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Why are there so many wooden speakers?

I have noticed a problem within the speaker industry. 99% of speakers that come onto the marketplace are wooden, i.e MDF.
 
This is true of old speakers and new speakers. This is true of Dynaudio, B&W, Elac, Kef, revel, PMC, Focal, ATC the list goes on and on. This is a longstanding problem that has been deceiving audiophiles for decades and it requires a solution. 

The problem with a wooden box is that no matter what crossover or drivers you use, it will still sound like a wooden box. 
There is a limit to the sound you can get out of a wooden box so it is not possible to improve the sound just by using different drivers. Despite this, every year or two, the aforementioned companies put new speakers on the market claiming that they sound even better than what came before. In conclusion, we are being misled. 

I have no problem with MDF boxes per se. MDF is a good material to use. But if you want to make an even better speaker then you obviously need to use a better material. You cant use the same material and say you have made a better speaker. Thats false. 

Let's take the B&W 600 series for example. This is a series that has been going on for decades. 

Here is the latest speaker from their current series

https://www.bowerswilkins.com/home-audio/607

There is no mention of what wood is used but I'm pretty sure its MDF. All they talk about is their continuum woofer and dome tweeter that goes up to 38khz. No mention of even improvements to the crossover let alone the cabinet.

I believe that this has gone on for long enough and audiophiles deserve better treatment. I don't know if a class action lawsuit is the answer but something needs to change.
kenjit

Showing 6 responses by oldhvymec

oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
Granite rings like a bell, I think you mean synthetic granite, ATH @ Corian

VMPS STIII SE used that material 25 years ago, in the front baffle only.
It weighed over 550 lbs, with just a front baffle.

A whole tower (72") of Corian would weighs over 2000. lbs. @ 5/8" after bracing. That is why Brian C. didn’t do whole speakers or ATH @ Corian 25 years ago...BTW that stuff is used in a lot of Turntable plinths too, some like the sound some don't, it does have definite sonic signature, but behaves VERY well in the bass region.. It's different... I've tinkered with it a couple times with bookshelf (under 18" tall), worked very well.

Cost, build ability, just didn’t make sense. A TON...for one speaker. Who would pay for shipping? 2 tons just arrived at your door step, could you sigh for them please? ;-)
5,000.00 plus for materials and machine work, THEN putting it together. and delivering it, undamaged.

Lots of luck with that one. ;-)

Regards
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
Do your homework Kenjit. You will figure it out. Everyone else has.

I figured mine out.. Everyone? LOL you have a lot more faith in the typical audiophiler, than me.

A typical question. How do I change the stylus in my MM cart, I pulled a pointy thingy out of the front,, what do I do next? or I pulled the stylus out of my so and so MC cart (2000.00 cart). where can I get a new one?

or

I have so and so cables, and they are "Bright", I changed them a while back from so and so. They were fine. What cable do you think I should try now?

Everyone? Hee Hee ok..

BTW there is no Baltic Birch 22 ply, at 20.00. It's 50-60.00 for 11 ply. Over 100.00 for 13 ply but not delivered. 13-15 ply in the EU 200.00 dollars a sheet VOID and formaldehyde free. They are actually XRayed. 300.00 a sheet delivered here in the USA. Some really good stuff out of Russia now...

NONE of the big box store ply is good for speaker cabinets, have to be very careful when making kitchen cabinets with it. A LOT of voids in that crap from SE asia, and a lot of really REAL bad glues is used.. Bad for your the health.  I age Big Box ply or MDF for at least a year before making anything with it. Think ahead material for sure.

Regards
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 

kenjit OP975 posts

Your right, plane and simple, MDF is the least expensive for what it does,
and the most expensive for what it cost to make. It is the cheapest solution to the speaker making, world.

Is it better than plywood? It is better than most. why? The voids in most of todays plywood has way to may other problems. GOOD speaker A/B plywood is well over 100.00 a 4 x 8 sheet, and cost a LOT more to make than any compressed composet, like MDF. I bet MDFs profit margin is twice that of any plywood. Things like Corian, or HDF.  WOW, cost to machine, cost of material, look out..

My cabinets have HDF front baffles, they start with a 10" x 14" x 72" solid block and machine the tapered baffle and cut the 7 openings. That is attached to a 2 1/4" thick X 72" tall 8 CF MDF 3 x cabinet.

What does 3 layers of MDF mean? That means there are 6 very dense layers of HDF, and 3 sandwiched layers of MDF. EXCELLENT cabinets..
They sound like green concrete. They make NO NOISE...and disappear with the tapered baffle design. VMPS RMx Elixirs. less than 8 pairs left in the world...only 16 pairs ever made...

Mine weigh over 400 lbs each, with drivers loaded.

Yup, K, they were made right. The guy’s name was Dorn (sp) Dibble a cabinet maker in El Sobrante CA. 7 layers of acrylic black lacquer.
Yup they are something, to behold... Even 15 years after they were made.

Not a single added blemish, from the factory, well there is one, But no one could find it... :-)

Regards
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
Geeee kenjit, I agreed. I didn't use disappearing ink either. It is the standard, and a lot of the manufactures still use it, plus inflation to justify the triple dip polymer unchippable paint jobs in a country where it's legal to use the crap on your back porch, but not here in the US.  It's considered a controlled substance, and need permits to be in possession of it...Much less use it. There is a reason for off shore manufacturing of certain parts. 
It's always a money issue, a gread issue, and I think I'm a speaker builder issue.

I love the guy that says "I bet I can make your speaker sound better"

Well no sh&t, so could I. Time and money, more time than money though.

A lot of that out there
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 

fbgbill12 posts08-01-2020 5:39am

Why the f#$k did I read this posting? Another dumb speaker argument.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You can UN read it. Yea, but only on the "kenjit" forums. That little wheel right under the time when it was posted (only your post though). If you click on that, it has, edit, delete, and then UN read. When you click that, your mind will erase it, just like magic.. Only on the kenjit stuff though..

That might help... I never use it. You know there are
"The Disciples of kenjit", be aware there everywhere.

I heard on the flip side of every record produced from, 1999 on has a message. If you play the last song BACKWARDS, it will say "The Box Is Dead" and you will hear a match light as its being dragged over the safety striker... Yup...

Everywhere, Lyons and Tigers and Bears, oh yea...

Regards
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
… Aren’t violins made of wood? Guitars, pianos, Clarinets, bassoons. Why would it occur to someone to pick on wood as being on unmusical?

Some very special woods too.

Yes that is the problem, they have a sonic signature.

You want nothing in reproduction, just the sound, nothing more, nothing less.

Regards
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