| I built two identical pairs of speakers based on the Scanspeak 8545 and
T25-001. Both pairs were sold to
some of my local friends. The only difference between the two was the type
of glue used. One speaker used Aerolite Evostick 306, and the other
speaker used Titebond. I wanted to verify an article in
Speaker Builder magazine concerning the alleged superiority of Aerolite
glue. The author did some testing over the span of several years with
different types of glue and found the Aerolite to produce a clearly superior
sound. This seemed a little fishy to me, but I asked an EE friend of mine for
some thoughts. He said that the Aircraft glue sounding
better was a definite possibility. He theorized that that if the Aerolite aircraft
glue could dampen the vibrations of a wooden English WWII wood airplane then it should
also dampen the vibrations of the wooden cabinet. I agreed with his theory, so I tried it.
There was no audible difference.
The only way I can explain the
departure of my results is via cabinet construction. The Aerolite glue
fills gaps, but my cabinets have very tight joints. This is a product of a
very good table saw blade and good measuring. Maybe the author in Speaker
Builder used a bad blade or chainsaw (metaphor) during cabinet construction.
The gap filling properties of the Aerolite would certainly come into
play. The
Aerolite might also produce a better/stronger bond, but my cabinets have about
40-50 biscuits per box. This increases the glue surface area
significantly. Maybe the author in Speaker Builder used box joints and
screws for construction. The smaller surface area of glue at the joint
might find stronger glue "welcome". I am guessing about the
reasons for the difference between my results and the Speaker Builder authors
results, but one thing
remains.
I found no audible difference between Aerolite Evostick urea formaldehyde 306 and Titebond aliphatic
resin in
my cabinets.
I recommend Titebond type 1 or Elmers wood glue for general use. This
is because it cleans up nicely. Even after this glue has dried to your
clothing it will easily come clean in the wash.
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