Investing in a sturdy wood speaker has always been a top priority for me. It not only promises unparalleled sound quality but also minimizes distortion. However, the task of selecting the ideal wood for crafting a speaker enclosure, can be quite daunting, given the multitude of options available in the market.
To help you out, I have crafted this article to assist you in making a well-informed choice when it comes to selecting the perfect wood for your speaker, so you achieve the best possible sound quality.
Best Wood for Speaker Box
1. Baltic Birch Plywood
Baltic Birch Plywood is one of the best choices out there due to its varying thickness.
Baltic Birch is highly regarded for its density and remarkable rigidity. In terms of acoustics, it delivers exceptional performance, comparable to only a select few other wood varieties.
Furthermore, it has remarkable durability – it’s built to withstand the test of time, matching the lifespan of your speakers themselves. If you happen to find yourself frequently navigating rough and bumpy terrain, you can rely on Baltic Birch Plywood to serve as an exceptional choice for your subwoofer enclosure, ensuring the utmost protection for your valuable audio system.
It’s thick, and the sheets are uniform. This makes it less prone to warping and resistant to environmental factors like rain and sunlight.
What I Like
- The quality of sound it delivers is top-notch.
- It's notably less susceptible to warping, which is a significant advantage.
- Its durability ensures it can withstand the test of time.
- You can guarantee optimal protection for your sound system.
- It consistently delivers exceptional performance.
What I Don't Like
- It falls on the slightly expensive side.
- It can be a tad heavy, which may affect portability.
2. Medium-Density Fiberboard (MDF)
MDF is another great option for subwoofer boxes. An MDF panel is made of raw wood shavings. Getting a speaker constructed with medium density sheets or using medium density fiberboard to build subwoofer boxes will give you natural undistorted sound.
Vibrations can often be a source of unwanted distortions in audio systems. Fortunately, when it comes to MDF (Medium-Density Fiberboard), you can rest assured that such issues are significantly minimized. MDF boasts impressive thickness and density, which effectively mitigates vibrations and mechanical pressures, contributing to a cleaner and more stable sound output.
Since MDF is relatively thick, your speakers are protected, even on bumpy roads. This makes MDF an excellent subwoofer enclosure that will keep your mind at ease.
What I Like
- It's quite easy to work with when it comes to cutting and shaping.
- It consistently delivers high-quality sound output.
- It excels at providing optimal protection for your audio equipment.
- Its ability to dampen vibrations is noteworthy.
- It boasts impressive durability, ensuring a lasting solution.
What I Don't Like
- It leans towards the slightly expensive side.
- It can be quite heavy, which might impact portability.
3. Marine-grade Plywood
This is another excellent plywood option for subwoofer boxes. Initially, Marine-grade Plywood was used in building boats, hence the name ‘marine.’ However, many people want to use it nowadays to make speaker boxes.
Marine-grade wood is known for its resistance to environmental factors because of its higher density. This feature prevents resonance issues [1], allowing you to hear the best natural sound.
Though it’s lightweight, the right number of plywood sheets ensure you have the most stable tone and the best bass quality. However, it’s not as solid as you would expect because the glue used in joining the sheets absorbs water.
What I Like
- It has improved stability for better sound quality
- Its resistance to environmental elements adds to its appeal.
- Being lightweight, it's easy to work with and move.
- It positively impacts sound quality, enhancing your audio experience.
- It effectively eliminates resonance issues for improved sound clarity.
What I Don't Like
- It tends to be less durable compared to some alternatives.
- It doesn't possess the same solid wood characteristics.
4. Pine
Pine is another thick material that’s good for speaker boxes. It comes in one or more sheets of varying durability, although it may not be an excellent option for improving resonance and tones.
I’d recommend considering the standard pine since it offers a more natural look compared to the other pine option. The best part is, both variants of pine come with budget-friendly price tags.
Pine can easily be treated with paints to enhance its resistance. This makes it suitable for a subwoofer box and prevents the sheets from decaying or rotting away.
Additionally, pine material is soft and more sound-absorbent compared to some plywoods. Overall, it’s one of the most ideal choices for building a speaker box.
What I Like
- It excels at absorbing sound, contributing to a quieter environment.
- Its resistance to rot and decay ensures long-lasting performance.
- It's a cost-effective choice that won't break the bank.
- Durability is its strong suit, making it a reliable option.
What I Don't Like
- You may encounter an increased presence of knots in the material.
- While it's a solid choice, it might offer slightly lower performance compared to some alternatives.
5. Oak
If there’s one thing I admire about oak materials, it’s their appealing designs, which have become a popular choice for a speaker box.
Oakwood is a rich brown-colored sheet that comes in varying thicknesses. It is cut from an oak tree and is commonly used for making wood furniture, such as cabinets, due to its strength and uniformity.
Oak plywood is soft, long-lasting, and has greater resistance to environmental factors. Due to its uniformity, you will experience less warping in the box of the speaker.
Also, it is treatable, and you can choose to customize it according to your desire. Overall, it’s an excellent material for aesthetic purposes rather than its tone performance.
What I Like
- It's a long-lasting choice, ensuring durability over time.
- It provides impressive resistance to both sunlight and water, ideal for various applications.
- It offers ample customization options, allowing you to tailor it to your specific needs.
- The material is treatable, providing flexibility in design and finishing.
What I Don't Like
- It tends to be quite heavy, which can impact portability and handling.
- While versatile, it doesn't possess the same solid characteristics as some other materials.
What to Consider Before Choosing the Wood for Your DIY Speaker Box
Choosing the most ideal wood for your speaker box depends on a variety of factors. Since a subwoofer box impacts the quality of tones and their durability, you should, therefore, consider these factors:
Tone and Resonance
Most users want their speakers to produce high quality sound that’s as clear as possible without vibrations or distortions.
It’s a vital component in considering speaker boxes, especially when you have spent about $10,000 for a set of floorstanding speakers. You wouldn’t want to mess the clarity and tone of high-end audio gadgets like that.
In that case, you should opt for denser woods like Medium Density and Baltic Birch plywood. They make the subwoofer tone better and more precise than other types.
Warping
Warping is a distortion in woods as a result of moisture and temperature, changing parts of the wood. Warping occurs in non-uniform natural woods. Therefore, when constructing a subwoofer, you should go for a wood that’s less likely to warp.
If you want top-quality wood for your projects, here are the top places to buy wood for wood work projects.
FAQ
Can you build a speaker box out of plywood?
Yes, you can build a speaker box out of plywood. Plywood is ideal in making a high-quality speaker because it’s light, and withstands waves distortion and creates the best sound quality.
How thick should wood be for a speaker box?
How thick the wood for a speaker box should depend on the type of wood. The Medium-Density (MDF) wood should be ¾” thick.” Plywoods should be thicker since they are not as dense as the medium density.
My Top Pick for Wood for Speaker Box: Baltic Birch plywood
I have chosen Baltic Birch Plywood as the best wood for speaker box as it contributes to high sound quality. It also has the right density, rigidity, and durability.
A subwoofer box building made with this wood produces the best sound quality with minimal tone distortions, resulting in more exact rhythms.
Robert Johnson is a passionate furniture maker & carpenter, sought after for his knowledge on the craft.
You’ve probably seen his down-to-earth wisdom in USA Today, Bobvila, Family Handyman, and The Spruce, where he has shared commentary and guidance on various woodworking topics.
Robert is the brain behind Sawinery, where he aims to share tips, tricks, and a passion for all things carpentry.
2 thoughts on “Best Wood for Speaker or Subwoofer Box — Awesome DIY Build for Better Sound (2024)”
I once made large speaker boxes from quite coarse chipboard. It had a look of open chips from edge on. I had those speakers years, and the sound was great. I think the loose looking chips actually absorbed sound/resonances from the back of the speaker units in this Infinite baffle design.
I have used chipboard for speaker boxes as well, specifically for a speaker cabinet I built for a friend who played the base guitar. He was concerned about cost and I had the chipboard available.
I won’t get into how the chipboard sounds, as that is very much a personal opinion. My biggest concern would be the longevity of the speakers surviving. Chipboard obviously isn’t as strong as the materials mentioned in the article. Although vibration shouldn’t really affect it, you never know. What will affect it, and affect it rather severely, is water; should the speaker case get wet.
If you look at the roofs of a lot of older homes, it’s not uncommon to see the edges of the roofs, at the gable ends, curling up. That’s not an illusion and it’s not due to the shingles. What it is, is the substrate, which is often chipboard or the more modern OSB (oriented strand board) has soaked up water, causing it to swell. Even when it dries, it remains swollen. More modern houses don’t have this problem, because of the building code adding a metal drip edge on these edges of the roof, to keep water from seeping under the shingles and getting soaked up by the substrate.
When I’m using chipboard, OSB, MDF or even plywood in applications where there is a risk of it getting wet (think of my buddy taking his base guitar speaker to a bar where his band is playing), then I coat the edges with latex painter’s caulk, applying it with my finger and rubbing it in. Paint alone won’t really seal the end grain on those edges well, but the caulking does a great job of it.