Project: Party LT Series
Brand: Stadium Sound
Client: JB HiFi
The Brief
The project was to re-design a mini PA speaker/karaoke machine for Stadium sold exclusively at JB-Hifi.
The design included a 4-inch woofer, 1-inch tweeter, bluetooth connectivity, aux-in, mic input, usb charging and a sound responsive party light.
As the first design was well received at JB Hifi a total of 5 product sku's were created. They come in 2 colourway options including the original Party LT (black and white). Party LT Brite (Black and white) and Party LT Minilite (white only).
Series Snapshot
Sold exclusively to JB-Hifi across Australia and New Zealand.
Also distributed by Welljoint to several other regions worldwide.
Series Total Net Gross
TDJ: $1.5 million
JB-Hifi: $1.7 million
Welljoint Technology Ltd: Unknown
12000+ units sold from 1st release under Stadium.
100000+ sold internationally under different brands.
Meet the Family
Party LT Brite (Black Edition)
Currently the highest selling in the series to date. Grossing over $500000 in its 14 month life span.
Party LT Brite (White Edition)
Close second in terms of sales, the light up grill was late addition with a small cost but great return on investment.
Party LT (Black and White variants)
The first 2 made the november 27th deadline with an order of 5000 units of both colours with a total net gross of $600000+.
Party LT Minlite (30% smaller with limited features)
Explored 2 new design styles including a unique spherical shape and one with cues taken from the Stadium Vintage Range.
The Fun Stuff - My Design and Development
Example of Initial Sketch Ideation (LT Minilite)
Example of Form Exploration (LT Minilite)
Example of Concept Generation (Original Party LT)
Concept Refinement
A range of concepts were explored in a short time frame. Within a matter of days I was able to lock in a direction with the client.
CAD Development
Assembly, ergonomics and aesthetics were refined in Solidworks and Keyshot. At this stage the design was signed off for prototyping.
Prototyping
With a direction locked in a prototype was created by myself to confirm design, scale, materials, engineering and product assembly.
Detail Design
Several construction methods were explored while considering acoustic characteristics, ease of assembly and overall costs.
The Tricky Part -
Sound optimisation through Acoustic simulation software
The product speaker specs and enclosure dimensions were inputted into acoustic simulation software to simulate the performance attributes and sound response curves of each product.
With the data interpreted the enclosures were then optimised to achieve the best sound performance characteristics while keeping within the product design specifications (PDS) set by the client.
Product attributes such as port area and length, enclosure size, power supply, material selection, product design and assembly were all adjusted accordingly to ensure the best possible sound performance characteristics while staying within the original PDS and below the target price.
Acoustic Engineering - Horn Design
Through software modelling we were able to determine that the optimal placement of the tweeter was directed towards the end user to enhance the sound performance of the unit. This required the tweeter to be located on the control panel along with the other controls with limited space.
With other factors locked in such as enclosure size, control panel features and use of existing components to reduce costs; the horn design for the tweeter became the most challenging stage of the project.
A variety of horn designs were explored that fit within the design restraints. The challenge was trying to balance performance and the aesthetic of the horn, along with the overall look of the product.
Some of the Features
Visible in the darkest places, The LED light up grill can cycle through 5 different lighting modes to provide lighting shows and react to the music.
The control panel includes: Master and Mic Gain control, Bluetooth pairing, USB Charge, 6.35mm mic input, Aux-in and a party light mode switch.
All controls and inputs are located on the front surface angled up at the user. Bumpers on all edges protect the product from general wear and tear.
Light up the room and control the music.
The dome light projects several led pattern options independently or in sync with the music.
The ambient lighting around the controls also highlights key functions such as Mic and master volume control, bluetooth pairing, usb charge and Aux-In.
Unique ambient lighting method with minimum complexity.
Our method for achieving the ambient lighting in the key lines was inject the control panel in a semi-transparent polymer while painting the areas that we didn't want to transmit light.
This allowed the exploration of unique lighting patterns along the top surface but was later altered to screen-printing as a cheaper, less complex alternative.
