I'm in the process of getting a box built and I've been looking for birch with no luck locally. But I've walked right past the other kinds of wood you have in this video. My builder recommended birch. I'm going to give him some sheets of hardwood without him knowing just to see if he will notice. Thanks for the lesson and saving me a lot of money. Subscribing to your channel today 1/24/2022 has helped me tremendously! Thank you!
100% agree with you, the MDF boxes I’ve owned and built always were completely dead but I got tired of water sponging the box and easy damage. I build with pine wood birch veneer now and I’ve never noticed the less dense sound. Saved a lot of weight on my truck’s six 15 wall build.
I subbed my friend i built a box outta birch for 2 10s behind my seat of my single cab ranger and i built a box for a rear deck build for a kicker l7 8" for a friend... out of mdf .... thanks for these vids my friend i subbed to your channel today
Damn, I love your stuff! Why the hell did youtube barely recommend your channel to me. Well, I'm subscribed now. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with all of us. 😁🙏
I used to only use MDF cause of the price point, but when going with bigger builds, that weight is killer and simply not an option unless a person wants to spent even more to upgrade the suspension, which defeats the price point purpose. I personally like the other woods more now, as they are much more easier to work with as far as physical appearance (also a lot less dust as most know). with wood shortages here as well, sometimes I have to make my stuff out of less quality wood, at which point I'll use a low weight fiberglass on the inside of a box to make up the difference structurally, or something to harden a wood depending the project at hand (Personal opinion). At the end of the day, a box is a box and it will do it purpose if done right and if who ever it is for is happy with it, that's all that matters.
I agree. MDF is a crap building material, I hate the stuff, but..... for acoustic properties it's amazing. To match the Acoustic properties of MDF you have to spend an awful lot (if trying to improve structural integrity and reduce weight) however, extra $ spent on expensive hardwoods like Birch etc. (I don't mean laminates/composites), because they look pretty, is a waste of time.
LOL!!! Yea, you gonna get some noise from people on that one, but you speak the truth!!! I know, damn this boy done commented on every video he watched so far, lol. Yes I have as I appreciate your explanations and honesty! That is a lost word these days in my opinion, Honesty that is! My father, who is now retired had a home remodeling business specializing in custom offices, basements, and bathrooms. However, his specialty was custom cabinetry. When I got back in car audio I was looking to build my own enclosure (which I haven't YET), but he basically explained to me exactly what you said! As the different "woods" do have some different properties, acoustically they are all basically the same, it's gonna be more about the weight and how you want that grain to pop when you apply a certain stain or how you want it to look! The hype on birch is there for sure, but you said it like it is! On point!!! Thank you much!!!!
I've been designing Qwaves for years, and everything he's saying is solid. I even learned and was reminded over some points. Appreciate you @MBEnclosures , we'll have to do some work in the future. We'll have some new style speakers for you to try out if everything works out this year.
If your worried about the exterior, use 3/4” MDF, doubled up wherever necessary, then slap a thin veneer of whatever kind of hardwood looks the nicest, and stain it however you want to.
Oh, and one more thing... I ALWAYS put a heavy seal of semi gloss enamel paint on the inside of all my enclosures. This not only stops any air from permeating the "slightly porous" surface of the MDF (I saw a test once that actually showed this could increase the db's by .5 to 1 db :) But furthermore, it will prevent a barrier for moisture absorbing into the MDF, which can also be a concern, especially if you live in wet environments. Then, on my last box, I used bedliner on the outside of it. So it's sealed inside and out. If I were going to cover it with carpet, or a veneer, i'd probably just paint the outside first, with the same enamel I sealed the inside with. Super easy paintjob, as you can just slop it on :) lol It wont be visible anyway. Plus you can use whatever color you have laying around :)
Interesting! I thought about using plasti dip and thought this might dampen the enclosure further besides the sealing. Or would it be a waste of time and money? For a loudspeaker that is, not a subwoofer.
Thank you for discussing the straight up facts dealing with these different woods. So tired of hearing people claim they can hear a clear difference between plywood and MDF. It's just not happening, they are straight up liars.
yeah. seems like the audio community is a bunch of stuck up, no friend having nerds that just want to argue over details that don't matter. it if sounds good to you is all that matters, not arguing online with strangers about tiny details that no one in real life would care about.
@@akjohnny5997 Yep, I would love to meet up with some of these know it all amazing audiophiles and put them to a $100 per vehicle challenge. Blind fold them, walk up to the vehicle and have them tell me what the setup is. What brand subs, what size subs and how many watts. I would love to challenge them on the ohms as well, but so many people there run 1ohm, it would be an easy guess.
I love the knowledge you are sharing, all though, watching this video in hind sight re-affirms this feeling I had that I got screwed at the lumber yard. Requested real full sheet birch ply, got cabinet grade pine with full face birch veneer 3/4 sheet 115 :-( Price of wood goes up, can can't blame a vendor for consumer knowledge, but straight bait and switch sucks. Lessons learned, thank you MB.
I prefer mdf because I do a lot of profiles with a router for vinyl wrapping and it machines well. Many other sq guys use the Baltic birch because it doesn't have any voids and doesn't have the moisture issues mdf can.
I had it laying around and, I only needed 1.8cuft sealed. So, I built bigger to account for sound dampening out of birch. It'll last forever and, the internal sound panels kill the resonance. 4yrs later. Still sounds amazing.
so with MDF, could you get all your cuts and holes prepped, then coat it in urethane or scotchguard or something to make it far more weather sustainable; cover it in something slick that suits you, the vehicle, or the build with the hard wood, resonance isn't an issue? I think someone told me hard woods will give a hollow sound or ringing or something; but I'd think you could solve that with interior bracing on large panels, but would it even be a thing? I think they were thinking something like a string pulled tight but that ain't even the same thing
My MDF box finally gave out after 7 years of beating on. I think it is moist as screws do not grab anymore. Are you able to put a layer of resin over the MDF to seal out the moisture?
I'm a professional commercial painter. just about any material can be sealed/painted. Go MDf,just prime it and paint it with a durable Enamel paint. I got a 7.8 cubic ft. Box tuned to 30 Hz that's sprayed with bedliner. Pretty tough as well.
Hey Mr lion I'm old school way way back from the 70s til now in the audio field. Just give me some good old fashion 3/4 inch particle board, insulation and some wood glue, paint with 2" drywall screws to reproduce some nice sweet deep rich acoustic bass👍
Hey that's some pretty good tips that you're giving out and very much appreciated to this bass head, and I appreciate that. I'm about ready to build my second box for two Alpine type r 12in I'm looking for some nice dimensions
I think the main reason people gravitate to Baltic birch is because it’s strength only. Where you may need to do triple layer pine on some crazy ass build, you might be able to get away with double layer Baltic just fine, and in the process save internal space which might be a big factor in a smaller vehicle trying to do something real big
sadly the prices are so much higher now. The pine in florida is $63 a sheet , mdf $50-60 Birch pine combo $80 and real birch $160. It's crazy i use to buy a sheet of MDF 3/4 for $25
About six months ago here in Idaho at Home Depot 3/4” MDF was $40 a sheet while 7/16 OSB was $53 a sheet😂 Today at that same Home Depot that 3/4 inch MDF is still around $60 a sheet while that 7/16 OSB is back down to $14.21 a sheet. I think the companies are playing games with people seeing what they can get out of them lately. That and FJB and his inflation
In my area anything I’m staining that isn’t a premium hardwood I like to use poppler.. the green stains out amazing when using dark stains.. almost like a cheap version of heartwood. Only issue is you can’t get sheets cause it’s not ply it’s lumber but I can get 24” wide pieces around me. If I was building a box for myself that I wanted to stain for a si for sub or under seat box.. something smaller then 24” like smaller dual sub sealed boxes etc. that is 100 the way I’d go.. and it’s same cost five or take to sanded ply.. My issue with the veneers is the workers don’t take care in handling and you always stuck with dents or gouges that won’t iron out and too deep to sand out then you mixing glue and sawdust trying to fill imperfections
I prefer Birch but have had many enclosures mdf it depends on your goals and budget my DD9518 is going to be stained Birch just because it looks better.
Trying to decide what to use my Bluetooth speaker box. This is great info I know mdf is heavier compared to wood which is more durable. You can use a sealer for mdf to prevent swelling.
I have a 2019 Mitsubishi mirage g4 3 cylinder I'm working with a 8k taramp on 1 15 sub 3500rms amp not getting enough power i just ordered 3400 xs power battery and I have a 3000 watt kinetic lithium small battery will that 3400 battery help my amp out so as it want cut out on any suggestions
the main reason birch got popular was it was cheap. it was light birch wasnt much more than mdf sounded about the same and was 1/3-1/2 the weight of mdf. huge weight improvement alone in a daily driver. problem is the good birch shops recommended wasnt the cheap birch people seen in stores. so it was more like a miscommunication cause nobody did research. just same name its the same thing. oak is the same price as "birch these days and maple might be one to look at. but oak does have the best low end response compared to store based plywoods and its part of why big money speaker cabinets were such a thing. im huge on low bass and im pretty interested to see the diff in maple and oak on the low end. i dont know if ill ever be able to use birch again after th price hike and seeing how much low bass i lose building boxes with it. the weight savings were nice vs mdf and so was the life of the box but oak and maybe maple are the way to go.
Bro I love this video..exactly perfect timing I am about to build my box.. Know let me ask you i was in lowes a week ago and was looking at Baltic birtch in the ply wood isle and it was $70 a sheet..is this not 100% bb..that is what I was looking to use for my box.but I am def gonna take some of your advise and price out those other woods you showed. Also love the shirt is that your merch or did you get it somewhere else..
Can you help me with that hard wood from Lowes towards the end of your video that you said is $75 I’m trying to find it now do you know the name or item number? Appreciate your videos and time :)
MDF is NO LONGER the best no matter what you think. This has been proven many times even recently especially with the treatments that are available for the interior of the box. Actually the boxes we just built for two clients with high-end boats was built with marine grade HDPE that they supplied to us and we cut out with our water-jet to seal tighter than a Frogs Ass! The HDPE is probably twice as heavy as HDF, but is much easier to assemble and dress out. The sound was superior to the HDF that we spent hours drying in a kiln and then sealing. That Baltic Birch can be made to equal any HDF box made with the right interior treatment, will last longer and be much lighter than the over-rated HDF/MDF. I do agree that the untreated Birch has much more air-gaps than the “SawDust Board” but two thin layers of treatment will even it out and be lighter, same with the nicer Pine plywood.
Shit i did a 155.5 with in a old school cutlass no back seat, 4 15s in a wall with 10k of power on 3/4 particle board. Single layer with double baffle and a single 2x4 brace. Saved a good amount of money!!!
I work for a company in metal shop that builds boats and yachts also they have an exotic plywood stock that would make you drool, there's one that's a poplar ply imported from France that's beautiful another some strain of mahogany plywood from called sapele, it is drop dead gorgeous... It has a beautiful red color that pops when a finish is applied but it was around $200 a sheet a year ago so now? phew prob make wallet sweat. It would build a beautiful enclosure but too rich for my blood. Every time I go to the boat shop I look at there plywood and day dream.
Yeah it's just wood functionally all pretty much the same but if aesthetics is important it isnt. I have an old box I built a 3.5cf enclosure from advantech and it worked great and after black stain looks kinda cool and being advantech you could leave it outside in the rain for a month and wouldn't phase the wood. So if someone had the means to build a box from an exotic wood why not, I can't justify it financially I'd rather put that extra into gear, but some can. I don't do form over function but having both is the best end result if funds allow it.
"My last video on wood no homo" 🤣😂...... MDF is my material of choice...but most important thing is correct box size and construction...if cone size is king.... MDF is queen (no homo) ....especially with cost noiw day ...great video
My box was given to me by my cousin I cut it to fit my car( 07 300 ) it's MDF and it is the difference I can play low as 26 to my liking...my ? Is if I duplicate that box and bed line it will that increases the life to it's a must have if I used MDF
Marginal effect, but an effect nonetheless...all plywood is porous because it derived from an organism, which in this case is a tree. So fiber glassing the interior of exterior would compensate and eradicate that porous attribute. So yes that helps.
My dream is to make a persimmon wood enclosure. Being a golfer I played real woods in high school that were 30 years old everyone couldn’t believe it but the good quality ones were made from Persimmon and is why they were so strong. All the cheap woods blows up and fall apart with time. I still own same set of woods I played in high school they play like new.
Bb cabinet grade 13 ply Russian Baltic birch 19 mm ftw.. comes in metric sizing not 4 ft by 8 ft usually 5x5 pieces... amazing wood to work with Mdf shavings / mdf dust is horrible to breathe in as well.. yeah u got the real deal 13 layer ... the HD & Lowe’s birch is trash, u have to go to a wood supplier.
11:54 I laughed way more than I should've at this part! Wood can get mighty loud when you slap the planes together like that. The microphone processing having a seizure emphasized this. xD
I beg to differ. Here in Florida humidity is a bitch. I have had subs stay rust free longer. It's uncarpeted unstained 2 years in my youkon with tools oils and soaps kids drinks ect... It has yet to show any signs of swelling. The 3/4 mdf voxex have a life of roughly 4 years before the natural Florida humidity degrades the glue in the mdf. For competition. Yes mdf hands down. For that boi who wants a box that will outlast his dinner table. Go birch.
MDF is propably the worst choise, weighs a hell of a lot, cracks, cant go with moisture as is, stuctural integrity is about the same as cardboard, so soft tha the screws wont hold etc etc. The birch it self wont make you louder, but the solid box id definetly louder that flexing one. I dont know any other country that people still uses mdf crap but the usa, home of the stupid and quadruble baffle :D
I would say in my opinion all of the ply woods are better if the subs are taken in and out of the enclosure a few times as well because MDF can get all kinds of messed up once holes have been screwed into it and then removed..The whole MDF box can be perfect but with a ruined mounting surface for the subs...All in all I say for durability...The ply woods are more durable than MDF..but don't nobody get mad...its just my opinion...👍Either way MB builds beautiful enclosures and from people who have had an enclosure built by MB say that they are perfect 👌💯💥
@@stevofla239 yes they are you're right... Although I had a very unlucky experience with a threaded insert once where when I went to unscrew one,the teeth that hold the insert in place came loose and the darn screw would just spin and ultimately messed up that one part of the box..but I think it was just a flook thing because the rest were just fine👍
We are going to need a new video on this subject with microphone and graphics lol😂😂😂
Great info all the time you answered a lots of questions I had. 🙏
I'm in the process of getting a box built and I've been looking for birch with no luck locally. But I've walked right past the other kinds of wood you have in this video. My builder recommended birch. I'm going to give him some sheets of hardwood without him knowing just to see if he will notice. Thanks for the lesson and saving me a lot of money. Subscribing to your channel today 1/24/2022 has helped me tremendously! Thank you!
I compete so my next box is gonna be mdf, but i love the wood look so im actually gonna put veneer over my mdf
100% agree with you, the MDF boxes I’ve owned and built always were completely dead but I got tired of water sponging the box and easy damage. I build with pine wood birch veneer now and I’ve never noticed the less dense sound. Saved a lot of weight on my truck’s six 15 wall build.
Paint on truck liner works great for boxes. Waterproof.
Thank you for a solid explanation on build materials. Every video is appreciated.
Thank you for going over this. I feel like I can shop comfortably now
I subbed my friend i built a box outta birch for 2 10s behind my seat of my single cab ranger and i built a box for a rear deck build for a kicker l7 8" for a friend... out of mdf .... thanks for these vids my friend i subbed to your channel today
Damn, I love your stuff! Why the hell did youtube barely recommend your channel to me. Well, I'm subscribed now. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with all of us. 😁🙏
Man that’s what’s up brother a lot people be talking but don’t know the true science of wood and subwoofer box building thank you.
I used to only use MDF cause of the price point, but when going with bigger builds, that weight is killer and simply not an option unless a person wants to spent even more to upgrade the suspension, which defeats the price point purpose.
I personally like the other woods more now, as they are much more easier to work with as far as physical appearance (also a lot less dust as most know). with wood shortages here as well, sometimes I have to make my stuff out of less quality wood, at which point I'll use a low weight fiberglass on the inside of a box to make up the difference structurally, or something to harden a wood depending the project at hand (Personal opinion).
At the end of the day, a box is a box and it will do it purpose if done right and if who ever it is for is happy with it, that's all that matters.
Great point 👍 💯
I agree. MDF is a crap building material, I hate the stuff, but..... for acoustic properties it's amazing. To match the Acoustic properties of MDF you have to spend an awful lot (if trying to improve structural integrity and reduce weight) however, extra $ spent on expensive hardwoods like Birch etc. (I don't mean laminates/composites), because they look pretty, is a waste of time.
Another great one MB thank you for voicing this topic.♥️💪
LOL!!! Yea, you gonna get some noise from people on that one, but you speak the truth!!! I know, damn this boy done commented on every video he watched so far, lol. Yes I have as I appreciate your explanations and honesty! That is a lost word these days in my opinion, Honesty that is! My father, who is now retired had a home remodeling business specializing in custom offices, basements, and bathrooms. However, his specialty was custom cabinetry. When I got back in car audio I was looking to build my own enclosure (which I haven't YET), but he basically explained to me exactly what you said! As the different "woods" do have some different properties, acoustically they are all basically the same, it's gonna be more about the weight and how you want that grain to pop when you apply a certain stain or how you want it to look! The hype on birch is there for sure, but you said it like it is! On point!!! Thank you much!!!!
I've been designing Qwaves for years, and everything he's saying is solid. I even learned and was reminded over some points. Appreciate you @MBEnclosures , we'll have to do some work in the future. We'll have some new style speakers for you to try out if everything works out this year.
Hey what's up man where's a good place to get started on q waves I'm interested
If your worried about the exterior, use 3/4” MDF, doubled up wherever necessary, then slap a thin veneer of whatever kind of hardwood looks the nicest, and stain it however you want to.
Oh, and one more thing... I ALWAYS put a heavy seal of semi gloss enamel paint on the inside of all my enclosures. This not only stops any air from permeating the "slightly porous" surface of the MDF (I saw a test once that actually showed this could increase the db's by .5 to 1 db :) But furthermore, it will prevent a barrier for moisture absorbing into the MDF, which can also be a concern, especially if you live in wet environments. Then, on my last box, I used bedliner on the outside of it. So it's sealed inside and out. If I were going to cover it with carpet, or a veneer, i'd probably just paint the outside first, with the same enamel I sealed the inside with. Super easy paintjob, as you can just slop it on :) lol It wont be visible anyway. Plus you can use whatever color you have laying around :)
Interesting! I thought about using plasti dip and thought this might dampen the enclosure further besides the sealing. Or would it be a waste of time and money? For a loudspeaker that is, not a subwoofer.
@@Nearest_Neighborplasti dip sucks it comes off too easy
Thank you for discussing the straight up facts dealing with these different woods. So tired of hearing people claim they can hear a clear difference between plywood and MDF. It's just not happening, they are straight up liars.
yeah. seems like the audio community is a bunch of stuck up, no friend having nerds that just want to argue over details that don't matter. it if sounds good to you is all that matters, not arguing online with strangers about tiny details that no one in real life would care about.
@@akjohnny5997 Yep, I would love to meet up with some of these know it all amazing audiophiles and put them to a $100 per vehicle challenge. Blind fold them, walk up to the vehicle and have them tell me what the setup is. What brand subs, what size subs and how many watts. I would love to challenge them on the ohms as well, but so many people there run 1ohm, it would be an easy guess.
I love the knowledge you are sharing, all though, watching this video in hind sight re-affirms this feeling I had that I got screwed at the lumber yard. Requested real full sheet birch ply, got cabinet grade pine with full face birch veneer 3/4 sheet 115 :-( Price of wood goes up, can can't blame a vendor for consumer knowledge, but straight bait and switch sucks. Lessons learned, thank you MB.
Man, Your videos are great and love the honesty
I prefer mdf because I do a lot of profiles with a router for vinyl wrapping and it machines well. Many other sq guys use the Baltic birch because it doesn't have any voids and doesn't have the moisture issues mdf can.
I had it laying around and, I only needed 1.8cuft sealed. So, I built bigger to account for sound dampening out of birch. It'll last forever and, the internal sound panels kill the resonance. 4yrs later. Still sounds amazing.
What we use to do with Mdf back in the days was paint the inside and out with fiber glass resin
I still do that. But fiberglass and resin inside and rhinoline the outside
I do this with cheap pine plywood
I saw this on Instagram earlier keep up the good videos... keep the grinding
We can get MR MDF here in Australia ,MR is Moist Resistant mostly for kitchen and bath room Doors
so with MDF,
could you get all your cuts and holes prepped, then coat it in urethane or scotchguard or something to make it far more weather sustainable;
cover it in something slick that suits you, the vehicle, or the build
with the hard wood,
resonance isn't an issue? I think someone told me hard woods will give a hollow sound or ringing or something; but I'd think you could solve that with interior bracing on large panels, but would it even be a thing?
I think they were thinking something like a string pulled tight but that ain't even the same thing
Sheeesh your videos are so helpful!!!!
Another great informative video. Thanx!
My MDF box finally gave out after 7 years of beating on. I think it is moist as screws do not grab anymore. Are you able to put a layer of resin over the MDF to seal out the moisture?
I'm a professional commercial painter. just about any material can be sealed/painted. Go MDf,just prime it and paint it with a durable Enamel paint. I got a 7.8 cubic ft. Box tuned to 30 Hz that's sprayed with bedliner. Pretty tough as well.
The other factor he mentioned with using MDF is the likelihood of damage during shipping . No cost effective way around that.
Hey Mr lion I'm old school way way back from the 70s til now in the audio field. Just give me some good old fashion 3/4 inch particle board, insulation and some wood glue, paint with 2" drywall screws to reproduce some nice sweet deep rich acoustic bass👍
Thanks brother for all your advice
Hey that's some pretty good tips that you're giving out and very much appreciated to this bass head, and I appreciate that. I'm about ready to build my second box for two Alpine type r 12in I'm looking for some nice dimensions
I think the main reason people gravitate to Baltic birch is because it’s strength only. Where you may need to do triple layer pine on some crazy ass build, you might be able to get away with double layer Baltic just fine, and in the process save internal space which might be a big factor in a smaller vehicle trying to do something real big
I hope the birch will work good with fiberglass. I already bought a full sheet for my project for $100... pandemic price..
The radiata pine plywood is one of my favorite to use. It's a 7 layer, cabinet grade plywood, thats about half the cost of birch
Just bought 6 sheets of Radiata pine.Can't wait to see how it does
@@Jswain921 how was it
@@tone1585 working good for me and will be sticking to it for future builds
@@Jswain921What kind of build? I'm looking to build an enclosure for 4 15" Nsv4's this will be my first build.
@tone1585 no issues
They also have LDF . Light densified fiberboard . I use to use this all the time . Not as heavy as MDF ..
Right on bro! LESS SHEEP more lions what this world needs!!!! Love you're stuff, thanks for keeping it 100
What can't stain u put in the pine box or any stain is good
I use old desks or furniture made of 3/4” or 1” mdf has nice tuff slick finish being furniture helps protect the mdf. Best part is the price free!
I love this straight to the point! Haha top stuff thank you man.
What if the magnets heat up inside the enclosure with chemicals on the inside from heat could it start a fire?
So you’re saying I can build a box out of maple? I have some left over maple from other project and was wondering if I could use it.
Have you tried resin based sheet woods? They can be as inert as mdf, hold screws like oak and are almost waterproof.
Thank you for your input. I appreciate knowledge
So I can use cheap cabinet wood and it will sound as good as 100 dollar plywood?
What if I line the interior with sound deadener? I'm going to use birch and fiberglass
Have you tested the acoustics on all these types of woods your talking about in this video?🤔
Will it hurt the sound of I paint the inside of a MDF box? Just to protect it from moisture
I just got to ask because I’m so impressed about your knowledge on sub box building air volume subwoofer are you self taught or did you take classes
sadly the prices are so much higher now. The pine in florida is $63 a sheet , mdf $50-60 Birch pine combo $80 and real birch $160. It's crazy i use to buy a sheet of MDF 3/4 for $25
About six months ago here in Idaho at Home Depot 3/4” MDF was $40 a sheet while 7/16 OSB was $53 a sheet😂
Today at that same Home Depot that 3/4 inch MDF is still around $60 a sheet while that 7/16 OSB is back down to $14.21 a sheet.
I think the companies are playing games with people seeing what they can get out of them lately. That and FJB and his inflation
In my area anything I’m staining that isn’t a premium hardwood I like to use poppler.. the green stains out amazing when using dark stains.. almost like a cheap version of heartwood. Only issue is you can’t get sheets cause it’s not ply it’s lumber but I can get 24” wide pieces around me. If I was building a box for myself that I wanted to stain for a si for sub or under seat box.. something smaller then 24” like smaller dual sub sealed boxes etc. that is 100 the way I’d go.. and it’s same cost five or take to sanded ply..
My issue with the veneers is the workers don’t take care in handling and you always stuck with dents or gouges that won’t iron out and too deep to sand out then you mixing glue and sawdust trying to fill imperfections
ONE LOVE MUCH LOVE GOD BLESS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used all birch and radiata pine on my wall , 2:1 4th for 2 18s cost 1k for all materials, 67$ a sheet for birch and around 44$ for the pine
Baltic birch or what lowes calls birch?
@stevofla239 at that price you know it's that make believe Lowe's 'birch'
I prefer Birch but have had many enclosures mdf it depends on your goals and budget my DD9518 is going to be stained Birch just because it looks better.
Does sealing off mdf with rhino line keep moisture out?
What about particle board? I have been using it for years! Agreed you have to keep it from moisture!
Trying to decide what to use my Bluetooth speaker box. This is great info I know mdf is heavier compared to wood which is more durable. You can use a sealer for mdf to prevent swelling.
love the info! great video!
What do you use to seal the inside of the cabinet grade pine?
I have a 2019 Mitsubishi mirage g4 3 cylinder I'm working with a 8k taramp on 1 15 sub 3500rms amp not getting enough power i just ordered 3400 xs power battery and I have a 3000 watt kinetic lithium small battery will that 3400 battery help my amp out so as it want cut out on any suggestions
I suggest you get rid of that Taramps bullsh$t.😎
Nice T-shirt.. because Cone Area is indeed KING. lololol
the main reason birch got popular was it was cheap. it was light birch wasnt much more than mdf sounded about the same and was 1/3-1/2 the weight of mdf. huge weight improvement alone in a daily driver.
problem is the good birch shops recommended wasnt the cheap birch people seen in stores. so it was more like a miscommunication cause nobody did research. just same name its the same thing. oak is the same price as "birch these days and maple might be one to look at. but oak does have the best low end response compared to store based plywoods and its part of why big money speaker cabinets were such a thing.
im huge on low bass and im pretty interested to see the diff in maple and oak on the low end. i dont know if ill ever be able to use birch again after th price hike and seeing how much low bass i lose building boxes with it. the weight savings were nice vs mdf and so was the life of the box but oak and maybe maple are the way to go.
Hi I saw this thing on the Internet called a Death Box. Do you think you can build one and put it to the test and see what it's really like
Hmm you got me thinking about that maple it really isn't that much more than pine I'm going to have to get a sheet or two
Bro I love this video..exactly perfect timing I am about to build my box..
Know let me ask you i was in lowes a week ago and was looking at Baltic birtch in the ply wood isle and it was $70 a sheet..is this not 100% bb..that is what I was looking to use for my box.but I am def gonna take some of your advise and price out those other woods you showed.
Also love the shirt is that your merch or did you get it somewhere else..
Can you help me with that hard wood from Lowes towards the end of your video that you said is $75 I’m trying to find it now do you know the name or item number? Appreciate your videos and time :)
MDF is NO LONGER the best no matter what you think. This has been proven many times even recently especially with the treatments that are available for the interior of the box. Actually the boxes we just built for two clients with high-end boats was built with marine grade HDPE that they supplied to us and we cut out with our water-jet to seal tighter than a Frogs Ass! The HDPE is probably twice as heavy as HDF, but is much easier to assemble and dress out. The sound was superior to the HDF that we spent hours drying in a kiln and then sealing.
That Baltic Birch can be made to equal any HDF box made with the right interior treatment, will last longer and be much lighter than the over-rated HDF/MDF. I do agree that the untreated Birch has much more air-gaps than the “SawDust Board” but two thin layers of treatment will even it out and be lighter, same with the nicer Pine plywood.
How to get a enclosure ?
Shit i did a 155.5 with in a old school cutlass no back seat, 4 15s in a wall with 10k of power on 3/4 particle board. Single layer with double baffle and a single 2x4 brace. Saved a good amount of money!!!
MDF SPRAYED WITH FLEX SEAL FTW
Flex seal works ?
Which would be better for a subwoofer console?
Makes me wanna get my mdf out and build a box
Do it
I work for a company in metal shop that builds boats and yachts also they have an exotic plywood stock that would make you drool, there's one that's a poplar ply imported from France that's beautiful another some strain of mahogany plywood from called sapele, it is drop dead gorgeous... It has a beautiful red color that pops when a finish is applied but it was around $200 a sheet a year ago so now? phew prob make wallet sweat. It would build a beautiful enclosure but too rich for my blood. Every time I go to the boat shop I look at there plywood and day dream.
It's just wood.Og is knowledgable
Yeah it's just wood functionally all pretty much the same but if aesthetics is important it isnt. I have an old box I built a 3.5cf enclosure from advantech and it worked great and after black stain looks kinda cool and being advantech you could leave it outside in the rain for a month and wouldn't phase the wood. So if someone had the means to build a box from an exotic wood why not, I can't justify it financially I'd rather put that extra into gear, but some can. I don't do form over function but having both is the best end result if funds allow it.
I need to coat my MDF quad t-line enclosure. She is heavy!!!
What do you think about particle board ? That’s usually what I use vs MDF
My main beef with MDF is the water factor.
Appreciate this information
Very interesting video for new diy hobbyist like me
Your Down By Law. How can we contact you? For A Build?
I'm in Oregon where are you located sir?
Atlanta
"My last video on wood no homo" 🤣😂...... MDF is my material of choice...but most important thing is correct box size and construction...if cone size is king.... MDF is queen (no homo) ....especially with cost noiw day ...great video
My box was given to me by my cousin I cut it to fit my car( 07 300 ) it's MDF and it is the difference I can play low as 26 to my liking...my ? Is if I duplicate that box and bed line it will that increases the life to it's a must have if I used MDF
Umm mdf in Boaz al. Is 55$ a sheet. 4x8 bout 60$ after tax
Not the prices anymore 3/4 mdf in November 2022 is $60 4x8 sheet… wish it was still $30
What About Fiber Glassing the Enclosure ? Would that affect the Output and Acoustic Features ?
Marginal effect, but an effect nonetheless...all plywood is porous because it derived from an organism, which in this case is a tree. So fiber glassing the interior of exterior would compensate and eradicate that porous attribute. So yes that helps.
What about using sound deadner on the inside of the enclosure?
@@cwilliams855 that would not make any sense putting sound deadener inside of a box
@@gsd321123gh if mdf is dead & you can use fiberglass to deaden a box why wouldn’t sound deadner work as well, it’s not like you adding it to the port
@@cwilliams855 Interesting question
What about mdf ul
My dream is to make a persimmon wood enclosure. Being a golfer I played real woods in high school that were 30 years old everyone couldn’t believe it but the good quality ones were made from Persimmon and is why they were so strong. All the cheap woods blows up and fall apart with time. I still own same set of woods I played in high school they play like new.
Bb cabinet grade 13 ply Russian Baltic birch 19 mm ftw.. comes in metric sizing not 4 ft by 8 ft usually 5x5 pieces... amazing wood to work with
Mdf shavings / mdf dust is horrible to breathe in as well.. yeah u got the real deal 13 layer ... the HD & Lowe’s birch is trash, u have to go to a wood supplier.
Great video the best part is when you cussed they a** out and edited it out
11:54 I laughed way more than I should've at this part! Wood can get mighty loud when you slap the planes together like that. The microphone processing having a seizure emphasized this. xD
Lovin the videos! Keep up the grind bro!!! The advice that no other youtuber gives! 😅
I just bought a sheet of 3/4 inch mdk at home depot for 57 bucks tax and all but I live in Terrell tx
Me too, I just bought 2 sheets
Bumping Terrell, 😅
Us retired spl guys approve this message 👌.
Mdf and put a 1/4" layer of knotty alder laminate on top of it
What about steel and concrete that can be a box also
Solid diamond would also make a very good box
Pretty light too
Hey brother do you sell those shirts?
What happens if you use a box that is too small for the sub..
No low end extension
@@M.B.Enclosures thank you for your reply do you have a video that explains low end extension?
The smaller the enclosure the higher the resonant frequency. With that comes more power handling. Vice versa the larger the enclosure is.
I beg to differ. Here in Florida humidity is a bitch. I have had subs stay rust free longer. It's uncarpeted unstained 2 years in my youkon with tools oils and soaps kids drinks ect... It has yet to show any signs of swelling. The 3/4 mdf voxex have a life of roughly 4 years before the natural Florida humidity degrades the glue in the mdf.
For competition. Yes mdf hands down.
For that boi who wants a box that will outlast his dinner table. Go birch.
MDF is propably the worst choise, weighs a hell of a lot, cracks, cant go with moisture as is, stuctural integrity is about the same as cardboard, so soft tha the screws wont hold etc etc. The birch it self wont make you louder, but the solid box id definetly louder that flexing one. I dont know any other country that people still uses mdf crap but the usa, home of the stupid and quadruble baffle :D
Salute bro💪🏿
I would say in my opinion all of the ply woods are better if the subs are taken in and out of the enclosure a few times as well because MDF can get all kinds of messed up once holes have been screwed into it and then removed..The whole MDF box can be perfect but with a ruined mounting surface for the subs...All in all I say for durability...The ply woods are more durable than MDF..but don't nobody get mad...its just my opinion...👍Either way MB builds beautiful enclosures and from people who have had an enclosure built by MB say that they are perfect 👌💯💥
Threaded inserts are great for mdf
@@stevofla239 yes they are you're right... Although I had a very unlucky experience with a threaded insert once where when I went to unscrew one,the teeth that hold the insert in place came loose and the darn screw would just spin and ultimately messed up that one part of the box..but I think it was just a flook thing because the rest were just fine👍
How about foam board buddy? The white ones
Mdf is strong don’t let people tell you different but my next box will be fiberglass and birch for weight