Glue Testing

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.