360 Sound: JVC Quasar

Well, in case you're wondering "WTH, is that a dodecahedron?" I'll add that it is a polyhedron with 12 sides, a 12-faceted object, with equal facets, obviously. Now, you might ask what use we could make of such a complex geometrical shape... This time the answer comes from a Danish-Italian design corporation, the Copenmilan; two mids from Copenmilan (Emanuele Patton and Michele Menescardi) have worked together for JVC and have finally come up with this shape in an uniquely functional loudspeaker: the JVC Quasar.

Now, the idea isn't new, as there were some other similar-shape speakers that have been created and are waiting for enough interest from the customers and manufacturers alike to make it to mass production. Another dodecahedron-shaped speaker came from a group of designers in Brazil and the JVC Quasar is no architectural difference. What matters most is that the Quasar looks damn better and would effortlessly fit in any home decors no matter how modern or retro.

While the Dodecahedra (the Brazilian version) sports the speakers on the outside, the Quasar has its speakers loaded in some sort of waveguides made from what it appears to be transparent acrylic and this adds quite a lot to the overall looks. As for the rest, the Quasar sports the same 360-degree sonic dispersion that makes it capable to acoustically "disappear" and let only the sound fill in the room with almost perfect non-directivity.

The absence of sound directivity is one eternal goal in the audiophile world; the non-directional sound means the elimination of the left/right or satellite and subwoofer placement restraints as well as a more substantial sound deployment in any room, while at the same time significantly reducing the role of the acoustic characteristics of the chamber. There is no information on the availability of the JVC Quasar as it is only a prototype so far... but as the guys at Electronic House said, "we can hope".

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