A more accurate way to describe it would be a board with spots cut out into them for housing woofers. It’s actually a stretch to call it this, but infinite baffle enclosures a real ‘box’. Below is a brief overview of the commonest design types that you’ll come across: Infinite Baffle Other than the size of the enclosure, you have to decide between different designs as well. Slate, in particular, is very good at cutting out resonance but it weights a lot! The Design In addition to these materials, speaker enclosures can also be made out of stones like marble and slate and plastics. These absorb less moisture and therefore are more durable.
If you’re going for a particleboard speaker enclosure, my advice is to pick out a veneered one. However, it’s not as dense as MDF or plywood meaning that it does suffer from dampening issues. Particleboard is cheaper to make and takes veneers and paint really well. Particleboard is a wood product that’s a combination of several layers of wood chips, sawdust, and a pressured synthetic resin to bind it all together. From a builder’s perspective, plywood is harder to sand down than MDF. It can withstand definitely withstand sound forced movement without suffering permanent damage. Like MDF, plywood is excellent dampening and cutting out resonance but it weighs much less and is known to be more durable. Firstly, a ton of different things can be done to improve the aesthetic like staining, coating, oiling, waxing, which means that you’ll have a wide variety of looks to choose from. There are quite a number of pros to having a plywood speaker enclosure. MDF is by far the commonest speaker box material. In addition, the manufacturers’ attempt to make a curved design with MDF hikes up the cost significantly. So if you’re trying to move it around inside the car, best bring a friend to help you. The biggest drawback is that they’re quite heavy. Furthermore, it’s good at dampening, meaning the enclosure won’t rattle when you crank up the volume on your stereo. It’s easy to cut, sports a smooth surface that’s nice to the touch and is very accepting of veneers. MDF is a composite that’s a combination of wood fibers and a dense form of resin. Here are some of the commonest speaker enclosure materials you may come across: Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)
Hence, in addition to the above, the ideal speaker material would also be quite light in weight. Light-Weight: you’re going to hate your speakers really quickly if it’s difficult to carry them around.If the speaker box encounters another frequency that matches its own natural frequency, then there’s going to be resonance inside of the box, causing it to rattle excessively.Hence, if the speaker enclosure has a supersonic natural frequency that you won’t encounter in any music, this can be avoided. Having A High Resonant Frequency – here’s a quick science fact for you: all things constantly vibrate even if there isn’t any movement.If it does not, this will lead to resonance, where certain frequencies will become unnecessarily amplified, and potentially adding extra distortion to the sound. Being Well-Damped – this means that the box will return to its original position if it every does move because of air pressure variations.
Hence, the ideal speaker enclosure should be stiff enough so that it doesn’t move or change shape with air pressure changes.
Like how the tonewood in a guitar can influence its timbre, the material that the speaker enclosure is made of can have a huge impact on the overall quality of the sound output. Frequently Asked Questions Speaker Box Buying Guideīefore we get to the actual reviews, I want to delve a bit into the two main considerations when it comes to purchasing a speaker box: the material and the design.What Is The Best 6×9 Car Speaker Box To Buy.