Are exotic speaker cabinet materials overrated?
Seems a lot of speaker companies are coming out with new non resonant cabinet materials all the time. Wilson especially seems to be inventing a new M X V material every year. Other top speaker companies seem to be staying with MDF even when their speakers match the above mentioned speaker company prices. Do these exotic materials really contribute to a better sound or do they add an unnatural quality to the sound.
+ 1 Another advantage of carbon fiber and Wilson Benesch's new and superior biocomposite material is the ability to create a more complex shape for the enclosure. The speaker essentially disappears because of the enclosure's rigidity, which results in very low resonance, and a design that minimizes diffraction anomalies. |
@tcutter No question and I 100% agree with you. I am a WB dealer and am VERY familiar with their products. I just had a customer move from the Discovery3Zero to the Endeavour3Zero and I had said the cabinet would improve performance a little but in the end, same material, same drive compliment, it's going to be evolution rather than revolution. I was wrong. The Endeavour it s MUCH better speaker driven by the fact that there is basically no flat surface in the box. And yes, the new biomaterial is superior in terms of rigidity for audio but doesn't perform as well in automotive applications where traditional CF is still preferred. |
I thank my lucky stars every day. I had these made by my custom furniture builder, He had been saving a small flitch of Rosewood Veneer for many years (acquired before it became illegal to import). Furniture grade MDF, front panel gasketed and back-screwed; removable rear panel gasketed, 16 big bronze screws, interior lined, zero bracing, on 3 dual wheel casters. I fully expected some vibration, wondered if I would be having some bracing added in the future. They tilt back, thus top is sloped, nothing moves, put your hand anywhere, you feel nothing That ElectroVoice 15W Woofer with monster magnet weighs 37 lbs It made me less in awe of all the special material, methods, and bracing I have witnessed and marveled at over the years. |
Another option for exotic material is the composite used in Eventus speakers. First of all, my iof's on the Soundocity spikes are gorgeous and heavy. Your knuckles will crack from tapping the enclosure. The Eventus web site is still available, and it will explain the SACC technology and the EA-HDR material. The crossover is in a separate enclosure from the drivers with a rectangular port in the one inch thick back cabinet that travels up the backside of the speaker. Sound wise, cannot complain. Was supposed to be a one-year ownership now has turned out to be about 8 years. Very sensitive to tweaks made upstream. They will let you know whether it is good or bad, especially the recording. Excuse for me being not much of a writer in forums but if interested check out the Eventus web site. Plenty to read there. |
Most companies that invest heavily in research and development related to cabinet materials rely on venders to supply drivers for their speakers . Focal invests and builds all their drivers themselves but doesn’t invest the capital needed to produce exotic materials for cabinets. They believe driver and crossover implementation is more important than cabinet materials |
