Why MDF so Bad???


Hi everyone,
I've been reading left and right about how bad MDF seems to be for equipement racks. Everyone seems to agree that MDF shelves will color the music badly. The only thing I wonder is why do many speaker companies use MDF in their speakers?

Also, does MDF sound bad in every thickness? Did someone try to use 1 inch thick MDF shelves?

I'm very curious about MDF so I'm getting a woodsmith to build a 5 shelf equipement rack made of 1 inch thick MDF (only 1 inch thick MDF will be used for the whole unit). The shelves will be fixed to the frame. The whole rack will be assembled using high strength glue only. No nails nor screws will be used. The rack will be veneered with 1/28" thick mahogany wood (no paper backing)... Also, the back of the rack will be reinforced by MDF braces... The overall rack will be as rigid as possible.

One more thing, the rack will sit on the same kind of spike Verity Audio uses on their Parsifal encores (I guess I want the rack construction to be as close to a speaker cabinet as possible)...

I'm getting this rack made as an experiment, not as my definitive rack.

Any opinions as to what I should expect from this rack (sonic qualities)?

I was also thinking to use some sound absorbing material under each shelves and on the inside of the sidewalls to try lowering sound reflection (am I off the track here?)...

One last question, any thoughts as to how I could improve this rack (please don't recommend to throw the rack out the window and get a brand name rack)?

If anyone is interested, I will be able to post some pics when the rack is ready...

Your input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks ahead
lgregoir

Showing 2 responses by lgregoir

Oh, I forgot! I'm also getting some 2 inch thick maple shelves (they are actually made of one piece of maple, like the mapleshade). I guess the maple shelves will go on top the the MDF shelves and I will be using some cones or points to separate the maple shelves from the mdf base shelves...

In this rack, the MDF shelves are only used as a bracing for the rack and as a support to the maple shelves... The back of the rack will be fully opened...

The only thing I am worried about is reflection. Since the sidewalls are closed, I will probably end up with some sound reflection... I was thinking of putting the rack between the speakers but I have pair of Verity audio Fidelios which has rear firing woofers (I have no other place to put the rack)...

Sean (and everybody else for that matter), do you thinks I'm better putting the rack directly in the middle of the 2 speakers or leaving the rack a bit behind the speakers...

Worse comes to worse, the rack will become a nice plant table in my office :-)

thanks again