R series grille on or off?

shaddai

Hi all,

In general, is it better for sound reproduction to keep the grilles off? I normally keep them on to protect the delicate tweeters that so often have been maimed in stores like CC, BB, etc. I would imagine that the more expensive the speaker, the more likely the grilles are better designed for transparency. I own all R series speakers except for the center channel, which is CS1 of the Monitor line. I know it will look a little goofy with the titanium face of the center channel and the rest being black but I'm not too concerned about that right now. I would like the opinion of other R series owners out there. Thanks!

steveinaz

It's a personal preference call. Try it both ways, see what you like best. I leave mine off unless guests are coming that have children, then I pop them on....

Mjr7531

I personally like the look and sound of the R series without a grille, but because of our new kitten and placement of my R20s, I prefer to keep them on, just in case.

TheReaper

I keep mine on, they are in a high traffic area (where people walk past).

okiepolkie

shaddai

I like my 7's naked. I usually like the grilles off my speakers to minimize any diffraction they might cause (and they look much sexier).
If you are talking about the R30 or R50, then I think they look better off(I dislike those grilles very much). The R15 and R20 look fine to me with the grilles on.
Actually, your hypothesis that more expensive speakers have better grills may not always be the case. Many(not all) manufacturers will even recommend leaving the grilles off because they have focused much of their time and resources in the speaker itself, and put a grille on as an afterthought.
In the end it is a personal preference.

TheReaper

Originally posted by okiepolkie
... If you are talking about the R30 or R50, then I think they look better off(I dislike those grilles very much) ...

I have the original R50s with the black lacquered wood veneer. Their elegance is their simplicity of design, a vertical box with an arch on the bottom.

shaddai

Thanks for all the replies, guys!

I don't have any kids or pets so I guess I'll leave them off unless I'm moving them around the house. The grilles on my vinyl R50's do detract from the overall appearance. I think I'll need to buy those computer dust sprayers for the occasional cleaning around the tweeter and woofers.