"Natural grain wood is actually rare, however. Most wood is not dense and dead enough (acoustically dead, that is) to avoid harsh resonances which color music. That's why MDF and HDF is used so much by professional installers for enclosure construction and panel fabrication. That is not to say natural wood is not used. Many audiophiles prefer Birch, or more specifically, 3/4" 7 ply Russian Birch (is guud strrrrong rrrushin vood, no). This wood is extremely dense, and fairly heavy, and a 6x8 sheet is roughly $55. Also, wood veneer made of Oak, Pine, Burlwood, Walnut, Pecan, or Teak is used to trim panels or accent an installation. Nothing can be said to be more visually pleasing than a well colored and finished natural wood grain (except maybe a nekked honey baby with a six pack). As nice as wood is, the expense makes it impractical for hidden panels or carpeted enclosures. Enter, Fiberboard. MDF and HDF are quite a bit less expensive, and offer the same dense and acoustically dead properties as hardwoods. A little note: Masonite is often confused as an individual material, it is actually a brand name for HDF. MDF stands for Medium Density Fiberboard, and HDF is (obviously) High Density Fiberboard. Both types of wood are basically fine sawdust, which is mixed with resin, then compressed under heat. Same goes for particle board, except with particle board, the sawdust is much less fine. Particle board is not as sturdy as MDF or HDF. All three need good cutting blades to work on, and all three are very easily damaged by water (in fact, Masonite corporation just got it up the *** by consumer groups because of home siding made from Masonite rotting due to water damage). MDF and HDF is most often used for making enclosures, amp racks, and speaker baffles, or whatever."
