Sound proofing & channeling
Two low-tech objects that direct, amplify, and control sound — without electricity
Product design · Goldsmiths · 2023Most solutions to sound problems involve adding electricity — powered speakers, active noise cancellation, digital signal processing. This project took the opposite approach: two low-tech objects that use geometry, material, and ancient acoustic principles to direct, amplify, and control sound without a single wire.
The result is two distinct objects — The Megaphone and The Olive — each solving a different acoustic problem, each rooted in a different historical precedent.
Amplifies and directs sound from overhead speakers. Geometry controls the direction; material controls the quality.
Absorbs low frequencies and amplifies them smoothly. Inspired by ancient Greek amphitheatre acoustics.
Both objects were prototyped and sound-tested. The Megaphone produced noticeably directional audio — placing it over an overhead speaker reduced diffuse room sound and made speech more intelligible at a distance. The Olive's resonance characteristics were more subtle but audibly present with low-frequency sources.
The project's most important finding was not acoustic but conceptual: the most effective solutions to sound problems in this context were 2,000 years old. The value of historical research in product design is not nostalgia — it's access to solutions that have already been proven by time.