[Maxvla]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif Solid is important in the instrument world because solid wood (and bamboo) resonates evenly. That resonance helps determine the volume, decay and sustain of the instrument. Resonance is extremely important to acoustic instruments, but it's extremely important to avoid it in loudspeakers. It seems that laminate bamboo is a more rigid material than solid, which would make it preferable for loudspeaker cabinets.

Oh I know all about instruments. I'm a luthier at a violin shop. I just don't know the other side, the speaker side.

 

[Sherwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxvla /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm a luthier at a violin shop.

Well, you certainly have me beat, then. That's an awesome day job

 

[Rainbow Randy]

Very interesting thread. Does not logic follow that what's good housing material for headphones--such as wood--would also be good for speakers?

 

[kawazydude]

i'd get the black.  bamboo is nice, but in terms of sound quality, i don't think the bamboo would be any better than the black.  and since the black looks just as sexy as the bamboo, i'd just save my money and get the black.  besides, i think black is just a safe color for electronics, which can be important in the future if you ever plan on reselling it

 

[germanium]

Quote:

No, in fact, it vibrates far more than a guitar, even if less of the overall tonality is due to vibration.

I think you would be quite surprised at the difference the enclosure material makes. Bamboo is much more porous and much less rigid than MDF, which should result in decreased bass response, assuming the entire cabinet is made of it.

Bamboo even though it is a type of grass is actually very hard & not exactly what you would call porous. You may be thinking of balsa wood. Even though it derives from a type of grass it is considered for construction purposes to be a hardwood. It is very hard & dense & stands up well enough to be used as hardwood flooring.
 

 

[svoboda123]

Bamboo would certainly be more resonant than MDF.  Wood in cans is often just show, regardless of what the makers may say (snake oil?).  To integrate resonance from the housing or enclosure such that it actually increases the performance of the system is beyond challenging but certainly not impossible.  It would likely take much computer modeling and testing of many prototypes to execute such that it would perform better than a conventional approach.  Likely the bamboo A5 design process was not this rigorous but it still sounds just fine.  IMHO