Genelec sustains escape to nature with SANU 2nd Home

SANU 2nd Home is an innovative concept that offers Japanese city dwellers the opportunity to escape the smoke and pollution of the city for a tranquil, battery-recharging break in glorious natural surroundings on a monthly subscription basis. Instead of owning or renting a second home, SANU 2nd Home offers subscribers access to 50 beautifully appointed cabins across a variety of locations, all within 1.5 to 3 hours of Tokyo. Each cabin has been constructed according to sustainable principles and finished to a high standard – which includes a pair of Genelec RAW finish G Two loudspeakers in the living area.

Developed and built according to sustainable construction methods from domestically produced timber and designed to minimise the burden on the environment, SANU cabins make the perfect home-from-home for those who aspire to bring nature into their everyday lives – offering a peaceful space to focus on their work, and the perfect home base for their outdoor activities.

SANU partnered with a number of brands to enrich the cabin experience according to their principles of quality and sustainability. “In order to enjoy nature more, we believe that it is important to create an environment that sharpens the five senses of hearing, smell, touch, taste, and sight, and we provide a variety of equipment and items that combine the research techniques and sensibilities of our partner brand specialists,” says co-founder and brand director of Sanu Inc, Mr. Hilo Homma. “However, we will create an experience that further expands the senses in a way that city life alone cannot provide.” Genelec was selected as SANU’s audio partner, with a pair of its G Two two-way active loudspeakers installed in each cabin for guests to connect their music and media sources.

Our guests are able to take time out, close their eyes and immerse themselves.

Mr. Homma explains that Genelec’s record on sustainability was every bit as important as their reputation for impeccable audio quality: “Thanks to the absolute clarity of the sound reproduction of these loudspeakers, you can relax and listen to your favourite music to your heart’s content, whether you’re by the lake, deep in the mountains, or by the beach,” he says. “In today’s modern world where we are bombarded with information all the time and have got used to being available 24/7, we’d like our guests to be able to take some time out, close their eyes for a moment and immerse themselves in what they choose to listen to. This is why we chose to install high quality loudspeakers in all of our cabins. We strongly believe that Genelec, who uses recycled aluminium for their speakers, and sources the energy required for their factory through renewable power, is not only our sound partner but our true friend without borders sharing a common concept of ‘Living with nature’”.

Continuing the theme of sustainability, SANU chose the loudspeakers in the RAW aluminium finish – which requires no painting and less finishing material – for a lower environmental impact. To reduce power consumption, the G Series also features Intelligent Signal Sensing (ISS) technology, which puts the loudspeaker into a low power stand-by mode after a set period if no audio is present, and instantly powers up again when audio is detected. Furthermore, Genelec’s G Twos are active loudspeakers – this means no heat-generating external amplifiers to house and power – everything being neatly contained within the loudspeaker enclosure for pristine music and voice reproduction. Guests can simply hook up their sound sources directly to the G Two for clean, uncompromised performance. There are even room compensation switches on the back of the loudspeaker that enable them to adapt to the room’s acoustics. This means that they can be tailored to produce the natural, truthful sound for which Genelec is renowned – from anywhere in the room.

Mr. Kanji Murai, President of Genelec Japan, is equally thrilled with the collaboration. "For Genelec, which has consistently developed, designed and produced speakers on the beautiful lakeside in Iisalmi in harmony with the rich nature of Finland, sustainable coexistence with the global environment has been an important policy since its inception,” he observes. “We are delighted that the collaboration with SANU 2nd Home, which advocates the lifestyle of ‘living with nature’, will be an opportunity to experience the sound of Genelec. For everyone who spends time at SANU 2nd Home, I pray that you will enjoy the gift of time and space with beautiful nature and wonderful sound."

Sustainable coexistence has been an important policy for Genelec since its inception.