Some speakers serve their purpose by simply sounding exquisite. By contrast, others look so striking, they deserve a place in an art gallery. The newly unveiled Haydenshapes x Bang & Olufsen Catalyst BEOSOUND A9 is a first-of-its-kind collaboration with acclaimed surfboard designer and materials innovator Hayden Cox of Haydenshapes, that manages to be both. It’s an object you hear with your ears, and also one you feel with your eyes. A marriage of sound and light, technology and artistry.
Bang & Olufsen’s BEOSOUND A9 is already something of a design icon. Known for its sculptural silhouette, rich audio, and the ability to blend seamlessly into interiors, it has long appealed to those who value both performance and aesthetics. However, with Haydenshapes x Bang & Olufsen Catalyst the Danish audio house and the Australian designer have taken the concept into entirely new territory. One that plays with the kinetic movement of sound waves and the transformative qualities of light.
At the core of this edition lies resin. Not the kind you’d casually encounter in your 1990s jewellery pieces, but a meticulously crafted material that behaves like the ocean interacting with sunlight. As a result, it refracts and absorbs light, changing hues as the day moves from dawn to dusk. This isn’t simply a decorative flourish; it’s a material in conversation with its surroundings, much like sound adapting to the acoustics of a room. As Hayden Cox explains, “Material has always played the most critical role in the things I create”. In this instance, resin becomes both medium and muse, telling a story of transformation, energy, and connection.
The name Catalyst carries a dual meaning. In chemistry, a catalyst is the agent that triggers change – in resin casting, it’s what causes the material to heat, harden, and take shape. But, in this project, it also symbolises the spark that brought Bang & Olufsen and Haydenshapes together: a shared vision for how shape, material, and performance could converge into something truly special.
Physically, the Haydenshapes x Bang & Olufsen Catalyst stands apart through its interchangeable printed speaker cover and custom-developed legs made from translucent resin. Each leg is cast and shaped by hand using Cox’s own resin formulation – the result of decades of experience in surfboard manufacturing and innovations like his patented FutureFlex carbon fibre rail technology. As the legs taper, the textures formed during the catalysis process create a mesmerising iridescent gradient. This shifting blue fade directly inspired the speaker’s cover art, creating a visual harmony between the two elements.
This interplay between material and light is no accident. The vibrant blue resin emerged from an intensive process of pigment layering, catalyst adjustment, and transparency refinement. It’s a hands-on, almost meditative method of experimentation – the same trial-and-error process that has defined Haydenshapes’ approach to surfboards, art installations, and luxury furniture collaborations. In recent years, Cox’s work with resin has moved beyond the surf industry, leading to commissions with figures such as artist Daniel Arsham and projects for Space Furniture and the Art Gallery of NSW’s SANAA-led Sydney Modern development.
In the Haydenshapes x Bang & Olufsen Catalyst these years of research and craftsmanship have found a new canvas. The result is an object that doesn’t just stand in a room – it interacts with it. In bright sunlight, the resin legs glow like a breaking wave; under evening light, they take on a moodier, deeper tone. Pair this with the BEOSOUND A9’s signature 360-degree sound dispersion and powerful audio performance, and you have a piece that is as much about atmosphere as it is about fidelity.
“I’ve always approached my designs – whether surfboards or now a speaker – with the mindset that performance and storytelling go hand in hand,” says Cox. “For me, this was about honouring the A9’s iconic form while pushing its materiality into something new and unexpected.”
Limited in number and available in-stores across Australia, the Haydenshapes x Bang & Olufsen Catalyst is part speaker, part statement. And, invites you to consider how technology and design can coexist, how materials can tell stories, and how the objects we live with can engage our senses beyond their primary function.