Firstly no where in my post did I state "high end" I think your looking for an argument where there isn't one.. I'm just attempting to add a different opinion to the thread.
Manufacturers use MDF, simply because it's cheap and in a plentiful supply,Which is over laid with timber veneers or cheap fake plastic. Leave your speakers out in the sun and it will peel off. But once you get into the higher priced products , the MDF increases in thickness. Of cause the use of Timber., is restricted to the higher priced Italian makes, with high prices to match. BUT people the like of Wilson use a composite which is claimed to be 10 times denser and heaver then your standard MDF. Others like Magico, in there top of the line models use Aluminium which is machined on giant CNC machines, In some models the front baffle is six inches thick.
As to timber costs. I'm lucky where I am on the north coast . I'm inland off the coast and many years ago it was all hardwood forests.Then the timber cutters arrived and small settlements sprung up round the sawmills. Once the timber ran out, people moved away, and the land was used for beef cattle . Some re'growth took place together with planting and was ready for cutting 25 years later.. I live in one of the small settlements with less then 50 houses, A small sawmill is still working and I can buy a range of hardwoods for practically nothing. But once that timber gets to the cities the costs really increase.
Here's a couple of links to a big sawmill which is on the north coast and also has showrooms in Coffs Harbour.. https://coffshardwoods.com.au/product/sawn-hardwoods/ HTTPS://coffshardwoods.com.au/ Which show the range of hardwoods availlable. |
Not looking for an argument but associated your comments about the pole (poll) comparing cardboard with hand crafted cabinets, then mentioning speakers up to $50K. My mistake.
Several areas of the US have large supplies of high quality lumber, but it may not be premium grade, which is often subject to hype, unfortunately. In the area where I live (SouthEast Wisconsin), many areas had Elm trees for decades, until Dutch Elm Disease wiped them out in the 1960s and then, they chose species they thought would be hardy and would grow relatively quickly because part of the visual quality of the area was due to the tall trees. Well, that backfired in some ways- Ash trees are now the victim of another insect pest, the Emarald Ash Borer and they're being cut down preemptively, to slow the spread. Some of the other species they planted were Silver Maple and as someone who has too many of those surrounding my house, I can say that they should have chosen something else- they shed bark, small-mid sized branches and the seeds clog gutters, sewers and cover yards and roads. Then, there are the Cottonwood trees that release their fluffy seeds that float for over 1/2 mile before landing- if they can, they blow more than a mile from the trees and clog air conditioning compressors, fresh air inlets. They look nice and provide a lot of shaded areas in parks, so I guess they serve a purpose.
The city's forestry department used to grind the branches and take the trunks of any trees they harvested due to road widening, adding driveways for new homes or because of disease- the species include Maple (many types), Oak, Ash, Beech, Walnut, Elm and others that are now selected for their trunk when large & straight enough. One commercial arborist has been selling slabs for quite a while, but they don't have a monopoly on the supply, fortunately. They price their lumber as if they do, but I found an alternative who sells at a discount and that place has a huge supply.
Your area has some interesting species- have you worked with Blackwood?
