Grills on or off
brianle
Posts: 572
Do you listen to music with speakers grills on or off? My Dynaudio s5.4 sound better with grills off to my ears.
Comments
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OffPio Elete Pro 520
Panamax 5400-EX
Sunfire TGP 5
Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
PS Audio GCPH phono pre
Sunfire CG 200 X 5
Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
OPPO BDP-83 SE
SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
Ctr CS1000p
Sur - FX1000 x 4
SUB - SVS PB2-Plus
Workkout room:
Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
Onkyo TX-DS898
GFA 555
Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
Ft - SDA 1C
Not being used:
RTi 38's -4
RT55i's - 2
RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
LSI 15's
CSi40
PSW 404 -
On. The top hats on my speakers have diffraction plates that keep the high frequencies from bouncing off the top of the cabinets, they sound better on. That aside, it keeps the dust off the drivers and top crossover.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
With my SDA 2As and my Monitor 7As I never noticed a difference with the grills on or off. I did quite a few comparisons both ways, and was never able to. I haven't done any comparisons with the LSi9 grills on or off. I had them off for my first couple of listening sessions just because I wanted to look at the drivers. They've been on since then.
For whatever it's worth, many high end speakers are designed to be used with the grills in place. The slight diffraction effects of the grill fabric can be taken into account in tuning a speaker, and often is with very high end offerings.The nirvana inducer-
APC H10 Power Conditioner
Marantz UD5005 universal player
Parasound Halo P5 preamp
Parasound HCA-1200II power amp
PolkAudio LSi9's/PolkAudio SDA 2A's/PolkAudio Monitor 7A's
Audioquest Speaker Cables and IC's -
For whatever it's worth, many high end speakers are designed to be used with the grills in place. The slight diffraction effects of the grill fabric can be taken into account in tuning a speaker, and often is with very high end offerings.
This
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I've read manufacturer claims that grill cloth tends to diminish only high frequencies and slightly. Diffraction could occur from the grill frames and more likely measure higher and be more audible than say a 1/3dB high frequency dip through cloth.
You could always ask a manufacturer if they measure response with grills on or off if not indicated in the specs.
Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 * -
Off. Magico designs their speakers to be without grills, and the top of line models do not even have grills. The grill on the S5 is designed to protect the speakers from damage, for example during parties. However, they obviously impact the sound, so off they come when it's time to listen for pleasure.Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits. -
I like 'em off unless the grandkids are around.
-Kevin
HT: Philips 52PFL7432D 52" LCD 1080p / Onkyo TX-SR 606 / Oppo BDP-83 SE / Comcast cable. (all HDMI)B&W 801 - Front, Polk CS350 LS - Center, Polk LS90 - Rear
2 Channel:
Oppo BDP-83 SE
Squeezebox Touch
Muscial Fidelity M1 DAC
VTL 2.5
McIntosh 2205 (refurbed)
B&W 801's
Transparent IC's -
Sun's out, guns out! Er...wait...wrong thread.
Depends on the speaker. But I prefer off in most cases. Not all, just most."Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
Peerless Monitor 5s, off because the grill has minimal impact to my ears and I love seeing the look on people's faces when you tell em the 8 inch woofer isn't a woofer at all.
I often left the grills off of my Monitor 7As and my SDA 2As for this very reason. The 2As have flat cones in the passive radiators, and a lot of people comment on how strange looking the woofers are. When I explain the passive radiator design and show them the PR push-test, most people find it really interesting. It's something that most people aren't familiar with though in my experience.The nirvana inducer-
APC H10 Power Conditioner
Marantz UD5005 universal player
Parasound Halo P5 preamp
Parasound HCA-1200II power amp
PolkAudio LSi9's/PolkAudio SDA 2A's/PolkAudio Monitor 7A's
Audioquest Speaker Cables and IC's -
Depends.
BW PM1 I left on. BW 802 Diamonds I take off.
Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
Shouldn't the more appropriate question be.....pants on or off ?HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Shouldn't the more appropriate question be.....pants on or off ?
Ooooh kaaaay.... BahahahaMagico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
Locked out in the wintry Chicago cold.... let's see who'll be laughing then.Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
Locked out in the wintry Chicago cold.... let's see who'll be laughing then.
Maybe you missed it. Actually happened...
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That is soooo hilarious... job well done Tony!!!Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
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For vintage Polks, grills on. The cones are naturally tacky, and the grills keep them relatively free from dust accumulation. If your worried about high frequency roll-off, replace the grill cloth. The original cloth is mediocre at best.Home Theater/2 Channel:
Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer
dhsspeakerservice.com/ -
Using mine both ways I hear absolutely no difference but I'm only 9' away. I do like to gawk at them so for the most part grills off except now nearing the summer I keep the grills on do cover them up when the sun streams in which I showed on another post.2chl- Adcom GFA- 555-Onkyo P-3150v pre/amp- JVC-QL-A200 tt- Denon 1940 ci cdp- Adcom GFS-6 -Modded '87 SDA 2Bs - Dynamat Ext.- BH-5- X-Overs VR-3, RDO-194 tweeters, Larry's Rings, Speakon/Neutrik I/C- Cherry stain tops Advent Maestros,Ohm model E
H/T- Toshiba au40" flat- Yamaha RX- V665 avr- YSD-11 Dock- I-Pod- Klipsch #400HD Speaker set-
Bdrm- Nikko 6065 receiver- JBL -G-200s--Pioneer 305 headphones--Sony CE375-5 disc -
LOL.....you guys aren't going to let that one rest are ya ?
Speaker grills ? On or off doesn't matter but I find it's a more mood dependent thing for me.
btw KKKKEN, if I had a nickel for every hockey puck you Cannucks chewed on up there, I'd be a rich senile old ****.
HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
That is soooo hilarious... job well done Tony!!!
Agreed, had to go back and read the thread again..
Pio Elete Pro 520
Panamax 5400-EX
Sunfire TGP 5
Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
PS Audio GCPH phono pre
Sunfire CG 200 X 5
Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
OPPO BDP-83 SE
SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
Ctr CS1000p
Sur - FX1000 x 4
SUB - SVS PB2-Plus
Workkout room:
Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
Onkyo TX-DS898
GFA 555
Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
Ft - SDA 1C
Not being used:
RTi 38's -4
RT55i's - 2
RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
LSI 15's
CSi40
PSW 404 -
I consider the grills to be just like the hood on a car. Unless you are at a car show or have more invested in chrome than paint, leave the hood down. SRS top models or huge line arrays designed for open display, would be my exception.
I always chuckled at the car club guys with the '60s Impalas that cruised with the hood off. I do like some of those exotic mid engined jobs that have windows for hoods though....HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable
2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable -
Been moving over the past few weeks. 2 channel system went up first as it is the easiest, grills off for cleaning and am really loving the sound. Including boxes, bare hardwood floors and crap all over the house.2 channel:
Bryston 4B3, Bryston BDA3, Cary SLP05, Shanling CDT1000SE with parts conneXion level 2 mods, Nottingham analogue ace space 294, soundsmith Carmen MKii, Zu DL103 MKii, Ortofon MC 20 MKii, Dynavector XX2 MKii, Rogue Audio Ares, Core power technologies balanced power conditioner, Akiko Corelli power conditioner with Akiko Audio HQ power cable, Nordost heimdall 2, Frey 2, interconnects, speaker and power cables, Focal Electra 1028 BE 2, Auralic Aries Femto, Black diamond racing cones, ingress audio level 1 roller blocks, JL Audio E110 with Auralic subdude, Primacoustics room treatments.
Theater:
Focal Aria 926,905,CC900, SVS PB ultra x2. Pioneer Elite SC85, Oppo BDP93, Panamax M5400PM, Minix neox6, Nordost Blue heaven LS power cables. -
Off. I just like to look at my drivers. Sound difference is negligible to me.SystemLuxman L-590AXII Integrated Amplifier|KEF Reference 1 Loudspeakers|PS Audio Directream Jr|Sansui TU-9900 Tuner|TEAC A-6100 RtR|Nakamichi RX-202 Cassette
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Jetmaker737 wrote: »Off. I just like to look at my drivers.
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Now that's the same reason I listen with pants off.
HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
I usually like them off.
However, with my children they stay on... -
Off now, but I go back and forth. They look louder with them off, more refined with them on. I'm just glad they are still in good shape to have the option.- SDA 2B (1989, Oak Tops, 194s, Spikes)
- Monitor 7B (1982 Peerless, Sonicaps, Mills, BH5, JB Welded, Binding Posts)
- (2) SVS SB12-NSD (Flat Black)
- SVS SB 3000 (Gloss Black)
- Pioneer SC-1222K AVR
- Marantz MM 7055 (5 Ch Amp)
- Pioneer PD-D6 SACD Player
- Marantz NR1403 AVR
- Sony UBP-X800M2 (4k Blu-ray)
- Sony UBP-X1100ES (4K Blu-ray)
- Adcom GFA 555 Amp
- Monitor 5 (194s, Side Surrounds)
- Monitor 5Jr+ (194s) {Storage}
- LG OLED65CXPUA (4K OLED TV)
- LG 55UN7300PUF (4K HD TV)
- RT35i (Cherry)
- (2 Pair) RT25i (Cherry)
- CS400 (Center)
- CS350 (Center)
- F/Xi A4 (Rear Surrounds)
- RT25 (Rear Surrounds) {Storage}
- Audioquest Interconnects
- Blu-Jean Speaker Cables & Interconnects
" But boy do I remember the strain of her refrain " LG -
off... if it looks better it sounds betterMy New Year's resolution is 3840 × 2160
Family Room| Marantz AV7704| Usher Dancer Mini - 2 DMD Mains |Usher Dancer Mini-x DMD's Surrounds | Usher BE-616 DMD Center | SVS Ultra Rear Surrounds | Parasound Halo A21 | Parsound Halo A52+ | MIT Shotgun S3's | Dual SVS SB 4000 Ultras | Oppo UDP 203 | Directv Genie HD DVR | Samsung 75" Q8 QLED | PSAudio Stellar GCD | Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ | Lumin U1 Mini | HP Elite Slice PC | ROON'd for life |
ManCave: HT:Polk LSiM 706VR3 LSiM 703's LSiM 702's|| Marantz AV7002 AV PrePro Sunfire TGA-7401| Sony PS4 Pro| Sony PS4 Pro|SVS PB13 Ultra| Oppo UDP 203 | Music Hall MMF 5.3se TT w/ Soundsmith Carmen | Samsung 55" SUHD TV | Sony PS4
Patio | Polk Atrium 8's | Yamaha R-N303BL |
Office BlueSound Node| KEF LS50 | Peactree Nova 125SE |
Bedroom | Focal 905's | Chromecast Audio |
Garage | Polk Monitor 5B's
Closet Yamaha M80 | 2 Polk MP3K subs| Yaqin MC100B with Shuguang Treasures KT 88's & CV181Z's | Tesla E83CC's | Marantz 2252B | Marantz 2385 |Polk SDA SRS 2.3 | LSiM 705's | -
Depends on the speaker. I listen to LsiM speakers with the grills off. SDAs with the grills on. I also have a pair of Spendor speakers I use once in a while that are designed to be used with the grills on. The cabinets on those are thin walled and the design of the grills, which are fairly thick mdf for the frame add to the solidity of the front baffle of the speaker overall.
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Depends on the speaker. I listen to LsiM speakers with the grills off. SDAs with the grills on. I also have a pair of Spendor speakers I use once in a while that are designed to be used with the grills on. The cabinets on those are thin walled and the design of the grills, which are fairly thick mdf for the frame add to the solidity of the front baffle of the speaker overall.
Actually I do the same... Grills on for the SDA's off for the LSIM's...
My New Year's resolution is 3840 × 2160
Family Room| Marantz AV7704| Usher Dancer Mini - 2 DMD Mains |Usher Dancer Mini-x DMD's Surrounds | Usher BE-616 DMD Center | SVS Ultra Rear Surrounds | Parasound Halo A21 | Parsound Halo A52+ | MIT Shotgun S3's | Dual SVS SB 4000 Ultras | Oppo UDP 203 | Directv Genie HD DVR | Samsung 75" Q8 QLED | PSAudio Stellar GCD | Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ | Lumin U1 Mini | HP Elite Slice PC | ROON'd for life |
ManCave: HT:Polk LSiM 706VR3 LSiM 703's LSiM 702's|| Marantz AV7002 AV PrePro Sunfire TGA-7401| Sony PS4 Pro| Sony PS4 Pro|SVS PB13 Ultra| Oppo UDP 203 | Music Hall MMF 5.3se TT w/ Soundsmith Carmen | Samsung 55" SUHD TV | Sony PS4
Patio | Polk Atrium 8's | Yamaha R-N303BL |
Office BlueSound Node| KEF LS50 | Peactree Nova 125SE |
Bedroom | Focal 905's | Chromecast Audio |
Garage | Polk Monitor 5B's
Closet Yamaha M80 | 2 Polk MP3K subs| Yaqin MC100B with Shuguang Treasures KT 88's & CV181Z's | Tesla E83CC's | Marantz 2252B | Marantz 2385 |Polk SDA SRS 2.3 | LSiM 705's | -
I leave mine on when im not using them. When i use them i take them off. Very easy to do bc they are magnetic.B&W CM9Classé Sigma
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Since this thread is still kinda going on I'll give you the 2 most ugliest grill off speakers ever made.
1. AR 3As, w/ that tape and whatever else that's is going on looks terrible.
2. Probably the worst for me has got to be Dahlquist D-10s. With that patch work of speakers, some mounted on masonite that looks haphazardly placed and that open grilled rear that has got to be the biggest dust collector known to mankind. Now w/ saying all that w/ grills and stands and the right power they do sound great.
http://www.syer.net/dahlquist.htm2chl- Adcom GFA- 555-Onkyo P-3150v pre/amp- JVC-QL-A200 tt- Denon 1940 ci cdp- Adcom GFS-6 -Modded '87 SDA 2Bs - Dynamat Ext.- BH-5- X-Overs VR-3, RDO-194 tweeters, Larry's Rings, Speakon/Neutrik I/C- Cherry stain tops Advent Maestros,Ohm model E
H/T- Toshiba au40" flat- Yamaha RX- V665 avr- YSD-11 Dock- I-Pod- Klipsch #400HD Speaker set-
Bdrm- Nikko 6065 receiver- JBL -G-200s--Pioneer 305 headphones--Sony CE375-5 disc
