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I would like to build a pair of acoustic suspension loudspeakers using 3/4 inch birch plywood . I was told that birch plywood is a bad choice because of the colorations it adds to the sound . Is there really a difference between the sound of a birch cabinet vs an mdf cabinet ? If so can someone who builds speakers comment . Thanks !
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provide a fairly large addition to the drivers output/total soundfield. Singing right along with the drivers. If you're using a nice class of driver/s, and you're taking your time during build/construction? Then birch ply is very worthwhile. And not much of a question anymore (though of course it still gets asked).
More accomplished wood workers, can/do have acceptable results with hybrids/laminates/lamination. But to me, seems more like a 'production' decision. Birch ply is just so dang easy, and really is not t h a t expensive. And the results are near universal throughout the time, of modern hifi.
MDF sounds very hollow to me, and I have gone up to 2" thick. It also is terrible over time, and creates a powdery dust that goes everywhere.
I use a 13-layer Birch on all my speakers. I find a high-layer, long-grained (or fairly long) hardwood has some great self-damping properties. I also have found that birch (as oppose to oak, pine,. and others I have tried) voices the best. It DOES slightly color the lower midrange, but it is for the better. It is very warm and smooth without lacking detail.
I doubt a large chunk of DIY-ers also build the cabinets properly to take into account the acoustic properties of their design and material. Some think a brace solves all evils, but if placed wrong it can add to harsh colorations.
Bottom line is hardwood ply is more difficult to work with and needs to be tuned properly, but when it is, the benefits are amazing. MDF is MDF and always will be and sound like MDF.
Good Luck
.
Mike "use your ears" Z
I'll have to agree here. The birch plywood is nice and stiff but sometimes still needs bracing and extra dampening.
When I couldn't get baltic birch plywood, I laminated birch plywood to MDF and it worked out surprisingly well other than really thick walls.
Bill
i personally wouldn't use MDF-- one mans 'coloration' is another man's 'music'. both can sound good-- but i find MDF dead-- no bounce, no life. if having bounce and life is coloration, i'll take it!
besidedly-- MDF weighs like a freakin' truck-- it's stiff, but it ain't easy to move..
there most definitely is a difference in sound between the two- but it depends on what you're looking for whether you want that or not. there are people that'll tell you that a cabinet is supposed to be inert to bring out the 'true' nature of your drivers.. unfortunately, the assumption is that the drivers are 'true' to begin with! proceed with THIS as your baseline knowledge, and your drivers'll inform your decision! problem being... do you know what your drivers are doing? argh.. yep-- conundrum!
only way to know is build two boxes and decide for yourself-- but based on personal experience, i'd almost always choose birch!
good luck-
d.
If you really want to go all the way, a lamination of the birch over mdf will give you the mass of the mdf in combination with the stiffness of the baltic birch.
I suggest you get a hold of the North Creek Cabinet Handbook. A really terrific guide to buidling speaker cabinets. Look here:
http://www.northcreekmusic.com/NorthCreekPriceList.pdf
You will need a handtruck to move the thing when done, but you will not be sorry about its performance.
Best of luck
Les
... you should have no problem. BB is an excellent choice for cabinets and just as good as MDF, maybe better. Just make sure the cabinet is adequately braced. Don't use regular 7-ply birch plywood from one of those big box home centers. There are usually voids within the plies that make it unsuitable for quality loudspeaker cabinets. Baltic birch should be available from a quality lumber or hardwood supplier. It's sold in either 60" x 60" or 48" x 96" sheets. Remember to get 3/4" 13-ply Baltic birch. There's some cheap Chinese birch plywood out there and it's not very good
What you're looking for is 13 ply Russian Baltic Birch. It's quite pricy in comparison to MDF but it's the only kind of plywood that is acceptable for speaker cabinet building. Brace well...
Hope that helps.
Jim
Hi Jim,.
In my neighborhood (New England) a 60"x60" 19mm 13-ply birch is about $32/sheet. For some reason, 3/4" 4'x8' sheet of MDF (the better stuff more like HDF) runs about $35/sheet. Granted there is more wood, but for most speakers a 60x60 sheet works fine.
What's MDF in your neck of the woods? I am wondering how price varies.
Mike "use your ears" Z
Hi Mike,
A 3/4" 47" x 97" sheet of standard MDF runs about $20 at the home stores here in Iowa. I've not had a desire to buy HDF as I've found well braced MDF to be acoustically dead. I've also found the dampening material (foam, Roxul, fiberglass) has more sonic impact than cabinet material. I've tried about everything from Blackhole5 on down including creating my own version.
What is the name of your company? Do you have a website link?
Jim
Hi Jim,
I am small... VERY small, I do most custom work at the moment but I go by ZIsserson HIFI Design. Word of mouth has been keeping me somewhat busy, but I am not the gut you has 50K in the bank to throw down on starting a company. It works thus far and I have gotten good response. You can check out my website below, but it is nothing special and is in dire need of some updating.
That's interesting... The price difference.
Mike "use your ears" Z
Mike,
Good luck on your business venture. I know it's not an easy one. I'm friends with the owners of Selah Audio and Salk Sounds and they traveled the same path as you.
Best regards,
Jim
Mike "use your ears" Z
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