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
Try using very dense fiber board instead of medium dense fiber board. I'm not sure about the name of this material, but it's used in making kitchen counter tops. You can get it at Home Depot with white formica laminated on both sides, and in a variety of sizes from 2x4 to 4x8, and a variety of thickness from 3/8 to 3/4 inch. This board will not resonate like MDF. It sounds like hitting a rock with your hand. This stuff is hard to work with, however. You have to drill pilot holes for all screws or nails. The sonic results make it worth while. I plan on using this dense fiber board in the construction of a sub woofer that goes down to 12Hz. I got the plans for this cabinet from TacT audio which uses 4 ten inch drivers. I hope that the room doesn't fall down around me. Wish me luck.
thanks for the suggestion Les: I believe that material is called HDF, for high density fiberboard
High and low density fiberboard sound harsh!
If you want naturally musical sound and good looks use solid maple. Musical instruments are made of this wood. Have you heard a violin ever made from HDF ? That should tell you something.
Violins are made of solid wood to provide their own beautiful unique overtones. The purpose of speakers is to provide NO ADDED OVTERTONES, but rather to reproduce sound as recorded and NOTHING ELSE. HDF does not sound harsh; it sounds like hitting a rock with your hand. This means that no extra resonance is added. A violin made out of HDF would sound dead which is bad for violins, but great for speaker cabinets.
Every rule has its notable exception, this is a fact that confuses the rigid. At least 2 top success manufacturers use solid wood and no MDF in their speakers and the results are spectacular!. SONUS FABER and SHUN MOOK with their BELLA VOCE speaker.