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Which material sounds better for speakers construction? Wood, Ply or MDF?

Im guessing they use mdf these days because its cheaper.

vinny55
amg56's avatar
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amg56
887 posts
 

It would appear to depend on how many layers of ply is used. The B&W 800 D3 frame uses 8-13 layers of ply, let alone the glue to put it together. Tonally it may be superior to MDF but then that depends on the speaker drivers you use. MDF will deaden the box tone flat but rely on the drivers.

With ply, you can use it to flex and create better reflections and refractions within the speaker box. I have never done a DIY speaker but I caveat all I have written with, "what I have read in the HiFi and DIY mags".

I'll be interested to see how this thread goes because it is interesting.

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lak
4,528 posts
 
Possibily marine grade plywood?
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bdp24
9,395 posts
 
Amongst hardcore DIY speaker builders, "Baltic Birch" is considered the best plywood. It is void-free, 13-layer 3/4", often in 5' x 5' sheets, though sometimes 4' x 8'. A great enclosure can be made of an inner box of Baltic Birch (with cross-braces also made of BB), surrounded by an outer layer of MDF, with a thin layer of constrained layer damping material (such as E-A-R Isodamp) between them.
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catcher10
77 posts
 
MDF first then veneer, not plywood. Almost all plywood has core voids, even pricey Baltic Birch. Unless you specify all B grade veneer, but even those will have defects in the veneer faces.
B&W uses wood veneer sheets to build their enclosures, probably 1/10" or less, maybe even 1.5mm sheets, so yes using 12-13 sheets will get you 19mm or 3/4" close. Using veneer sheets allow them to bend the form to create their desired shape.

MDF is homogeneous, same density from face to back, all throughout, no core voids. Can be moulded and shaped easily, painted and or overlaid with wood veneer and stained for a super high end finish. The boxes using MDF are perfectly matched meaning both speakers will be identical to within set tolerances of probably +/- .03125".
erik_squires
15,627 posts
 
I think it's close between ply and MDF. Construction matters however.
The best MDF I have seen use 1" thick layers to build up the case, with each layer using a different bracing topology. This yields an incredibly stiff and inert cabinet. but is very expensive and produces tons of dust.

Best left for those with access to CNC machines. Still, it's a lot cheaper than billet aluminum. :)

Best,
E
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