Loudspeaker Enclosure Materials (Part 1)

In this article for Voice Coil, Mike Klasco (Menlo Scientific, Ltd.) reviews and looks ahead at all the materials and design approaches for loudspeaker enclosures. This article discusses enclosures using wood, MDF, plastic, plastic composites, moldable materials, coatings and pairings for those materials, while also looking at new cutting-edge bio-plastics materials. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, March 2019.

Injection molded plastics dominate audio consumer electronics products but are perceived as “cheap” and have mediocre acoustic characteristics compared to wood. New cellulose reinforced composites developed by Sappi’s Symbio division combine the best of both wood and plastics with higher stiffness, lower weight and can be used for injection molding and extrusion processes in any color and finishing.