The BEST wood for subwoofer boxes?

-

This post is going to hit a nerve!  People get very sensitive about this subject.

Plywood (left) and MDF (right) Subwoofer Enclosures


There are two main materials that we build boxes with.  Plywood and MDF so here are the pros and cons of both.


Five Pro's of MDF:

  1. MDF is heavy!  You want heavy and dense for your sub box!  
  2. MDF is "inert" -- meaning it will not resonate and color the sound.  It also does not expand and contract as humidity changes.  
  3. MDF is true to size!  3/4" MDF is 3/4"  While plywood is often NOT
  4. MDF is easy to Machine.  If you are dong complex router work use MDF, it will not tear out like Plywood.
  5. MDF is CHEAP!  That is not reason to use MDF, it is a great material for the above reasons.  So think of the lower price as a bonus.

Carpeted MDF Enclosure

Five Pro's of Plywood:

  1. Plywood is light, up to 50% lighter than MDF.  
  2. Plywood looks awesome!  If you know how to finish and stain wood then you can make some amazing works of art out of plywood.  
  3. Plywood is inert -- just like MDF the box will not color the sound.  Especially if you use a high-quality plywood.  
  4. Plywood plays well with wood screws.  It is less prone to splitting and the layers do a good job of holding on to screws. 
  5. Finally plywood is strong!  How strong, check out this video!


Five Con's of MDF:

  1. MDF is HEAVY!  Yes, I listed that as a pro.  But heavy boxes break backs!  Plus they add weight to your car.  
  2. MDF does not like screws.  It splits if you don't drill a piolet hole and you need coarse-grain screws or they will pullout.   
  3. MDF is hard to paint.  This goes against conventional wisdom, but it is true.  Especially the edges.  You need to seal it before you paint it.   But the best thing to do is cover it with carpet or veneer.  
  4. MDF generates nasty dust.  Fine particles that get everywhere, like your lungs.  You do need a dust mask when you do this kind of work.  
  5. MDF can't get wet!  It will swell!  Also, don't feed it after midnight.  

Plywood Subwoofer Box



Five Con's of Plywood:

  1. Plywood is expensive, at last the good stuff is.
  2. You are not using good plywood.  I see a lot of boxes online that use construction grade plywood and even if you opt for "birch" or other hardwood plywood from the local home center these are not hardwood.   These have a decorative hardwood veneer, the plys are all pine.  
  3. The plys  are visible, and they can be ugly.
  4. Plywood is undersized -- it is typically 23/32" of an inch.  So you need to take that variance into account when building your box.  
  5. It is hard to make it look good -- you need some experience with stain or the box will look nasty.

To learn more check out this video:  


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Custom Subwoofer Enclosure Designs

-
Image
We now offer custom enclosure design services!    The first stage of the box design is to  click right here and complete this google form .   If I have any questions I will send you an e-mail, if not then I will send you an invoice.  I require 50% up front before I start the design.  What do you get when you order a custom design? A box designed for your needs, and plans based on your tools and skills.    A Custom Designed Slot Port Complete computer modeling, based on your specific subwoofer . Before drawing up plans I model the box, including including the frequency response, the port airspeed velocity, and the cone excursion.  This will let us know if the box you want is the box you need.  Since there is no perfect box you will know the compromises that went into the design phase and the consequences of those compromises.  For those that want a no-compromises enclosure you need a dose of reality, or you need to find somebody else to design your enclosure.   Complete plans with di
Read more

Livestream Q and A

-
Image
 You have questions?  We have answers! Joint the DIY Audio Guy and Toid's DIY on Mondays at 7:30 central!  Our live show is the best place to get a detailed answer to your questions.   We rotate the show in between our channels, so make sure you subscribe to both Toids DIY and the DIY Audio Guy If you miss the live shows you can catch the replay here: https://www.youtube.com/@DIYAudioGuy/streams   https://www.youtube.com/@Toid/streams Exclusive Discount Codes for DIY Audio Guy fans: 7% off at Savard with the code DIYAUDIO 10% off at NVX with the code DIYAUDIO10 10% off of Custom Speaker Pod s  with the code DIYAG 5% off from Battery Hookup   with the code DIYAudio 5% off at Parts Express  with the Code DIY5 10% off at Jag35  with the code DIYAUDIO
Read more

Bass on a Budget

-
Image
All builds are budget builds, budgets are just different.  Here are four budgets and some gear that will get you the bass you crave.  Make sure you check out the end of the article for a few caveats*.   $300 Amazon Build For this build we are going with a single 12" instead of an 8" or 10".  Cone area is king.    Enclosure:  SKAR Audio SK1X12V      $94 Sub:  SKAR Audio SDR-12 D2             $90 Amp:  LEGIS Audio 500.1 D                  $66 Wire: Recoil OFC 8 Gauge Kit                $50 LEGIS Audio 500.1 D   That puts us right at $300 before taxes, most of it is on amazon, so shipping is free for prime members. I have personally reviewed the SKAR box and the LEGIS amp.  If you go this route pay close attention to the subwoofer and the amp.  Make sure you get the dual 2 ohm sub.  Wire the two connections in parallel to get the most power out of the amp.  When looking at the amp LEGIS also has a "1600 watt" version for the same price.  Look at the fuses.  The
Read more