What is the influence of materials on hifi timbre?

For players with enclosure s of diy amplifier chassis, copper, stainless steel, titanium, zinc alloy and other different metal materials, the enclosure s of HIFI equipment should often withstand various impacts and falls, the dry, wet, cold and warm climate changes, and the corrosion of various liquids should often contact the skin closely. Now, some of the burners have also entrusted the important task of "tuning". If the enclosure  can really play a key role in tuning, there are several contradictions that cannot be explained. First, copper and silver have the best conductivity among metal materials. Is the sound quality of HIFI equipment with copper and silver enclosure s much better than that of products with aluminum, stainless steel, titanium and other metal enclosure s?

Aluminum is the favorite of HIFI manufacturers,

It is the favorite of HIFI manufacturers, with the minimum density of only 2.7 grams per cubic centimeter, which is very conducive to portability! Coloring is easy. Generally, oxidation method can make colorful appearance, which is liked by everyone. However, it is easy to leave some acid and alkali impurities in the process of oxidation coloring, and there is a great risk of allergy when closely contacting with the skin. Aluminum material is cheap, less than 20 yuan per kilogram, and its density is small, which means that one kilogram can buy a large lump. It has low hardness and strength, is easy to process, saves time and money. Therefore, aluminum is the favorite of HIFI manufacturers, but because of its low hardness, it is easy to deform and bend, affecting the experience.

Copper --- golden texture and color

Copper, especially brass, is golden in color, and becomes more resplendent after polishing and gilding. The density of 11.2 grams per cubic centimeter is too much than that of aluminum enclosure , which is very popular with some barbecuers. However, after copper processing, only electroplating treatment can be carried out, which is relatively less color and monotonous than aluminum. The electroplating process is not environmentally friendly, and there are also some harmful complexes, which still have potential allergies. The post-treatment of copper products is a nightmare for many manufacturers. For example, during the production of L199, the polished copper enclosure  is as bright as a mirror, and a scratch in the production process is a waste product. After the production is not easy to polish, various oxide layer cleaning treatments should be carried out immediately. The whole part should be gilded within 2 days. After the gilding, the incoming material inspection should be carried out. The production machine should be very careful. There will be scratches at any touch, and the contact with the hand will quickly change color and become a waste product, When the electroplating layer on the surface of copper products is worn, it will quickly turn dark and green, which makes us suffer a lot The price of copper of the same volume is about three times that of fender amp chassis. Considering the density, the cost of the same piece of copper for making a player is about 10 times that of aluminum, and the post-processing cost is even higher. However, copper is relatively soft and only harder than aluminum, so the cost and time of pure metal processing are not much higher than aluminum.

Stainless steel ------ silver white heavy brick

In fact, stainless steel is iron added with chromium and other elements, which will still rust, but it will last longer than iron. The products of 304 and 316 are mainly used in daily life. The density is about 7.9, about three times that of custom amp chassis. Generally, stainless steel will be subject to appearance treatment such as wire drawing, sandblasting or mirror like polishing. For many people, vacuum plating is also used to treat stainless steel into various colors. However, we believe that vacuum plated stainless steel has lost its texture and is not worth it. There are a lot of knowledge in stainless steel, such as whether the salt spray resistance test can pass for 24, 48, 72 or 96 hours. Generally, the longer it takes, the longer it will not rust. Another example is whether it is medical grade, indicating that the product may contain more or less harmful impurities. The price of stainless steel ranges from more than 10 yuan per kilogram to more than 100 yuan for medical use. Because of its high hardness and long processing time, the processing cost is higher than that of amplifier chassis stand.

We briefly and roughly summarized the application of some metals in HIFI product enclosure s, as well as their respective advantages and disadvantages. Finally, the enclosure  should play its role, and can not carry too many topics about sound quality.