Are exotic speaker cabinet materials overrated?

Speakers Drivers are transducers, which is a device to convert one form of energy into another, the Driver converts electrical energy into Kinetic Energy.

Energy is constant it is never gone, but transferred to take on a new form.

Energy Transferral is also to be passed into the Speaker Cabinet of Structure for the Speaker to function.

Structural Designs for Materials used, or Materials Selected or designed for the purpose of being the Speakers Structure, are done with an intent to manage energies transferred, to attempt to have a Structure that has the least negative impact on the Amplitude released into the listening space.

The intention being only one sound is received by the listener not secondary generated sounds.

Certain companies use a Resin Impregnated Densified Wood Board to achieve their ideal structure, and I totally believe this is a very good material selection.

A well damped enclosure can make a real difference. I would not buy a speaker that sounds hollow when I knock on the side. But this result is mostly attainable with more common materials and good design.  I have no doubt that the super materials make a difference and are technically superior, it comes down to what you like and the size of your wallet.

I  am the owner of Eastern Bay Sound (handcrafted speakers with real hardwoods.  Search YouTube and you can see our speakers from shows to get an idea of builds.  We made a conscious choice to use 7+ layer Baltic Birch for our inner cabinet.  I can tell you from manufacturing experience, the reason to choose MDF is because it’s cheap and doesn’t warp with humidity.  So why use expensive Baltic Birch Plywood?       

1. Stiffer → less panel flex

Baltic birch is much stiffer than MDF. For the same thickness, BB flexes less, so cabinet walls vibrate less, meaning less resonance.  

2. Stronger → better for joints and hardware

We use furniture joints.  BB ply has so much stronger joints, but also screws, T-nuts, and inserts hold far better in birch. MDF crumbles, strips, and blows out edges. Birch allows tighter tolerances and repeatable machining.

3. Lighter → easier to handle at same stiffness

A BB box can be both lighter and stronger than an MDF box on the same design.  That also means (for the same design) the cabinet will be smaller.  Although the difference between using 1” MDF and 1/2” BB ply doesn’t seem like much - it can add up with the bracing.

4. Longevity

Screws stay tight, box stays square. MDF boxes tend to sag, round over edges, and lose tightness over years.

IMO - it’s worth investing in quality materials.

I remember a slide deck from Focal on how they aligned their engineering with marketting and sales.  Among the attributes they listed as important was "Sense of modernity."  

The idea that you are buying high tech as opposed to old tech.  It's an important sales tool, and in addition to cabinets applies to drivers, tweeter types, you name it.  No one wants to buy version 1 when version 4 is out. 

Having said that I think wooden cabinets, properly braced, are just fine.