IDM Fabrication Studio - Hi-Fi Speaker Design
As co-recipient of the NYU Global Green Fellowship, I had the honor and responsibility to craft an art project relating to the sustainability efforts of NYU LA. Alongside my collaborator, Max Van Hosen, we designed and engineered a sustainable audio unit using primarily recycled materials. Through this remarkable opportunity, we not only made tangible strides in promoting sustainability at the Los Angeles study away site, but also enriched our leadership skills and ability to drive positive change within the NYU community.
ABOUT
The NYU Global Green Fellowship is a selective, semester-long fellowship for one NYU LA student project created by the NYU Office of Global Programs in partnership with NYU's Office of Sustainability.
Listening rooms as community building
FOCUS
- Design and engineer a quality Hi-Fi speaker
- Create a listening space that is comforting for audience members
- Provide visual documentation & aural presentation
- A professionally designed unit with a focus on build quality
- Make it easy to use and manage for NYU IDM staff
Designer
Engineer
Was 100% going for a grey color and was pleasantly suprised with a light denim wash. No complaints.
CHALLENGES
-
Making a speaker? Like the whole thing?
- Making the physics make sense? Yes it can make sound, but good? (Electricity stuffs)
- Having a clean, crisp design (admitted failure here)
Inspired by the work of Devon Turnbull and his creative house OJAS, I created a 1 of 1 coaxial audio unit using 0.5 birch plywood, 6.5 inch SKAR speaker drivers, and the guts of 2 small desk speakers. Because music and shared listening experiences have been so crucial to my development as a person, I wanted to create an inviting staple to any room for sharing audio in its purest form.
Using mostly recycled parts from old speaker units scattered throughout our department floor, this blue wood stained unit can provide anything from room decor and furniture to a system for intense listening.
This project was a major headache to take on solo and without the guidance of someone with experience, but it was 100% worth it. Learned a ton about sonics, cabinet building, wood cutting, and making beatuful tangible works. I presented my HiFi unit accompanied by a cozy listening space for our Fabrication Studio Showcase in December ‘23 alongside my uber-talented classmates.
Does it have a future in the MoMA? Hell no. But it works and it was fun. Thankfully, I was able to follow up this speaker build with another one just months later.