i am working on only my first subwoofer project. mine will be built with MDF. i don't have experience yet, but most sourses i have come across advise you to build your speakers with MDF. it is said to be stiff, reasonably heavy and dead, en easy to work with.
maybe others have different experiences?
maybe others have different experiences?
I use MDF. Reasons for not using plywood:
It gets expensive(for the good stuff)
If you use the cheap(5ply or less) the long fibers of natural wood flex easily.
If you're willing to pay for 9ply or more and get some good plywood MDF wont outperform, but for the price, MDF gives you most "bang for your buck" Particle board (not MDF, but sometimes callled chipboard) is also decent to use sonically, but it deteriorates more easily and is more easily water damaged. I'd stick with MDF all the way, unless you can find some HDF.
It gets expensive(for the good stuff)
If you use the cheap(5ply or less) the long fibers of natural wood flex easily.
If you're willing to pay for 9ply or more and get some good plywood MDF wont outperform, but for the price, MDF gives you most "bang for your buck" Particle board (not MDF, but sometimes callled chipboard) is also decent to use sonically, but it deteriorates more easily and is more easily water damaged. I'd stick with MDF all the way, unless you can find some HDF.
Well I know that Marine plywood and baltic birch plywood are better than MDF to build subwoofer enclosures but it's more expensive.
I wanted to use something better than MDF. Plywood looks good and is easily painted to have a good wood finish look.
So, I was thinking about "normal" plywood, but I don't know if it's better than MDF.
I wanted to use something better than MDF. Plywood looks good and is easily painted to have a good wood finish look.
So, I was thinking about "normal" plywood, but I don't know if it's better than MDF.
HI,
for equal thickness plywood (softwood ) is stiffer than MDF and hardwood plywood is stiffer again.
MDF is very non resonant and helps absorb vibrations, plywood is slightly resonant due to the extra stiffness and due to its elastic properties. Try bending a strip of ply and a strip of MDF of equal size. The ply is harder to bend but will curve much further than the MDF.
Some designs require the non resonant properties of MDF, probably most, a few manufatureres used birch ply (hardwood) in their construction because it suited their design even though it added a lot to their costs.
You make your choice, I suggest you start with the cheap and heavy material and if it works out great, if not then try ply.
regards Andrew T.
for equal thickness plywood (softwood ) is stiffer than MDF and hardwood plywood is stiffer again.
MDF is very non resonant and helps absorb vibrations, plywood is slightly resonant due to the extra stiffness and due to its elastic properties. Try bending a strip of ply and a strip of MDF of equal size. The ply is harder to bend but will curve much further than the MDF.
Some designs require the non resonant properties of MDF, probably most, a few manufatureres used birch ply (hardwood) in their construction because it suited their design even though it added a lot to their costs.
You make your choice, I suggest you start with the cheap and heavy material and if it works out great, if not then try ply.
regards Andrew T.
Resonance of plywood is low enough to make a subwoofer sound bad at 12-120 Hz ? It will have a 2nd order lowpass x-over at 120 Hz and a rumble filter at 12 Hz.
I just want to achieve the same response that Adire Audio advertises for a ported box EBS alignment Shiva. I want it to sound good. I want also a material that can be easily painted and looks good!
Thanks everyone!
I just want to achieve the same response that Adire Audio advertises for a ported box EBS alignment Shiva. I want it to sound good. I want also a material that can be easily painted and looks good!
Thanks everyone!
It is more important how you make it than what you make it with. Since you are using a Shiva driver, why not ask Adire Audio? Perhaps they qualify as "well informed" in your opinion.
Cheap plywood is frequently warped and has voids in it that can cause rattles. It also can splinter when you cut it, you need a blade that has a lot of teeth and is sharp.
MDF works, but it is heavier than plywood, less stiff, and makes a lot of nasty dust when you cut it. Cheap MDF and Particle board have a stink to them, IMO, and they swell and crumble if they get wet.
If you are going to paint the boxes, MDF or Ply are probably better choices. Either can take a nice finish, but MDF would probably be easier because it has a nice flat polished surface.
Cheap plywood is frequently warped and has voids in it that can cause rattles. It also can splinter when you cut it, you need a blade that has a lot of teeth and is sharp.
MDF works, but it is heavier than plywood, less stiff, and makes a lot of nasty dust when you cut it. Cheap MDF and Particle board have a stink to them, IMO, and they swell and crumble if they get wet.
If you are going to paint the boxes, MDF or Ply are probably better choices. Either can take a nice finish, but MDF would probably be easier because it has a nice flat polished surface.
I would have to ask better in what regard?
"Know" implies evidence/facts and a simple problem. But the problem of designing an ideal subwoofer box is not as simple as you might presume it to be.
From a bang for buck point of view, MDF wins easily.
If you compare the most inert box you can make for a price, it will probably be with MDF.
Perhaps ply appeals to some for particular uses, but for a sub I can't see any real performance advantage with ply. There are some that might prefer ply for aesthetic reasons, or feel that it has a more musical sound. But most of us want our boxes as dead as we can achieve, and to contribute as little coloration as possible. Unless someone actually has data to indicate ply as technically superior I would go with the value for money soluation - MDF.
If you wish you could easily improve on Adire's box by making it more inert. How audible this would be is a matter for debate.
Best enclosure will capture the quality of both materials. You want ply's ridigidity and mdf's damping. Obviously you want hybrid panels. Ok so your a simple chippy. So make it out of the best plywood you can and use more bracing and damping. In the end it's the *way* each material was handled given it's respective limiations. Or the sum of the combined virtues of each material. Best sub panel mat? 3/4 hardwood ply with 3/4 (1/2, though unbalanced in thickness would be plenty thick) inductrial pine particle board laminated before sawing. Now you just have to cut a thicker material and reap the benefits.
TC
TC
We're not THAT slow...simon5 said:
Our tech support center e-mail logs show your request coming in at 4:29 PM yesterday, and being answered at 12:06 PM today. About 4 business hours...Anyway, decent quality plywood is equal to - if not better than - MDF. Stiffness is your friend! Push the resonances above the passband of the subwoofer, and "cabinet talk" becomes a non-issue because you don't excite the resonances to start with.
We use a LOT of generic ACX grade plywood (very few voids, 7 layer) for prototyping/demos/PA cabinets with very good results. Good bracing is required, but you end up with a much lighter and stiffer cabinet than with typical MDF type enclosures.
Dan Wiggins
Adire Audio
Hehe hi Dan, I understand that you must receive a lot of emails per day! Do you block hotmail domain at Adire?
I used my university email address to be sure with my last request but you said it was answered but I received nothing...
I also received no answer to my other requests but I used hotmail so...
EDIT: I received your email finally, thank you very much!
So, would you recommend PSF plywood over MDF or not?
I will follow exactly the EBS alignment vented Shiva of your website, so the same bracings, I'm a newbie so I prefer following that than add bracings and break that very flat looking frequency response. Is this ok?
What's ACX grade plywood?
Sorry for my newbiness!
I used my university email address to be sure with my last request but you said it was answered but I received nothing...
I also received no answer to my other requests but I used hotmail so...
EDIT: I received your email finally, thank you very much!
So, would you recommend PSF plywood over MDF or not?
I will follow exactly the EBS alignment vented Shiva of your website, so the same bracings, I'm a newbie so I prefer following that than add bracings and break that very flat looking frequency response. Is this ok?
What's ACX grade plywood?
Sorry for my newbiness!
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