Box Material- Anything not MDF/Birch?

[KiKaZz74]

That's the arauco plywood and then Baltic birch. I work there and we also have veneered MDf panels which is what I am using in my current box I'm building.

There is also a treated MDF panel which I think I snagged up one on accident in the bargain area.

[fecupe2001]

i would LOVE to see an spl challenge, same box built 3-4 times with different kind of wood metering on the termlab and clamping results, that would be interesting!

[hispls]

i would LOVE to see an spl challenge, same box built 3-4 times with different kind of wood metering on the termlab and clamping results, that would be interesting!

Indeed. Someone in the industry told me they did direct test with identical boxes of both MDF and cheap particle board. The MDF outperformed particle board by over 1dB but after both were coated with resin they were dead equal.

Also add to the list OSB. Use some epoxy resin between layers and paint with epoxy and it's working out quite well for me. Also working very well for a guy that does a 160 on the kick of his daily driver.

I think the problem is there's no "silver bullet" of wood that doesn't need to be thick and/or braced. I've seen plenty of MDF flexing like a trailer in a tornado. The best solutions for lightweight and rigid become prohibitively expensive (think Carbon Fiber tubes) . There was some speculation on some composite wood made from Bamboo a few years ago, but I think that was also cost prohibitive (and I'm not sure how easy it is to work with). I KNOW hardwood isn't easy to work with.

[Ritch40]

I am in no way a box building expert,but, here are a few things i have learned over the years.

A ton of this depends heavily on how the box will be finished(on the inside).

my next box will have plenty of bracing. after thats in, i plan to glass the interior corners(other than in the port).

there is a very good chance i will also lay a coat of resin to the entire inside of the box(excluding the port which will be primed and painted) as well. that application of resin would negate what ever lumber choices i have made.

The one thing i will say, while rigid is VERY good, you dont want a material that is so rigid that it will crack or break under the stress subs will put the box under.

If you plan to do very little to the inside of your enclosure, then you really need to watch what you use for acoustical reasons. If you plan to do a lot of work inside like i am ( like Steve Meade often does) then your lumber choice imho isnt quite as critical.

[kingsuv]

You could look at using phenolic

[Ritch40]

You could look at using phenolic

wouldnt that be cost prohibitive as well?

[Hugh G. Rection]

ive spent quite a bit of time in the guitar and pro audio world, all of the best sounding cabinets ive ever heard in my life were built from poplar.

[Ritch40]

ive spent quite a bit of time in the guitar and pro audio world, all of the best sounding cabinets ive ever heard in my life were built from poplar.

i have to wonder if that has something to do with the frequency response of the combination of your guitars, pedals and the way those amps were built

[Hugh G. Rection]

ive spent quite a bit of time in the guitar and pro audio world, all of the best sounding cabinets ive ever heard in my life were built from poplar.

i have to wonder if that has something to do with the frequency response of the combination of your guitars, pedals and the way those amps were built

well its not just guitar cabs. pro audio, home theater, heck lots of different things.

[Ritch40]

ive spent quite a bit of time in the guitar and pro audio world, all of the best sounding cabinets ive ever heard in my life were built from poplar.

i have to wonder if that has something to do with the frequency response of the combination of your guitars, pedals and the way those amps were built

well its not just guitar cabs. pro audio, home theater, heck lots of different things.

Interesting....it does have a pretty grain to it too