Sound is finally getting the attention it rightfully deserves. Even the most stunning visuals wouldn’t be immersive without matching good audio unless you’re viewing a photo or an animated GIF. That’s why speakers are now a more common sight in homes, including those that are separate but connected to TVs. Unfortunately, that also means they can become an eyesore, especially if you have multiple units spread around, either near the TV or even on tables and shelves. There are speaker designs that try to hide their presence, and this particular concept does so ingeniously by making the speakers, which usually take on a cylindrical form, function as legs for a minimalist yet stylish glass table.
Smart home speakers try to dress up as decorations or art objects, but they are still very visible and take up space on tables and shelves. That’s not even considering the more numerous soundbars and TV speakers that are situated near the screen. They might not block your view, but they can still be a distraction by their mere presence, breaking what should have been an immersive experience.
verre is a concept for a living room table that addresses that design problem in a rather creative and unusual way. Many wireless speakers these days are simply variations on a cylindrical shape, so why not use them for something that’s innately cylindrical? That’s why all four legs of this glass table are actually speakers, though you will definitely not know it at first glance.
The speakers have a powder-coated finish that’s not unusual for tables that combine a glass surface with a metal frame. And while the speaker grilles do catch your attention, they’re not exactly alien to a design that has a teeny bit of an industrial design vibe to it. What’s really impressive is that you won’t see any of the controls for the speakers at all, save for the power button hidden on one of the frames. Physical controls for the speaker are embedded in the fabric-covered discs that sit on top of each “leg,” perfectly blending into their surroundings.
While this LG-inspired speaker concept is visually interesting, it does have some practical considerations that need to be addressed. For one, having the speakers be that low could actually affect the very immersion that they’re supposed to enhance since not all sounds come from the bottom. Additionally, speakers will naturally generate some amount of vibration, so having a glass tabletop might not exactly be the smartest choice for this design.
Headphones, earphones, and earbuds have become a common sight wherever you go. It helps us be more immersed in our music and podcasts even when outdoors, while also respecting others around us who might not share the same preferences as us. At the same time, however, these devices are designed not only to isolate sound but also to isolate us from people, preventing us from actually sharing our favorite tunes with like-minded people. Sure, we can just turn on the loudspeaker, but that also means blasting the sound for everyone to hear, whether they like it or not, turning it into an all-or-nothing kind of deal. It shouldn’t have to be that way, though, especially not with our current technologies, and this concept tries to offer a more social earbud design that can easily share the music we love with a select number of people only.
Designer: Kusi Boateng-Arthur
Earbuds are intentionally designed to keep sound in so that you can enjoy your tunes without worrying about outside noise coming in or your music “leaking out” to others. Nowadays, there are features that do let some ambient sounds through for safety or communication reasons, but it doesn’t work the other way around. Unless you have a poor fit or extremely loud volumes, no one around you will hear what you’re playing, no matter how much you want to share your new favorite album.
“more. than a bud” is a design concept that tries to remedy this unsociable situation by providing a way for earbuds to share music with each other without having to broadcast it over a loudspeaker. We already have the technology available for this, as demonstrated by wireless speakers that support multiroom modes. The idea is the same but on a smaller and more personal scale.
Inspired by the Aslatua Ghanian percussion instrument, these earbuds simply tap each other to establish a connection. Smartphone users might be familiar with a similar gesture that existed a while back to initiate a file transfer between two phones. That’s pretty much all that’s needed to share your music with another person, letting you develop a closer relationship that goes beyond being a bud.
Aside from that special feature, the “more. than a bud” buds also have a distinctive design which is basically just two halves of a sphere. The actual speaker, however, is angled at 30 degrees in order to maximize the path that sound travels in your ear. The concept also claims that the in-ear design offers a secure fit, but some might have reservations because of its small, stemless shape. While the two halves join together to form a sphere when not in use, charging the buds requires them to attach to opposite sides of a small puck, turning the shape into a capsule. It’s definitely an interesting design, though it will probably be more noted for its ability to turn listening to music back to its original form: a social experience.
Portable wireless speakers are becoming quite ubiquitous these days as a way to enjoy your favorite music anywhere you are, whether you’re outside or just in another room. In exchange for their portability, however, the quality of the sound these speakers produce is less impressive compared to bigger and more stationary equipment found at home. It would be nice if you could have the best of both worlds, enjoying an audio system that follows you around the house without missing a beat. You could try to buy multiple wireless speakers and hope they can be connected to each other, or you can hope that this peculiar speaker system concept becomes a reality, allowing you to pick up one or two speakers from their base as easily as you would pick up your takeout meal.
Designers: Junwoo Kim, Yoonjeong Lee, Heeyeol Yang, Jaehoon Jeong
For an audio experience to be considered truly immersive, it has to sound like it’s coming from all around you. More specifically, the right sounds have to come from the correct direction rather than equally from all directions. Making this possible with a single speaker or even a pair of headphones is possible but difficult to accomplish, requiring sophisticated algorithms and precise control to create the illusion of surround sound. Of course, you could set up a surround sound system in your entertainment den, but then that magic only takes effect in that room.
TakeOut is an LG-inspired concept for a modular speaker system that lets you design your own audio space in a snap. At its core is a 360-degree soundbar that tries to bring the sound to you wherever you are in the room by blasting it in all directions. But when you push down on one of the circles on the top of the soundbar, a short cylindrical wireless speaker pops up. It’s not a completely independent speaker and it works in tandem with the soundbar, but its most important feature is that you can take it anywhere with you in the house.
This portability means that you can set up your audio experience just the way you want it, whether you’re listening in the same room or elsewhere. Need to go to your home office for a while? Just pop out one of the speakers and let the music follow you there. You can also create your surround sound setup in a flash by positioning the four “sub-speakers” around the room, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that the system will know which sound needs to come from which speaker.
While the design of TakeOut is quite interesting, there might be some practical issues with it as well. For one, the concept doesn’t clarify if the individual speakers can be used separately from the soundbar or if they’re completely dependent on it. If it’s the latter, it also means that the speakers won’t function properly if they ever go out of range of the soundbar or if the data can’t reach them because of obstacles like walls. Those details, however, could actually be ironed out with some features that don’t take away anything from the spirit of this modular and immersive audio system.
When companies mention the term “backward compatibility”, it seldom means revamping their products from 30 years ago… but Bang & Olufsen’s managed to pull off the unthinkable. You see, people who own B&O sound-systems do so because they’re passionate about audio quality – and if there’s one thing all audiophiles will agree to, it’s that analog sound systems from the years gone by are still the gold-standard in sound quality. The only problem is that they aren’t designed to be wireless. Not that any audiophile would dream about listening to Spotify on their state-of-the-art sound system, but there’s admittedly a certain convenience to being able to play any song directly from your phone on wireless speakers. Announced just this month, Bang & Olufsen’s latest device lets you do just that. The Beoconnect Core, priced at £999 ($1150 USD), is an intermediary wireless hub that turns all of B&O’s older speakers wireless, connecting the rich, auditory legacy of Bang & Olufsen with the convenience of today’s streaming culture.
Designer: Bang & Olufsen
Not to be confused with the BeoSound Core from 5 years ago, the Beoconnect Core is B&O’s latest accessory designed to be infinitely backward compatible with the company’s entire speaker catalog. The Beoconnect Core transforms legacy speakers, some dating back more than 30 years, into modern wireless systems capable of streaming music from any app, connecting to turntables, or even enhancing TV audio for a cinematic experience. This device is a celebration of the brand’s heritage, ensuring that the beloved sound systems can continue to create memorable moments in the digital age.
“Our aim is to build product icons that can last a lifetime, and Beoconnect Core is an important addition to our product offering, that enables us to deliver on this longevity promise. Beoconnect Core connects our past with our future and comes with our replaceable Mozart streaming module that can easily be upgraded to the newest technology”, says Michael Henriksson, Vice President of Product Marketing at Bang & Olufsen. “This means that the products that our customers love can be used for years to come and continue to provide memorable moments”.
The Beoconnect Core’s understated design complements any room’s aesthetic. Its gently curved, pearl-blasted aluminum chassis is as stylish as it is functional, efficiently dissipating heat. The non-conductive cover ensures clear and uninterrupted antenna reception. For a truly integrated experience, the Core can be seamlessly docked into a BeoSound Shape tile using a custom-designed bracket. The Core’s design prioritizes easy upgradeability too. Its functionality is future-proofed by the replaceable Mozart streaming module, ensuring your system stays compatible with the latest streaming technologies. This commitment to longevity extends to the Cradle-to-Cradle design principles used in the Core’s construction, minimizing environmental impact and maximizing serviceability.
As far as compatibility goes, the Beoconnect Core offers a variety of options to integrate your B&O speakers seamlessly into your existing setup. Powerlink and USB connections ensure optimal performance with Beolab 50 and Beolab 90 speakers, while a line-in port allows for the connection of turntables and other audio sources. But the Core’s capabilities extend beyond pure audio. It features an HDMI eARC connection, enabling you to connect your B&O speakers to any TV and experience the immersive power of Bang & Olufsen sound with your favorite movies and shows. So if you’ve got yourself some B&O speakers from more than a decade ago (when wireless connectivity wasn’t really much of a priority for high-end audio companies), the $1150 Core is a worthwhile investment in future-proofing your sound system to be compatible with latest streaming apps while still retaining its ability to default back to the glorious analog playback whenever you want.
One thing all digital creatives need is a good machine to support their endeavors. The same holds true for music that pleases our ears, and no one knows it better than Teenage Engineering. The Swedish consumer electronics brand has made a name for itself in the last couple of years courtesy of its unique design language and the sublime ability to blend visually striking form factor with the musical experience.
This music editing laptop based on the TE philosophy of instant musical immersion, is all about music immersion, portability of use and flexible connection options to connect audio devices to create and edit music. It comes with a unique DJing method to control multiple controllers simultaneously by pressing the keys and adjusting the dot-shaped touchscreen.
The motivation behind designing this compact music-creating machine is to cut down the clutter of various instruments and give audio engineers the ability to work on their projects anytime, anywhere. There are dedicated control wheels and keypads for editing the music files with ease. Those detachable sound sampler modules that act as a sound device to record or send edited samples, extend the usability of the machine without the need for a dedicated sampler. Thus, making it a one-stop-shop gadget for sound editing, audio creation and more. Everything is a lot more fun with the 180-degree hinge that allows one to work on it like contemporary audio-creating equipment.
That detachable interaction UI system brings a whole lot more to the fore than expected. Things like Low Pass Filter, High Pass Filter, pitch controller, and much more. While one could go on talking about the multifaceted use of keys and buttons that music makers will instantly relate to, we’ll appreciate the whole design aspect of it. Especially the achromatic and orange point tones emphasizing its Teenage Engineering DNA.
People are now becoming more aware of how poor-quality audio can ruin an otherwise impressive movie or game, but we can only do so much when we’re trying to experience these activities at home. Headphones and earbuds try to use smart algorithms to recreate the effects of 360-degree surround sound, but that’s only an approximation at best. You can also deck your TV room with the latest in Hi-Fi audio equipment but also lose some privacy in the process. There’s almost no middle ground, at least if you think of conventional solutions. This odd spherical chair is one such unconventional solution that tries to offer the best of both worlds to plunge you into your own personal listening space.
The problem with ordinary home speakers and earbuds is that they often just blast sound in a single direction, either from our front or our sides. The way we naturally hear, however, is to take in all the audio waves around us, Which is why surround sound systems put multiple speakers around the room to emulate that effect, but at the expense of everyone within hearing range knowing what you’re doing. It would be nice if you could just sit inside a bubble and have the 360-degree listening experience without sacrificing your privacy, which is exactly what the XEO POD is promising.
Looking like a hollow polygonal sphere with its front chopped off, the pod-like chair actually hides as many as 20 speaker cones underneath the textile surface that lines the interior of the futuristic-looking furniture. It’s like having a mini surround sound system, one that’s confined to your immediate personal space to prevent sound from leaking out and bothering others. There’s a retractable overhead camera that can track your head’s movement and adjust the delivery of the sound instantly, giving the illusion of being in the middle of the scene whichever way you look.
The XEO POD isn’t just made for listening, though; it’s also made to make that activity as comfortable as it can be. Despite the hard, spaceship-like exterior, the upholstered interior offers comfort and style, regardless of the way you sit. A few extras also take the experience to whole new levels, like a swivel arm mount for a 42-inch TV and a side table with a built-in cup holder and wireless charging.
As a chair, the XEO POD isn’t limited to just one position either. You can sit upright while playing games or recline comfortably when watching a film. The pod will support you and make you forget about your surroundings, fully immersing you in the audiovisual experience in front of your very eyes and ears.
Good acoustics is important in any design, and it is important to plan for this right from the start of a project, from designing to building it. Note that if a building is designed well with good acoustic design, it can make people feel better mentally and physically. This is because, loud noises can make people stressed, and anxious, and raise their blood pressure, leading to health problems.
According to studies, noise pollution presents a significant risk to people’s health, especially for those living and working in urban settings. While controlling noise at its origin isn’t always feasible, effective soundproofing of buildings can provide a valuable solution. Installing soundproofing materials in the roof or building exterior can greatly reduce external noise from sources like traffic or airplanes. Within buildings, insulation can improve privacy and mitigate disturbance from neighboring properties, such as music or footsteps from upstairs apartments. This is particularly advantageous when applied to partitions between different spaces in residential or office buildings. Utilizing sound insulation boards can help minimize noise intrusion in both living and working environments.
What are the various forms of sound propagation?
Image courtesy of: photovs
Building acoustics studies how sound travels through walls, ceilings, and roofs, with insulation needs determined by factors such as area size and the types of sound transmission, whether direct or through walls.
• Direct sound transmission involves sound passing directly through a wall, ceiling, or floor.
• Flanking noise is the noise that reaches a room through an indirect path. For example, it could be noise from a neighboring apartment reaching your bedroom through a route other than through the shared wall, or noise from a hallway reaching your office through a route other than through the door.
• Other forms of sound transmission include leakage through inadequately sealed doors and windows, brickwork, and uninsulated pipelines.
Image courtesy of: bilanol
What are the best materials for acoustic insulation?
Discover the top materials that are suitable for acoustic insulation.
Acoustic Panels and Treatments
Soundproofing involves the use of acoustic panels and treatments to absorb and minimize sound waves, reducing resonance and unwanted noise. It’s crucial in places like recording studios, theaters, and restaurants. Different styles, like foam panels and diffusers, cater to various acoustic needs.
Alberto Sánchez and Mut Design Studio innovate with Beetle Acoustic Panels, drawing from the insect world for design inspiration. These panels, shaped like beetle exoskeletons, offer a range of colors and sizes, transforming utilitarian sound absorption into artistic accents. Despite lacking spines like beetles, a central spine connects the panels, emphasizing symmetry. This experiment showcases creativity’s boundless nature and encourages finding inspiration in unexpected places, sparking joy with quirky shapes and vibrant colors.
Working from home has introduced a whole new routine, but one annoyance is listening to my husband’s constant office meetings. The noise is distracting, even with closed doors. Tempo offers a solution—a modular wall and ceiling baffle system that doubles as art. With 12 customizable modules, it absorbs sound and adds visual flair to any room. Easy to install with a CNC dowel system and cork plugs, Tempo’s various colors and patterns allow for endless combinations. It’s like acoustic eye candy, perfect for home offices, conference rooms, or bedrooms, transforming spaces both visually and acoustically with the ease of IKEA’s modularity and the trendy Japandi aesthetic.
Echo panels are gaining significance in room acoustics, now integral to interior design. Kirei introduces its sustainable Kirei Air Baffle, drawing inspiration from Nike Air Max, to enhance sound in high-ceiling spaces. Utilizing recycled PET EchoPanel material filled with Nike Grind fluff, these baffles come in various models and sizes, improving acoustic performance and adding aesthetic value. With customization options in 33 colors and easy installation, they contribute to a softer room ambiance and sound, elevating the functionality and aesthetics of any space with Kirei’s architectural design elements.
The Kirei Air Baffle, an overhead acoustic panel, enhances sound quality in high-ceilinged spaces. What sets it apart, beyond its superior sound performance, is its sustainability. Even in the realm of acoustics, sustainability is achievable with the use of environmentally conscious materials.
Acoustic Foam
Acoustic foam panels, renowned for their porous and lightweight design, excel at absorbing sound waves. They’re particularly favored for reducing reverberation and controlling noise levels in settings like media rooms, music studios, and home offices.
Double Glass
Double-glazed windows with acoustic laminated glass are highly effective in reducing external noise, including car and street noise, making them perfect for urban environments. They offer a great alternative for soundproofing both homes and offices. Note that Double-glazed windows are made out of two glass panes separated by Argon gas. This specific gas is a poor thermal conductor. As a result, the sound or heat does not pass through the second glass pane and into the other side of the window.
Mineral Wool
Image courtesy of: bilanol
Made from mineral wool extracted from minerals, this material provides powerful sound insulation. It’s not only a thermal insulator but also commonly utilized in wall cavities, ceilings, and other spaces to minimize noise transfer between rooms.
Glass Wool
Glass wool, also called fiberglass insulation, serves as a popular choice for thermal insulation. Its effective sound absorption properties also make it cost-effective for soundproofing purposes. It’s commonly applied to walls and ceilings to provide dual insulation services.
Textile
Textile-based sound-absorbing materials like heavy curtains, carpets, and fabric-wrapped panels are commonly found in quiet-seeking homes and offices. Beyond their noise-reducing function, they also contribute to the visual appeal of their surroundings.
In modern office settings, privacy remains vital despite open layouts. Milan-based Claudio Bellini design studio addresses this with FP7, acoustic panels serving as both dividers and noise absorbers. Specifically for open offices, FP7 visually delineates private areas while absorbing sound. Available in various colors, these panels create a cohesive look. Made from embedded cushioning and soft fabric, they offer flexibility in arrangement to suit different privacy needs. A finalist at the 2021 iF Design Awards, FP7 seamlessly integrates with contemporary office culture, providing private spaces for discussions and collaboration.
In sustainable design, Jonas Edvard is known for his innovative use of organic materials to create functional and attractive objects. His latest creation, the Myx Sail / Floor panel, showcased at the 2023 Mindcraft Project, is made from mushroom mycelium, hemp, and willow. This 1m x 1m panel not only shows the strength of composite biomaterials but also reflects Edvard’s commitment to responsible design.
Consider acoustic panels for your office or co-working space when soundproofing isn’t an option. They reduce noise and can serve as room dividers. Baux, a Swedish brand, prioritizes sustainability by using recycled PET plastic and virgin plastic for binding. The panels, with a felt-like texture, undergo a process of chipping, melting, and binding for effective sound absorption. Available in various sizes and colors, they offer both functionality and minimalistic design.
Mycelium, nature’s hidden strength, finds diverse applications from cooking to construction. Italy-based Mogu’s Foresta System ingeniously combines mycelium with upcycled textiles to create modular acoustic panels, perfect for home building and furnishing. These panels easily attach to a timber frame, featuring integrated magnets for effortless assembly and disassembly. Foresta’s innovative use of mycelium earned it the 2022 German Design Award for its eco-conscious and circular design, highlighting Mogu’s dedication to sustainability.
Regardless of religious inclination or lack thereof, the word “church” would often conjure up images of lofty buildings designed to inspire awe or command respect. Of course, church architecture often reflects the trends and styles of their times, and there are indeed churches today that wouldn’t look out of place beside commercial buildings and structures. Of these, the former Church of Saint Agnes in Berlin, now home to the Konig gallery, is perhaps one of the most striking examples of the modern brutalist movement applied to such a structure, and its imposing character happens to be the almost literal inspiration for a desk speaker concept that similarly embraces that spirit of extreme austerity in a beautiful and memorable way.
Designed by architect Werner Duttmann and finished in 1967, the former Church of St. Agnes, now the Gallery of Konig, stands almost in opposition to common church architectures of that period and the ages before it. Its unadorned, boxy shapes don’t stand out among the rows of concrete buildings that line up most cities, making it feel like just another part of the community. At the same time, however, its austere appearance still cuts an imposing figure that gives the impression of something that is meant to exist on a completely different and higher level.
It’s that same stunning characteristic that the Agnes desk speaker concept tries to convey on a smaller scale. Like the church it takes both its shape and name from, the design is made from two plain rectangular pieces, though the roles are switched. The vertical “bell tower” is actually the main speaker, with the top box providing 360-degree output, while the larger detachable box provides bass on demand.
Like any brutalist design, the speakers express rawness, expressed through metal instead of concrete and accentuated by the use of the simplest geometrical shape and sharp edges. In terms of functionality, however, there is nothing unrefined about the Agnes speaker concept, and it even imagines a feature not found in any 360-degree speaker today. While the lower knob controls the speaker volume, the one above it determines where sound is directed, whether it’s only from the front, from the front and the sides, or from all four sides.
Smart speakers today are trying their best to blend into their surroundings, namely your interior decor, and just like its inspiration, the Agnes desk speaker concept presents a duality in that regard. It definitely mixes well with minimalist designs, but its raw appearance and imposing stature also make it stand out easily, turning what would normally be just a functional appliance into a unique work of art that looks almost out of place and out of time.
LG placed battery in a television set and the StanbyMe was born. The portable, touchscreen display, Korean tech giant sells for $1,000, is completely wireless and comes on a height-adjustable stand so it can swivel in landscape and portrait orientation to facilitate viewing angle depending on the content you are watching. Adding to the versatility of this battery-powered TV, LG has launched StanbyMe Speaker. A soundbar that works standalone or can hook up to the StandbyMe stand using its own mounting cradle.
The cylindrical portable Bluetooth speaker wirelessly syncs with the StanbyMe display offering it a powerful sound without compromising the quality of the internal volume. The speaker weighs roughly 2.2 pounds making it extremely lightweight and portable to take anywhere you like. It comes with an IPX5 rating, so you can carry it to the poolside, but don’t take it further from there. An accidental splash is doable but it won’t survive being submerged in water.
Connected to the StanbyMe, and using LG’s Wow Orchestra feature, the audio is delivered in harmony through the StanbyMe Speaker and the display’s internal speaker. When the two are linked, the display’s remote can be used to control the onboard speakers and the immersive audio output of the external speaker.
LG claims, the StanbyMe Speaker can provide 16 hours of playtime under normal usage. The Bluetooth speaker can be recharged using USB-C. The impressive run-time means you can use the speaker for viewing a series on OTT, game for hours without a stop, to join friends at home for a house party playing music all night. For the latter, the speaker has LED lights customizable (via app) to the vibe of the music you’re playing and create the desired atmosphere.
Taking care of the most integral aspects, the stereo sound of the StanbyMe Speaker is two 20mm tweeters paired with a single woofer. The dual passive radiator on the speaker helps deliver a deeper and more compelling bass, LG notes. LG StanbyME Speaker is now available in the U.S. and Korea. Through the website, LG.com the speaker is retailing for $200 in the US. The company has a plan to roll out the speaker in other markets globally, but when, is not clear at the time of writing.
It’s not unusual these days to see plenty of retro-themed designs and products, all trying to capitalize on the strong emotions that nostalgia can bring. Most of these simply slap on a facade that mimics the aesthetic from decades past, but some do try to also recreate the experience by using what would be considered vintage technology or components. Of course, it’s not enough to just use old-school technologies, they also need to be properly integrated into today’s features. That’s the kind of balance that Astell&Kern’s latest portable music player tries to deliver, bringing a modern device that not only looks retro on the outside but partly on the inside as well, blending the present and the past in perfect harmony.
It might come as a surprise in the age of smartphones, but there are still companies producing music-playing devices that do only that. It allows the brand to focus solely on perfecting the listening experience without having to worry about cameras, cellular networks, and apps. As far as those portable music players go, Astell&Kern’s existing SP3000 is already quite distinctive with its hard, faceted, and angular design, giving it an almost industrial aesthetic, especially with its stainless steel body and 99.9% pure silver plating.
The SP3000T, however, gives that design a retro twist by adding dual vacuum tube amplifiers on the back of the device. These aren’t just for show, though, as they actually function the way the tube amps did in the past, using modern techniques and materials, of course. The tubes bring not just an analog appearance but also an analog sound, delivering a unique audio quality that can be best described as warm and soothing, qualities that are difficult to achieve simply using digital sound.
What’s even more interesting is that listeners won’t have to choose between one or the other. Yes, the SP3000T lets you switch between these analog tube amplifiers and the digital op-amp mode, but there is also a third hybrid option that mixes the two together. What you get is a combination of the precision and high-resolution output of the digital amp mixed with the warm tonal qualities of the analog vacuum tubes.
The Astell&Kern SP3000T also carries the brand’s latest audio technologies, including a digital-to-analog converter that promises a complete separation of digital and analog signals for the cleanest sounds. It also has 8GB of memory, boasted to be the highest in digital audio players, for smoother operations. And, yes, it also has a touch display, almost like a smartphone, that lets you enjoy not only album art but also themes, adding a bit of joy to this retro-modern listening experience.
