New IKEA 18" waveguide (DIY required)

[Soldermizer]

Many people have hacked IKEA goods to make among other things, speakers. You can still do the salad bowl thing, but for a larger horn/waveguide, here is a long shot candidate:

ILSBO Pendant lamp shade - bamboo - IKEA

Stay tuned for the next episode of Soldermizer's Sound Solutions, in which he'll show you how to slaughter a cow piñata for meat for your next BBQ!

 

[chrisb]

I’d be worried that the irregularities in contour of interior surface could cause some issues.

 

[midrange]

This looks fun. Interesting to see what you come up with.

 

[CraigSu]

Maybe you could use slow expanding foam to fill in the “steps”, trim it into a more horn-like shape, then skim coat it with auto body filler followed by paint? Could work......maybe?

 

[Sub Sonic]

Subscribed - I’m interested

 

[dewdrop]

+1

 

[Soldermizer]

Please don't expect results from me (OP)...because...

I'm just a dabbler in this hobby. I've tried making some "just for the heck of it" simple projects. I made a set of waveguides using stretchy fabric and (in my case) Gorilla Glue (in solvent) to harden them. Works. Audio quality? Who knows? These were just for fun. And then in about 2015, I had the misfortune to find a cheap used pair of Yorkville Unity that I fixed up and have been happy with since then. The earlier speakers, 3 pairs of Bose 901s, are collecting dust in a room somewhere

Addendum: If I were determined to make a DIY horn/waveguide, other than the "I've got a $100,000 machine and tool shop available and the skills to match" option, which I lack, I would play with the fabric/epoxy or, give a try at least, to using an IKEA lamp shade

Speculation: even if there were slight differences between two waveguides, if they were used with DSP/custom EQ per channel, I wager they would.sound (not to say measure) identical. At least acceptable. I mean, damn it all, I listened to Bose 901s for years and they sounded ok.


While it certainly won't be me, I hereby request that somebody work on the idea. IKEA is selling a Bluetooth speaker that is also a lamp, so let us turn one of their lamp shades into a speaker.

 

[xrk971]

That stuff if thin and will vibrate and resonate and add a lot of mechanical harmonic distortion. It could work if you covered it with putty / clay / hardener etc. but then it wouldn’t look so cool anymore. Maybe enough to brush it with boiled linseed oil and let harden - several coats over several days. That will add stiffness as the bamboo matrix will harden to plastic like consistency.

 

[mondogenerator]

I reckon the fabric plus resin, or expanding filler foam is a simple enough idea to try.

Certainly within the realms of possibility for most folks.