Are exotic speaker cabinet materials overrated?

@gdaddy1 up to a point beyond mass produced MDF, it becomes subjective. Speakers are instruments. Some will resonate and should resonate like a cello when you hear the cello. I personally do not believe I want a dead inert speaker. I also don't want to hear the hollowness of a cheap 1/4" thick MDF.

2 cello where the first chair gets in right and the 2nd chair plays every note late and somewhat out of phase…. 

@bartsw + 1 why I love my Sonner Legato Unum.. 

@bartsw  I think it’s it’s pretty well known that instruments are designed to resonate but speakers are designed to NOT resonate. 

Speakers aren’t instruments.

Think about this... if a speaker behaves like an instrument it’s adding sound that’s NOT in the recording. It should aim to be acoustically invisable.

Key Functions of a Speaker Cabinet:

• Eliminates Phase Cancellation: A speaker cone moves air forward (positive pressure) and backward (negative pressure); without a cabinet, these waves cancel each other out, especially bass. The cabinet isolates the rear wave from the front.
• Manages Air Pressure: The enclosed air volume acts like a spring, interacting with the driver's cone to control its movement and improve bass response.
• Reduces Vibration & Resonance: A rigid, well-damped cabinet prevents the box itself from vibrating and distorting the sound, leading to clearer audio.
• Controls Sound Dispersion: Features like rounded edges or waveguides can reduce diffraction, making sound smoother and more controlled, especially in untreated rooms.
• Provides Structural Support: It physically holds the drivers in precise alignment and positions them optimally for the listener.
• Enhances Bass Response: Different designs (sealed, ported, transmission line) tune the cabinet to extend and reinforce the low-frequency output.