Greetings. I know that MDF is pretty much standard for speaker cabinets, but I've been reading about high density fiberboard (HDF). I wonder if it might be superior to MDF. Because it's stronger, maybe thinner panels could be used? But maybe it's more resonant than MDF?
Does anyone here have experience with speaker cabinets made of HDF?
I'm about to start designing yet another pair. Any suggestions/ advice is appreciated!
Does anyone here have experience with speaker cabinets made of HDF?
I'm about to start designing yet another pair. Any suggestions/ advice is appreciated!
In the UK, HDF is also known as hardboard. It typically comes in 3 to 8 mm thick sheets and is commonly used as backing panels for furniture.
It was a very long time ago, but I saw 1" HDF being used as a bench top. At first, I thought that the guy was joking, but it proved to be quite different from MDF. Now, for speaker builds, I have never been able to get any, but am very curious since it is obviously denser. Seems to me that everyone used MDF for its density/price, so why wouldn't increased density be desired? I suppose that it depends on the actual design of the cabinet in that some designs seem to depend on the 'cabinet sound'.
The 1" hdf benchtop is most likely a phenolic resin based plate, with some fibrous matter like craft paper or cotton fabric etc. It is the brown core material of formica.
It is also the basic material Wilson Audio uses for its cabinets. With fancy names like x-material etc.
I used it for my cabinets.
Originally used for printed cicuit boards, but got replaced by epoxy glasswoven plates. So the phenolplates were coated with some colorful coating containing mica flakes, thus formica.
It is also the basic material Wilson Audio uses for its cabinets. With fancy names like x-material etc.
I used it for my cabinets.
Originally used for printed cicuit boards, but got replaced by epoxy glasswoven plates. So the phenolplates were coated with some colorful coating containing mica flakes, thus formica.
The benchtop that I saw was 45 years ago, and I remember it to be a lighter color than MDF. It had no coating of any kind, although that would have been great. It was just bare material. I do realize that both MDF and HDF have a thin outer coating that is denser than the middle but I assumed that was just due to the pressure that had been applied which resulted in that coating of sorts or a material sprayed on before pressurizing.
Come to think of it, yes, these materials do have paper, or at least paperlike qualities in the middle layers. I am usually just sawing and don't see them as such but have had edges chip off in a paper like fashion.
Come to think of it, yes, these materials do have paper, or at least paperlike qualities in the middle layers. I am usually just sawing and don't see them as such but have had edges chip off in a paper like fashion.
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This is what I was referring to:
https://www.flipperswarehouse.com/blog/hdf-vs-mdf-boards
However, I'm unable to find any thick HDF in my area. The question is probably irrelevant.
https://www.flipperswarehouse.com/blog/hdf-vs-mdf-boards
However, I'm unable to find any thick HDF in my area. The question is probably irrelevant.
HDF used to be the standard kitchen cabinet material in RSA. I tried it for rack shelves and hated it.
Wilson's materials are closer to ceramics and are certainly not wood particle or craft paper based.
It gets me to thinking about some other alternatives, though likely more expensive alternatives at that. Seems that no matter what material that I use, the cabinet ends up being really heavy, but I am the guy who will use multiple layers in such designs as Tony Gee makes. You actually end up with 4 layers of MDF in the rear of the cabinet side panels!