SANU 2nd Home is an innovative concept that offers city dwellers in Japan the opportunity to escape 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 in a variety of locations, all within three hours of Tokyo. Each cabin has been finished to a high standard, with a pair of Genelec RAW finish G Two loudspeakers in the living area.

Built using sustainable construction methods from domestically produced timber, and designed to minimise their impact on the environment, SANU cabins are ideal for those who aspire to bring nature into their everyday lives – offering a peaceful space to focus on their work, and the perfect base for outdoor activities.

SANU has partnered with several brands to enrich the cabin experience, according to their principles of quality and sustainability. SANU Inc’s co-founder and brand director, Hilo Homma, says: “In order to enjoy nature more, we believe that it is important to create an environment that sharpens the five senses – 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. 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 loudspeakers installed in each cabin for guests to connect their music and media sources.

Homma says Genelec’s record on sustainability was as important as its 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 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 cabins. We strongly believe that Genelec, which uses recycled aluminium for its speakers, and sources the energy required for its factory through renewable power, is not only our sound partner, but our true friend without borders, sharing a common concept of ‘living with nature’.”

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 features Intelligent Signal Sensing technology, which puts the loudspeaker into a low-power standby mode after a set period if no audio is detected. Furthermore, Genelec’s G Twos are active loudspeakers – this means there are no heat-generating external amplifiers to house and power – so everything is neatly contained within the loudspeaker enclosure for pristine music and voice reproduction. Room compensation switches on the back of the loudspeakers enable them to adapt to the room’s acoustics.

Kanji Murai, president of Genelec Japan, says: “For Genelec, which has 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. 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.”