The world’s first dedicated audio museum has opened in Seoul.
The Audeum Audio Museum is the brainchild of Michael Chung, founder of Korean audio specialist Silbatone Acoustics, in memory of his late father. Audeum is the first public museum dedicated solely to audio equipment.
The museum has an eye-catching entrance that resembles hundreds of organ pipes and natural rock formations.
Audeum covers seven stories spanning 224,246 square meters of exhibition space. Built by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, Audeum an array of audio equipment and cameras.
The museum features a variety of acoustically engineered spaces for exhibiting the museum’s world-class collection of sound reproduction equipment from the 19th century to the present day.
“With a focus on preservation and research, Audeum strives to expand and redefine the conventional listening experience by connecting historical sound reproduction technology with the broader world of art,” says the museum.
An exhibition called “Jung Eum”: In Search of Sound, celebrates the creation of high-fidelity or ‘Hi-Fi’ sound. Among the items on show are the 16-A and 16-B Sound Systems by Western Electric, which were used in small theatres in 1932, and the Lansing Iconic loudspeaker from 1937- the loudspeaker that started an evolution of home audio technology.
Western Electric’s 12-A and 13-A Sound Systems are displayed which are the world’s first large cinema sound system.
Admission is free, but one must register by appointment.
Images: Audeum
