Tag Archives: speaker design

Mapu Speakers bring technology and craftsmanship together

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There are people that love to pit technology against art or craftsmanship but those of us who know better know that the two can actually complement each other. There are products and designers out there who seek to fuse the two together and even bring innovation and improvements to the two worlds. One such product is a speaker that uses natural materials and is created by traditional craftspeople.

Designer: Mapu

The Mapu Speakers is a line of speakers that are made from natural materials like clay, wood, cork, and wool and handcrafted by traditional craftsmen in Chile and Portugal The goal is to create a new generation of craftspeople, “building a bridge between ancestral knowledge and technology”. Aside from having quality speakers so you can listen to your music, audiobooks, and podcasts, you also get a piece of art that you can display in your space.

The wooden cones and caps that are in the center of the driveractually optimize the high frequencies so you get a “vivid, spatial, and engaging sound”. The wool is used for the internal acoustic insulation while the leather and cork are also ideal for insulation due to their high tensile strength and heat resistance. The spherical shape of the vessel also adds to the sound quality that you get so you know that it’s not just beautiful but you get a pretty good speaker.

The Mapu Speakers are also 80% biodegradable so that’s another bonus for those who are looking for something pretty different for their speakers. The Mapuguaquén is already sold out on their website but the Mapu Preto and the Mapu Soenga, available in mono and stereo versions. The vessel-like shapes of the speaker line make it pretty attractive even if you don’t know yet the handicraft story behind it.

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Towering speaker gets the party started with 360-degree lights and powerful bass

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The majority of new home speakers coming out these days embrace more minimalist and discreet designs that make them blend with the rest of the room. After all, it’s really their sound that counts more than their appearance, though aesthetics also play an important role when it comes to integrating such devices into your overall interior decor. Of course, there will always be exceptions, including speaker designs that are meant to be seen with their more artistic and elegant appearances. This large and tall speaker, however, is none of those but unabashedly makes its presence known with psychedelic lighting and overwhelming audio output, making it better suited for home parties than a mellow movie night.

Designer: Sony

There’s no escaping how speakers need to be large in order to be really loud, though there are designs that try to get around this physical limitation through tricks and sleights of hand. The new Sony ULT Tower 10 speaker, however, makes no excuses for its size. In fact, it uses its hulking form to its advantage, making sure that partygoers not only feel but also see the power that it holds inside its towering form.

As part of Sony’s new ULT POWER SOUND series, the ULT Tower 10 bears two specially marked buttons that activate bass-related features. One enables deeper, low-frequency bass while the other turns on powerful, punch bass, presuming you can differentiate between these two distinct modes. Either way, the omnidirectional audio coming from this large speaker is more than enough to fill a whole room, ensuring all your guests hear the rumbling music as they dance to the beat.

The Sony ULT Tower 10 is made for parties in more ways than just its powerful output. With 34 different LED light zones, the tall speaker also boasts 360-degree light shows that can synchronize with the music. And given how many people love belting out songs during these parties, the speaker actually comes with a wireless microphone in addition to two other mic inputs. And though it was designed for such music-filled gatherings, the speaker can also connect wirelessly to other sound systems and TVs for an immersive movie-watching experience.

Given its size and power, not to mention its 29kg weight, it’s no surprise that the Sony ULT Tower 10 speaker isn’t something you’ll want to move around a lot, unlike its more portable ULT speaker siblings. It also needs to be plugged in, which limits its outdoor use. Besides, only its top, which houses the physical controls, is splashproof, which is meant to protect it more from accidental beverage spills than a rain shower. Admittedly, this speaker seems to target a very specific and niche market, one that will be willing to spend $1,199.99 for a speaker that’s clearly made to party.

The post Towering speaker gets the party started with 360-degree lights and powerful bass first appeared on Yanko Design.

OnePlus may be hinting at a transparent speaker to be launched soon

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One of the better design trends that have made a comeback lately (and one that I wholeheartedly approve of) is the transparent device. We’re seeing things from phone cases to game controllers and devices to printers to keyboards to smart glasses sport that see-through design that we went crazy for back in the 90s. It’s pretty interesting to see the “inner workings” of these devices or at least pretending to see the insides of the gadgets. Now it looks like Chinese brand OnePlus may come out with their own transparent design device that is not a smartphone.

Designer: OnePlus

OnePlus India recently released a teaser ad that seems to hint at a new device that they will be announcing soon. With the tagline “The wonder of music meets the power of tech”, the teaser ad features what looks like a speaker system with an obviously transparent design. This is an expansion of their current product line which is mostly made up of mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, and wireless earbuds. While having speakers is not really that surprising, what caught people’s attention is the supposed design of the alleged device.

The teaser shows a transparent cube that shows off components that are most likely what you can find inside speakers. Since it’s still just an initial ad and not really the official one, we have no way of knowing what are the specifications of this upcoming product, whether it’s just a portable speaker or a whole speaker system. There is also some speculation that this may be a collaboration with another tech brand, Nothing, which has also been reported to be launching new audio hardware with a transparent design as well.

There is no specific date yet for an official announcement so all we have to go on, for now, is this teaser ad from OnePlus in The Times of India. But based on the image in this ad, it will be a pretty interesting piece of audio hardware if they indeed go with the transparent or see-through design. It will also be interesting to see how the brand (or brands, if the collaboration is true) will fit into the market and go against more established speaker brands.

The post OnePlus may be hinting at a transparent speaker to be launched soon first appeared on Yanko Design.

OnePlus may be hinting at a transparent speaker to be launched soon

Posted on by

One of the better design trends that have made a comeback lately (and one that I wholeheartedly approve of) is the transparent device. We’re seeing things from phone cases to game controllers and devices to printers to keyboards to smart glasses sport that see-through design that we went crazy for back in the 90s. It’s pretty interesting to see the “inner workings” of these devices or at least pretending to see the insides of the gadgets. Now it looks like Chinese brand OnePlus may come out with their own transparent design device that is not a smartphone.

Designer: OnePlus

OnePlus India recently released a teaser ad that seems to hint at a new device that they will be announcing soon. With the tagline “The wonder of music meets the power of tech”, the teaser ad features what looks like a speaker system with an obviously transparent design. This is an expansion of their current product line which is mostly made up of mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, and wireless earbuds. While having speakers is not really that surprising, what caught people’s attention is the supposed design of the alleged device.

The teaser shows a transparent cube that shows off components that are most likely what you can find inside speakers. Since it’s still just an initial ad and not really the official one, we have no way of knowing what are the specifications of this upcoming product, whether it’s just a portable speaker or a whole speaker system. There is also some speculation that this may be a collaboration with another tech brand, Nothing, which has also been reported to be launching new audio hardware with a transparent design as well.

There is no specific date yet for an official announcement so all we have to go on, for now, is this teaser ad from OnePlus in The Times of India. But based on the image in this ad, it will be a pretty interesting piece of audio hardware if they indeed go with the transparent or see-through design. It will also be interesting to see how the brand (or brands, if the collaboration is true) will fit into the market and go against more established speaker brands.

The post OnePlus may be hinting at a transparent speaker to be launched soon first appeared on Yanko Design.