining at the side of sofas, and candles glowing at the center of tables. My next thought was to make the light look beautiful. Using 3D graphics and mockups, I repeatedly conducted tests to decide what kind of light to project and from what direction toward the curvature of the bell-shaped diffuser, which spreads the sound around the surrounding area. I constructed many models to determine such factors as the pitch of the holes in the punching metal sheets through which light passes, the degree of light passage depending on the surface curvature, and the changes in moiré patterns of overlapping sections. I was also very particular about the sense of size and texture, and visited housing exhibition halls in Germany and Japan to investigate the sense of sizes and textures that are accepted in living spaces. I considered metallic and leather textural representation, a flawless finish from any angle, and placing buttons with discretion so as to prevent the LSX-70/170 from appearing like a household appliance, seeking to ensure that it would not look out of place even as a centerpiece. Although bending the punching metal sheets 360° was a challenge, it was achieved by multiple discussions with designers concerning how we could fit the metal sheets together so that there is no perception of front and back. In designing the startup sound, I requested the creation of a sound based on the sound of a stroke of a xylophone, envisaging the sound of the clashing of pieces of wood.
Our goal for this product was to create something that would look beautiful regardless of whether it was turned on or off, and which people would want to place it in their rooms as a decorative item. I hope it will be used by people who wish to relax at night after a busy day or by those who value their evenings.
