"Right now, I am not convinced that baltic birch is my best choice although I realize it is my safest."
Given that it is seemingly the choice of the people who designed the speaker, ie the "experts", I would assert that it is also the best choice for now as well as the safest until someone proves an alternative to be better.
How they would do that short of having done it and allowing you to hear, I do not know.
Plus, Audio Note is not a company known to cut corners with its products as best I can tell. If they know of a way to do it better, they probably will, but you will also have to pay for it if it matters to you, of course.
I suppose the other way to look at it is that if you use any good materials for a good reason, the results should at least also be pretty good.
But to claim "the best", at least to me, there has to be some proof to go along with the claim.
Hearing is believing!
BTW, I am a big fan of companies like Audio Note that stick with a basic good design and attempt to tweak it to the max over time, but also offer lesser versions at different price points along the way.
Given that it is seemingly the choice of the people who designed the speaker, ie the "experts", I would assert that it is also the best choice for now as well as the safest until someone proves an alternative to be better.
How they would do that short of having done it and allowing you to hear, I do not know.
Plus, Audio Note is not a company known to cut corners with its products as best I can tell. If they know of a way to do it better, they probably will, but you will also have to pay for it if it matters to you, of course.
I suppose the other way to look at it is that if you use any good materials for a good reason, the results should at least also be pretty good.
But to claim "the best", at least to me, there has to be some proof to go along with the claim.
Hearing is believing!
BTW, I am a big fan of companies like Audio Note that stick with a basic good design and attempt to tweak it to the max over time, but also offer lesser versions at different price points along the way.