WD25A - version 2?

[tomtidswell]

There is an excellent article in this months HFW about the use of a chipboard/MDF composite material for the WD25T's. I wonder if the same material will be used in the WD25A (or if there is any advantage in using the material in a smaller box with a port).

I was also wondering if this would be a suitable material for supports for equipment (mainly the turntable, as this is most likely to be susceptable to vibration, depending on the design). World Designs could clean up!

[JerryT]

Having played with MDF (horrid stuff), real wood and chipboard I prefer the sound of 'good' chipboard - that is closely packed, well adhesived and covered with a real wood skin - to MDF always and real wood mostly, when it comes to LS cabinets.

However my basic equipment stands are composite real wood boards, varnished, glued, screwed and triangulated because they sounded better with my old MDF speakers, and still sound better than MDF or chipboard with my newer chipboard speakers. I'm assuming that I find a mix of resonance and transmission characteristics less 'coloured' than the alternative. You may not.

Try anything once, if you don't like it try something similar but not the same and if you still don't like it go back to what you liked before the bug bit!

I'd love to hear what you think after you've played.

Jerry

[Cobblers]

http://wduk.worldomain.net/acatalog/SpkrKits.html

WD18BR uses this composite sandwich arrangement

" This cabinet utilises our new composite construction with an outer skin of MDF covering a particle board interior. Although this composite material is not necessary for kit construction it is the icing on the cake for those who do not wish to build their own cabinets."


I believe there would be a real but significantly smaller advantage in the standmount because cabinet colouration will be inherently lower from the standmount due to stiffer cabinet (smaller panels). Also consider the aperiodic vent leaks energy to the outside not internally like the closed box WD25T (which may be a factor).
Probably worth doing but wd25a seems pretty low in terms of colouration to me, even before adding damping compound (which I have done).
Perhaps others results would be different in a larger listening rooms where the speakers would be required to produce significantly higher volumes.

I think WD really ought to do a version of the standmount (if it makes sense financially for them) with the chipboard/MDF composite material as even the cheaper WD18 uses this.

[tomtidswell]

The other advantage is that the WD25T cabinet is now built (allowing speakers and crossover to be put in by the end user), yet the WD25A is still flat packed and may put people like me (remembers gluelines all over my airfix models) off the build.


Tom

[petercom]

We are now supplying fully built cabinets using the new ARCENA material for both WD25T and WD25A, together with the new crossovers for the XL kits.

We'll update our catalog in this respect later this week!

I know the catalogue will be updated soon, but will there be a price difference?

[tomtidswell]

Thanks Peter,

I'm pleased as the I'm not yet allowed floorstanders in our new and improved living room (although I managed to slip in a HiFi dedicated mains ring during the electrics replacement); so a shelf mounted WD25A - version 2 it will be.

Tom