Most speakers have a metallic, cold appearance in regular form, but Mapuguaquén aims to be different as each of speaker is crafted in clay by human hands.
Mapuguaquén means “the sound of the earth” in Mapudungun, a language spoken by the Mapuche living in south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. The speaker concept has been developed for several years, and it was only until recently that the project has started to accept backing on Kickstarter. Developed and engineered by German company Documentary Design and hand-thrown by skilled artisans from Nacimiento, Chile, each speaker combines ancestral pottery tradition with modern wireless audio technology.
Mapuguaquén comes in three models, namely Mapu Mono for a 4-inch full range speaker, Mapu Stereo for a pair of 4-inch full range stereo speakers, and the most interesting Mapu 2.1, which comprises a 5¼-inch speaker with two 3-inch speakers sticking together. Mapuguaquén explains the speakers provides a “high dynamic range, minimal distortion and low noise output” and can be connect wirelessly from Bluetooth device or AUX 3.5 mm mini-jack. Since all vessels of the speakers are handmade, a slight variation on the form and colour is expected, leaving a human touch and setting it apart from the standardised, machine-cut audio system.
