In South Korea, people have found a solution for loud neighbors who just won’t listen to keep it down! It is expensive but worth it. These sound systems have been specifically designed to irk your neighbors.
South Korean media first started reporting on these specialized sound systems back in 2016, when they were seen as an amusing way that some apartment building neighbors used to settle their disputes regarding noise. However, with time, they became amazingly popular as they were being effectively used to make next-door or above-floor neighbors pay for ignoring requests to keep noise levels down. There are now different types of wall-mounted speakers designed to annoy.
Online commerce and auction sites in South Korea feature multiple types of specialized “revenge sound speakers”, with varying designs, power output, connectivity options, and functions. They are all meant to be mounted on the wall shared with the offending neighbor, with the diaphragm pointing at the wall.
The favorite tool of South Korea is the Smartor speaker is an oval-shaped device that reportedly torments your neighbors while enabling you to go on with your day unperturbed. At around 170,000 won ($150), it’s not the cheapest speaker money can buy, but people say it’s more than worth the money.
“The output comes out very well. The effect is great,” one satisfied customer wrote.
“I feel at ease because I can have my revenge on the apartment above me,” someone else commented.
These sound systems are not illegal, but authorities recommend other ways of dealing with noisy neighbors, such as civilized dialog or using official channels to report inappropriate levels of noise during agreed-upon hours. However, the growing popularity of these devices suggests people love them.
However, this will not solve but escalate our problem, often leading to situations that can only be resolved by one of the parties moving from the building.
Interestingly, in China, people rely on “building shakers” to get back at noisy neighbors, which is reportedly even worse than the annoying noisemakers used in South Korea.
