Personal stereo systems are becoming an intrinsic part of urban lifestyle. With these devices, it is now possible to commute, stroll, and shop without having to listen to another human being, or even the same song. Constructing a
cocoon once the sound track starts playing; there is no rewinding or CD-changing to permit the outside world to leak inside. With a jukebox in your pocket, a suitable tune is always at the ready, no matter what your mood is.

These personal portable stereo devices are designed so the user can ignore, snub and look through one another. Ultimately, the users themselves are excluded from their surrounding environment, locked inside this uninterrupted loop of sensory isolation. Being out of touch with the surrounding environment creates an invisible wall between the user and his/her neighbouring milieu, blocking out virtually everything, the user becomes desensitised and slips into a self-induced coma. They are brain washed by continuous play of (possibly) illegally downloaded music sound tracks.

Poly-cube Sound System is a proposed re-design that reframes personal sound systems. By freeing the ears from the earphones, the poly-cubes hang from the ear lobes and the music is broadcasted from the surfaces of the polygonal cube.
This device ensures that music can be heard by the wearer as well as by the people within his/her close proximity. This allows music to become a shared experience once again. By unplugging the ears of the earphones, the user is more
in tune to his/her surrounding environment. By being more aware of the surrounding milieu, the users can recognise their use of space and therefore behave with more civility.