Are exotic speaker cabinet materials overrated?

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. 

@gdaddy1 then where is the resonance of a grand piano or cello going to come from, the room, the wall behind you? Are you looking for speaker drivers enclosed in an anechoic room? There's unwanted resonance but there's such as thing as an alive speakers vs a dead speaker. There's no perfect speaker that can replicate every instrument. It's all subjective.

@gdaddy1 +1 

Mike

@bartsw   then where is the resonance of a grand piano or cello going to come from, the room, the wall behind you? 

Not sure what your asking. The piano has a sounding board that amplifies the sound from the vibrating stings. Same as the cello resonating from the stings. These are instruments designed to PRODUCE sound. Has nothing to do with the room or back walls. The speaker box does NOT have the same function. It produces nothing. If it does that's bad.

there's such as thing as an alive speakers vs a dead speaker.

There is??? Can you give me an example of a speaker that's "alive" vs one that's "dead" ?

This is correct...

• Reduces Vibration & Resonance: A rigid, well-damped cabinet prevents the box itself from vibrating and distorting the sound, leading to clearer audio.