Grills on or off? poll sort of

Maybe I am paranoid but I like the grills on to protect the drivers and I don't much like looking at them either. I know some hear a difference with them off but I am just wondering more about aesthetics. Who likes seeing their drivers and who don't?
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Comments

  • gudnoyez
    gudnoyez Posts: 8,056
    Yeah lots of threads and polls on this subject, I leave them on all my speakers except my 2.3tl's as they are so sexy :*
    Home Theater
    Parasound Halo A 31 OnkyoTX-NR838 Sony XBR55X850B 55" 4K RtiA9 Fronts CsiA6 Center RtiA3 Rears FxiA6 Side Surrounds Dual Psw 111's Oppo 105D Signal Ultra Speaker Cables & IC's Signal Magic Power Cable Technics SL Q300 Panamax MR4300 Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables Audioquest Forest USB Cable

    2 Channel
    Adcom 555II Vincent SA-T1 Marantz SA 15S2 Denon DR-M11 Clearaudio Bluemotion SDA 2.3tl's (Z) edition MIT Terminator II Speaker Cables & IC's Adcom 545II Adcom Gtp-450 Marantz CD5004 Technics M245X SDA 2B's, SDA CRS+

    Stuff for the Head
    JD LABS C5 Headphone Amplifier, Sennheiser HD 598, Polk Audio Buckle, Polk Audio Hinge, Velodyne vPulse, Bose IE2, Sennheiser CX 200 Street II, Sennheiser MX 365

    Shower & Off the beaten path Rigs
    Polk Audio Boom Swimmer, Polk Audio Urchin B)
  • afterburnt
    afterburnt Posts: 7,892
    I ain't gonna read all of those threads but at a glance they were more about sound than looks. My 707 grills have failed and I hate the look of them off maybe it just gives me the willies
  • I guess you need to use the old pro's and con rule

    Kids=con
    pets=con
    smoker=con
    humid location=con

    Audiophile look=pro x10 factor
    Family Room HT 7.2/i]:Vizio Oled55h1 Pioneer Elite SC-LX502 Pioneer Elite BDP 85FD Eversolo DMP A6 Panamax M5300-EXSpeakers Fronts Fluance XF8L Center Polk Audio S35 Side Surrounds Optimus LS30's Rear Surrounds Optimus LS30's Subs SVS PB4000 x2 Living room 2ch: Crown Xli 1500 amp Teac EQ MKII FX Audio X6 Mk II DAC Squeezebox Touch Fluance Signature Tower Speakers Panamax M5100-EXOffice media room:Vizio M50Q6 50" Pioneer Elite VSX LX103 Squeezebox Touch Polkaudio R50 Towers Polkaudio CS 10 Panamax M4300 Monoprice 12" subMaster bedroom:Vizio M55Q7 Pioneer Elite VSX LX302 Pioneer Elite BDP 85FD Squeezebox Touch Polk audio RTi 6 fronts, Rears Dayton B652 Polk Audio CS10 center Monoprice 12" sub Panamax M5300-EX
  • afterburnt
    afterburnt Posts: 7,892
    @recoveryone I have controlled for all of the above, my old dog just snores most of the time.
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,288
    I hear a difference with the grills on with my 705 or Bryston mini t. Much better off.
    Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300, Audioquest Thunderbird Zero Speaker Cable, Tyler Highland H2, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
  • mikeyb128
    mikeyb128 Posts: 2,885
    In my 2 channel system, Off when I'm listening, I like the look better. On when I'm not listening to keep dust off. The theater is different. Sometimes on sometimes off. I like the polks with or without grills. The 705's are gorgeous if you ask me.
    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.

  • vmaxer
    vmaxer Posts: 5,116
    Off for me.
    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 prefer to leave the grills on. My RTi's look dated with the grills off. That, and I don't notice an audible difference.
    Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,471
    edited November 2015
    Polk grills are off for critical listening.... mostly on any other time
  • adabro
    adabro Posts: 212
    I have kids - grills are on
  • oldrocker
    oldrocker Posts: 2,590
    Always on for me but when someone stops by that have never seen my SDA's, I pull them off and enjoy the comments... B)
  • voltz
    voltz Posts: 5,384
    afterburnt wrote: »

    that cracked me up, if you only knew how many times at work I'd use that line from :)

    Love Gilda, from Barbara Wawa to Rosanna Rosanna Dana to Emily to the nerds Lisa & Todd!

    I been taking them off more & more lately. I like to see the drivers I guess.
    2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge

    HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD
  • New24k
    New24k Posts: 74
    Mostly on... lol

    Btw: is there any safe way of taking the Polk Audio oval badge off of the LSiMs?
  • afterburnt
    afterburnt Posts: 7,892
    New24k wrote: »
    Mostly on... lol

    Btw: is there any safe way of taking the Polk Audio oval badge off of the LSiMs?

    that's like the only thing holding the grills up on my 707s
    Actually I just got replacements from Polk and they seem to hang on better than the orginals. I have did the thump test yet though.
  • New24k
    New24k Posts: 74
    afterburnt wrote: »

    that's like the only thing holding the grills up on my 707s
    Actually I just got replacements from Polk and they seem to hang on better than the orginals. I have did the thump test yet though.

    The oval Polk Audio enblem at the bottom of the 707 is what holds the speaker grill up?
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    New24k wrote: »
    afterburnt wrote: »

    that's like the only thing holding the grills up on my 707s
    Actually I just got replacements from Polk and they seem to hang on better than the orginals. I have did the thump test yet though.

    The oval Polk Audio enblem at the bottom of the 707 is what holds the speaker grill up?

    There are magnets embedded in the speaker...are they not working???
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • afterburnt
    afterburnt Posts: 7,892
    Kthey wernt thats why ierdered replacements
  • cvc
    cvc Posts: 65
    Real audiophile men take the grills off.. Even my girlfriend takes the grills off..Take the grills off..
  • Like already said here,this has been covered many times and just to add my 2 cents it's never a hard and fast rule for me. I do like gawking at all my sets w/ the exception of my DCM Time Frame 350s which are sock style speakers and have a do not remove sign on them if not literally then figuratively.
    The 2 sets that would would NEVER go grills off because they are hideous looking would be Dahlquist D-10s and AR-3As. Forget that these are probably 2 of the most iconic sets of the early 70s and way earlier for the ARs and never got a negative review sound wise, but grills off they are the ugliest ever made.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dahlquist-DQ10-Floorstanding-Speakers-New-Foam-/301584260370?hash=item4637d29d12:g:iW4AAOSwpDdVH-6u

    http://www.vintageaudioonline.com/acoustic-research-ar-3a-speakers/
    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
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,922
    Don't got no grilles.

    13313759424_d50eef3779_b.jpgDSC_8944 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
  • afterburnt
    afterburnt Posts: 7,892
    well I am sick of them falling off so I guess it is grills off on the 707s
  • mikeyb128
    mikeyb128 Posts: 2,885
    afterburnt wrote: »
    well I am sick of them falling off so I guess it is grills off on the 707s

    That has to be annoying....
    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.

  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    Is the overall audible/visual experience of a listening session enhanced more with them on or off, there is your decision.
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
  • I prefer on as the Polk 1C's with the grills off distract from the sound. Since they are all black I can turn the lights down and get lost in the music
    Polk SDA 1C Upgraded, Eastern Electric Minimax Supreme DAC, Parasound HCA 1200ii, Belles 21a Preamp, Rotel RSX-1056, Matricom G Box Q, Blue Jean & Signal Cable interconnects, Sonographe SG-3 TT, Panamax M4300-PM
  • 60's in Cleveburg this weekend. Grill's on!
  • I like them off, however, I put them in for room inspections, because people like to poke at tweeters.
    2 Channel(work in progress):DAC: Schiit modi 2 uberAmp:Parasound 1200 MK IISub:RBH 1010-SEP Speakers: Monitor 5A peerlesscurrently running some krk rokit 3g since the HK pre outs died and i need to start breaking everything down to move in a couple monthsHeadphones:Source: tidalDAC: schiit modius epre: schiit sysAmp: AQ dragonfly black/ schiit magni2 Cans: Velodyne V-True, Grado SR225i, sennheiser x drop gaming headsetPC:DAC: schiit modius e(over spdif)pre: schiit sysspeakers: prenous eris 5 xtSub: Earthquake Sound MiniMe-P63most of my comments are passing on of info, im a noob, im just trying to help how i can, if im wrong or out of place to comment, dont hesitate to let me know :)"WITH WILLING HEARTS AND SKILLFUL HANDS, THE DIFFICULT WE DO AT ONCE, THE IMPOSSIBLE TAKES A BIT LONGER, WITH COMPASSION FOR OTHERS. WE BUILD - WE FIGHT FOR PEACE WITH FREEDOM"Seabee Memorial, Arlington, VA