Hey Harry72, what region are you in? If you are near Kimba (home to the world's biggest galah apparently) there might be some really hot stainless steel bottles coming your way soon that would make sensational loudspeaker enclosures.
@Harry72
I only used 1200x600 sheets which was adequate for bookshelf speakers and subwoofers. The sheet arrived sandwiched between MDF sheets and wrapped for transport protection.
The price depends what you are willing to pay for quality material and the outcomes expected. I know most Diyers are tight but a lot of personal effort goes into a build and I don't mind paying for a good final result.
I only used 1200x600 sheets which was adequate for bookshelf speakers and subwoofers. The sheet arrived sandwiched between MDF sheets and wrapped for transport protection.
The price depends what you are willing to pay for quality material and the outcomes expected. I know most Diyers are tight but a lot of personal effort goes into a build and I don't mind paying for a good final result.
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All of the real Russian Baltic birch ply I’ve seen uses exterior grade water resistant glue. It’s biggest failing, IMHO, is that it’s too damn heavy. It’s also got poor damping qualities compared to mdf and particle board. Surface finish of plywood is semi-irrelevant, as one normally ads their own veneer if they’re really choosy about the finish on it.
That might be true of fir marine ply, but the better marine plywoods are a superb product - and priced accordingly. Typically the woods will be meranti, sapele, or okoume and made without voids, and with waterproof glues. Yes, it might be covered with glass and/or epoxy but that is to protect the wood and strengthen the boat's structure.
The better plywood I have found is the high altitude fir, MDO, weighs around 100 pounds 1” thick sheet.
You do have to brace MDF more than plywood typically, but I actually prefer to work with a manufactured material vs the softer plywood, with it’s voids and blowouts.
The bb is nice for dwell magazine style furniture where you have the edges exposed.
You do have to brace MDF more than plywood typically, but I actually prefer to work with a manufactured material vs the softer plywood, with it’s voids and blowouts.
The bb is nice for dwell magazine style furniture where you have the edges exposed.
Foamboard - Any data for the exterior surface radiation and internal damping? Any links that show a nice exterior finish?
Plywood can have voids and delaminate.
If exposed to heat or moisture is main cause of delamination.
Mdf no voids, but is toxic, can crack
will also delaminate or swell with moisture.
Either one is suitable, and with proper bracing will work fine.
It is really up to the builder what you are comfortable working with.
Mdf needs to be pre drilled if screwed.
either should be sealed from moisture.
With Live audio, because of weight and moisture issues.
Plywood is default. Mdf is horrible and heavy.
Cabinets which are transported often, dont use MDF
I personally prefer plywood.
If I wanted solid, dense, heavy cabinet for HiFi
Mdf more better. More affordable.
Plywood less toxic dust, easier to screw.
Either one is fine. If you want to argue about " measurements"
Just do double layer of either with bracing.
Bracing more important.
If exposed to heat or moisture is main cause of delamination.
Mdf no voids, but is toxic, can crack
will also delaminate or swell with moisture.
Either one is suitable, and with proper bracing will work fine.
It is really up to the builder what you are comfortable working with.
Mdf needs to be pre drilled if screwed.
either should be sealed from moisture.
With Live audio, because of weight and moisture issues.
Plywood is default. Mdf is horrible and heavy.
Cabinets which are transported often, dont use MDF
I personally prefer plywood.
If I wanted solid, dense, heavy cabinet for HiFi
Mdf more better. More affordable.
Plywood less toxic dust, easier to screw.
Either one is fine. If you want to argue about " measurements"
Just do double layer of either with bracing.
Bracing more important.
For me the decision is very easy. I do woodworking as a hobby, not just for building speakers, and made the decision some time ago to not use MDF for anything. I don't want the fine dust all over the place or to be breathing it in. There isn't any MDF in my shop and I have no plans to add any.
Now as to which material actually sounds better for speaker cabinets, I don't think that anyone has proven the best answer either way. There are opinions, of course, as there always are about these sorts of things. But I don't think anyone has actually done a well-executed comparative test with independent reviewers to prove the case for one or the other.
All I can say is that I'm extremely pleased with speaker cabinets made from Baltic Birch plywood and seriously doubt that the same cabinets made from MDF would sound any better.
Now as to which material actually sounds better for speaker cabinets, I don't think that anyone has proven the best answer either way. There are opinions, of course, as there always are about these sorts of things. But I don't think anyone has actually done a well-executed comparative test with independent reviewers to prove the case for one or the other.
All I can say is that I'm extremely pleased with speaker cabinets made from Baltic Birch plywood and seriously doubt that the same cabinets made from MDF would sound any better.
Exactly with good clean joints, and good bracing.
Sound difference not audible.
For extreme high SPL subwoofer.
Likely need double baffle for strength.
And to further reduce side wall flex, still need bracing
and still possible to use double wall.
Sound difference not audible.
For extreme high SPL subwoofer.
Likely need double baffle for strength.
And to further reduce side wall flex, still need bracing
and still possible to use double wall.
I go a little overboard with speaker cabinet construction and use either tongue and groove or rabbet joints, or some combination of them, instead of butt joints. It takes longer to cut them, but then assembly is self-aligning and very precise. Also, I can be pretty sure that there isn't going to be any air leakage along the joint. I don't necessarily recommend this for anyone else. It just something that I like to do.
That build looks really nice mate!
Ive ordered some veneer$ from a place like that that arrived beyond usable, they wouldnt except the claim and blamed the freighters who blamed them back.
So I ended out of pocket because I gave up on chasing it after 6mths.
My last build used 1 and a half sheets of utter crapola from a local at double the bunnys price(no snags n onions either)
Yeah Im a bit tight on spending large coin on sheet wood, I have tons of solid wood(literally)... perhaps I should make my own ply 🙄
Many years ago I worked in the timber trade, importing and selling panel products. Now in my dotage I make speakers for my own amusement.
MDF was just coming in. We used three suppliers, one British, one American, and one New Zealand manufacturer. I can say MDF is not a single product, it varies as plywood varies. The NZ product was by far the best, to the extent that customers who'd had a batch of it as an introduction to the material would complain vociferously when they next tried the American or U.K. versions, trying to reduce the unit cost. The NZ material was more uniform through the board, milled much more cleanly and gave a better finish on cut or worked surfaces. It wore through cutters quickly though. The American version was a budget furniture board, densier on the outer faces than the core, the U.K. more a construction material.
Today in the U.K. I don't see the NZ board about, certainly not in consumer outlets. No idea how they sounded, I use the US board on occasions, but don't like the carcinogenic dust, try to cut it outside on fine days or buy it cut to size.
Birch ply is a lovely material. The best is probably Finnish, not Russian, their QC was always a bit doubtful. No experience with the Latvian etc. Product, but as they are EU likely to be good.
I 've also used Far Eastern hardwood ply. Not bad at all,but environmentally dubious. The label"sustainable" is about as reliable as the one reading "Rolex" in Jakarta.
Best results from laminating two different materials, MDF and ply, or hardboard, or something else entirely. What you veneer with can make a big difference (stone !!).
When bracing, which is important, it is also important to be careful not just to shift the resonance frequency, often upwards into a more audibly conspicuous band. A bit of randomness can help here, not splitting one large panel into two equally sized smaller ones. But I expect everyone knows this, so l'll stop.
MDF was just coming in. We used three suppliers, one British, one American, and one New Zealand manufacturer. I can say MDF is not a single product, it varies as plywood varies. The NZ product was by far the best, to the extent that customers who'd had a batch of it as an introduction to the material would complain vociferously when they next tried the American or U.K. versions, trying to reduce the unit cost. The NZ material was more uniform through the board, milled much more cleanly and gave a better finish on cut or worked surfaces. It wore through cutters quickly though. The American version was a budget furniture board, densier on the outer faces than the core, the U.K. more a construction material.
Today in the U.K. I don't see the NZ board about, certainly not in consumer outlets. No idea how they sounded, I use the US board on occasions, but don't like the carcinogenic dust, try to cut it outside on fine days or buy it cut to size.
Birch ply is a lovely material. The best is probably Finnish, not Russian, their QC was always a bit doubtful. No experience with the Latvian etc. Product, but as they are EU likely to be good.
I 've also used Far Eastern hardwood ply. Not bad at all,but environmentally dubious. The label"sustainable" is about as reliable as the one reading "Rolex" in Jakarta.
Best results from laminating two different materials, MDF and ply, or hardboard, or something else entirely. What you veneer with can make a big difference (stone !!).
When bracing, which is important, it is also important to be careful not just to shift the resonance frequency, often upwards into a more audibly conspicuous band. A bit of randomness can help here, not splitting one large panel into two equally sized smaller ones. But I expect everyone knows this, so l'll stop.
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Canadian timber products i dealt with were construction materials, softwood timber (lumber), chipboard, blockboard, and plywood. Extremely good and reliable for their designed purposes, general and specialised, but I've not used them, not the panel products at least, since those days. If I were building a structure they'd be among the first choices, but not for audio. There may well be products I'm not aware of or which don't make it to the UK which wold work well, it tends to be high quality.
If you are looking for quality plywood it's best to avoid the local "big box" home improvement stores and seek out a plywood specialty supplier. These firms do the bulk of their business with cabinet shops and other production fabricators. Expect to pay a modest premium for quality material, which will repay itself many times over in achieving a good outcome and avoiding wasted time and material.
Agree completely, though Wickes were selling BB quality and higher birch plywood a few months ago. Sadly only in full 8x4 sheets, I don't have a vehicle big enough for those, and they wouldn't deliver beyond a certain radius of the store. Not shown currently.
When you are designing an enclosure make part of the process laying out your parts on a full sheet in a way that optimizes material usage and grain matching, Then identify the minimum number of cuts you can have the plywood supplier do to make it transportable in your vehicle. I always allow an inch or so of dead space along the cut line so I can clean up the edges. Most places will provide a couple free cuts per sheet. Makes it easier handling and getting it into your shop and also breaking down smaller pieces is easier than trying to maneuver 4x8 sheets single handed.