The cab may not made from the best plywood, finest materials, etc. but I like what I am hearing, and I'm HAPPY with it. I guess that is what important. And it did not cost me an arm and a leg.
I'm just a bedroom rocker and occasionally jam with friends. (2x12 still to loud for the room. HEHEHE)
And when you're in a third world country, there are more important things in life to consider.
acutally...
I've heard several marine ply cabs and amps sound excellent. I've also heard baltic birch cabinets sound excellent. From what I've seen though, over time, the birch cabinets that were imported to the Philippines from decades ago didn't fare well with time. Quite possibly due to the climate here. FWIW, George also makes pine cabs if that's what tickles your fancy. I also like listening to an amp rather than reading on it or looking it up on the web.
let me qualify my statement about marine ply's durability. This is from a website that deals specifically with marine and birch ply.
http://www.buy-plywood.online-timber-sales.co.uk/baltic-birch-plywood.htmlvs
http://www.buy-plywood.online-timber-sales.co.uk/marine-plywood.htmland here's the homepage with an interesting line on marine ply:
http://www.buy-plywood.online-timber-sales.co.uk/marine grade plywood are designed to withstand rot and use a water resistant phenol-resorcinol glue to prevent delamination and retain strength in high humidityas fas as i know, the Philippines (unlike most european and north american countries where we all base what's "good" from) has high humidity (
http://www.mapsofworld.com/referrals/weather/world-weather/weather-philippines.html, 2010). Marine ply, therefore, seems to be more suitable for this climate. Marine ply is non-resonant (at least close to it!
) which, as any audiophile would know, is an important characteristic for sound
reproduction as opposed to sound
coloration. some builders don't want the wood to alter the tone coming from your speakers. baltic birch is similar to marine ply in this regard but there seems to be a slight difference with price and durability. pine, on the other hand, is a soft wood that is used in cabinets to achieve a certain sound - that wood resonates more. I've heard a pine cabinet that suits its amp very well. It's also made by George. He won't sell it to me though.
If a speaker cabinet were too resonant, you'd be losing and adding certain frequencies in the process. it's not better sound-wise, just different. which is my main point.
as can be read in the article, baltic birch is not as durable as marine ply for use outside (who knows, maybe i want to play in outdoor festivals one day and with the rate our weather is going - being "inside" unless air-conditioned is pretty much as humid as outside). marine ply is also generally more expensive. but, since it is native to the Philippines, prices
may be lower. I can't verify this as I don't purchase wood on a regular basis. but, online dealers generally price their marine ply higher partly due to its increased durability. (See
http://www.westwindhardwood.com/price_cabinet.php and
http://www.westwindhardwood.com/price_marine_ply.php).
So, for the record, I am saying that marine ply is a good equivalent to baltic birch given the climate it's used in. Experts in the use of marine ply claim that with proper maintenance, BOATS (bear in mind, boats are exposed to water directly) that use marine ply can, in fact, last longer than we do (average life span of a human being anywhere around the world as of 2010 is estimated at 67.2 years give or take a few). Subjectivity of tone aside and getting to the topic on hand, speaker cabinet builders generally have mixed opinions on what wood to use for their cabs. Frankly, the use of marine ply vs birch ply is a small concern of mine but if it's any issue, a quick read on the web will show that birch is the more commonly used wood but marine's use is not frowned upon in general even by most gear "aficionados" and more importantly by expert speaker cabinet makers. I'm just glad my Siochi Cab, and the one of Philaxeman is made with top quality materials and constructed with high attention to detail.
Of course, my initial statement (outlast us, etc.) was meant to be an exaggeration to highlight the quality of the build (e.g. "ang galing mo naman tumugtog, da best ka!") and if interpreted literally - well...
