Why are there so many wooden speakers?


I have noticed a problem within the speaker industry. 99% of speakers that come onto the marketplace are wooden, i.e MDF.
 
This is true of old speakers and new speakers. This is true of Dynaudio, B&W, Elac, Kef, revel, PMC, Focal, ATC the list goes on and on. This is a longstanding problem that has been deceiving audiophiles for decades and it requires a solution. 

The problem with a wooden box is that no matter what crossover or drivers you use, it will still sound like a wooden box. 
There is a limit to the sound you can get out of a wooden box so it is not possible to improve the sound just by using different drivers. Despite this, every year or two, the aforementioned companies put new speakers on the market claiming that they sound even better than what came before. In conclusion, we are being misled. 

I have no problem with MDF boxes per se. MDF is a good material to use. But if you want to make an even better speaker then you obviously need to use a better material. You cant use the same material and say you have made a better speaker. Thats false. 

Let's take the B&W 600 series for example. This is a series that has been going on for decades. 

Here is the latest speaker from their current series

https://www.bowerswilkins.com/home-audio/607

There is no mention of what wood is used but I'm pretty sure its MDF. All they talk about is their continuum woofer and dome tweeter that goes up to 38khz. No mention of even improvements to the crossover let alone the cabinet.

I believe that this has gone on for long enough and audiophiles deserve better treatment. I don't know if a class action lawsuit is the answer but something needs to change.
kenjit
@djones51   I heard an expensive ($100,000+) glass cabinet speaker at the LAX show years ago.  It sounded mediocre at best (couldn't stand it), despite using similar high end equipment as the two adjacent booths/halls.  Wow, was that bad!   I do not think that a glass speaker is a wise choice for a cabinet (I noticed the one you selected was about $15,000).   The $8,000 Volti Rival was extremely superior sounding with modest equipment and it is all wood like a Klipsch.
@kenjit 

My next speaker enclosures are being cut as we speak.

Made from some of the most homogeneous and even-grained materials on earth!

Im using cut and polished slabs of cooled magma. Volcanic rock from Pompeii,  and an inner lining of a man-made composite of ancient volcanic ash, also from Pompeii, Italy. 

Ive found that the slabs are incredibly strong and inert. Not as heavy as “regular” rock, such as granite. 

Ive been selling plinths made of this material now for 20 years. It’s beautiful and very stable and inert.

And, this material is highly sustainable. 

Its just gorgeous when polished! With the popularity of rock kitchen countertops, the technology is local.

This is fun!

I use Low Mass Nature Cured musical instrument wood to build my speakers with, along with other choice wood and metals commonly found in musical instruments. By far the best tone and most pitch accurate I have experienced. I also use choice wood on my driver baskets.

Michael

http://www.michaelgreenaudio.net/tunable-speakers