Does a cloth grille affect the sound of a sub?

[Irvrobinson]

I was listening to some music yesterday, and the sun hit the grille cloth in such a way that I could see it pumping in and out with the bass notes of the music. So I wondered, would the sub sound better with the grille off? I removed the grille, and of course it sounded better, because I expected it to be better.

Thinking about it a little bit, the back pressure from the cloth to sub's cone must be inconsequential compared to the force of the voice coil. Or is it? With the grille off you can feel the force of the bass with your hand. Would the back pressure cause distortion? Just lower efficiency a bit? Or have no audible effect whatsoever?

For the time being I'm leaving the grille off, but the carbon fiber look of the sub's cone attracts the cat every time she walks by it when I'm listening. So I'd rather use the grille. If she scratches that driver I will be livid. (When I'm not listening I put a cardboard box for a bass drum head in front of the sub to keep the cat from treating it like a scratching post. Yes, it looks stupid, but my wife insists that if she has to choose one of us, well, she hasn't always had a husband, but she has always had a cat. There's no practical way to close off the room.)

Anyway, is it likely that the sub really does perform better without a grille cloth?

[theJman]

For the time being I'm leaving the grille off, but the carbon fiber look of the sub's cone attracts the cat every time she walks by it when I'm listening. So I'd rather use the grille. If she scratches that driver I will be livid. (When I'm not listening I put a cardboard box for a bass drum head in front of the sub to keep the cat from treating it like a scratching post. Yes, it looks stupid, but my wife insists that if she has to choose one of us, well, she hasn't always had a husband, but she has always had a cat. There's no practical way to close off the room.)

Perhaps it's time to rid yourself of the wife and her cat. Seems like neither has your best interests in mind...

If the grill material is pretty transparent I doubt any negative consequences would be audible. You might be able to measure them, but probably not hear them. If you hold the grill up to a light can you see through the material with relative ease, or does it appear to be very dense? Either way, I doubt leaving it off is a good idea in your case. If it turns out to be a problem perhaps you should consider a down-firing subwoofer instead. That could mitigate your concerns.

[mike c]

i think the effect is kinda like a windshield for a microphone

doesn't affect the sound, but the wind is diffused?

[Irvrobinson]

i think the effect is kinda like a windshield for a microphone

doesn't affect the sound, but the wind is diffused?

I thought that was true for high frequencies, but for bass? That's where I'm thinking maybe not.

[Tin Ear]

I removed the grille, and of course it sounded better, because I expected it to be better.

^^^ that .

Personally I would take the cardboard box and put it OVER THE CAT, but I am a dog lover at heart .

[TLS Guy]

I was listening to some music yesterday, and the sun hit the grille cloth in such a way that I could see it pumping in and out with the bass notes of the music. So I wondered, would the sub sound better with the grille off? I removed the grille, and of course it sounded better, because I expected it to be better.

Thinking about it a little bit, the back pressure from the cloth to sub's cone must be inconsequential compared to the force of the voice coil. Or is it? With the grille off you can feel the force of the bass with your hand. Would the back pressure cause distortion? Just lower efficiency a bit? Or have no audible effect whatsoever?

For the time being I'm leaving the grille off, but the carbon fiber look of the sub's cone attracts the cat every time she walks by it when I'm listening. So I'd rather use the grille. If she scratches that driver I will be livid. (When I'm not listening I put a cardboard box for a bass drum head in front of the sub to keep the cat from treating it like a scratching post. Yes, it looks stupid, but my wife insists that if she has to choose one of us, well, she hasn't always had a husband, but she has always had a cat. There's no practical way to close off the room.)

Anyway, is it likely that the sub really does perform better without a grille cloth?

That is poor quality material and will affect the sound. The grill should not move and will change the compliance of the driver as well as other T/S parameters and change the tuning.

Do the Carter blow test. Get the grill up to your mouth and blow through it. You should feel very little increase in resistance compared to blowing in free air.

My grill cloth supplied by Madisound, does not move at all, even when my rig has prodigious bass output.

However it may not be comparable to to your sealed subs, as my TLs control cone movement very tightly, greatly reducing distortion.

My material has very little resistance on the blow test, when stretched on the frames.

If you have a lot of resistance I would build a new grill.

[Irvrobinson]

That is poor quality material and will affect the sound. The grill should not move and will change the compliance of the driver as well as other T/S parameters and change the tuning.

Thanks. That's what I suspected. Changing the fabric would probably affect the resale value of the sub, so I'll just start listening with the grille off. And I'll keep an eye on that cat!

[slipperybidness]

Thanks. That's what I suspected. Changing the fabric would probably affect the resale value of the sub, so I'll just start listening with the grille off. And I'll keep an eye on that cat!

If you time it right, let the cat get near the sub then play some heart-stopping bass

If you scare him good, he may not want to have anything to do with it ever again.

[TLS Guy]

Thanks. That's what I suspected. Changing the fabric would probably affect the resale value of the sub, so I'll just start listening with the grille off. And I'll keep an eye on that cat!

Keep the original grill and make a new one.

[Irvrobinson]

Keep the original grill and make a new one.

Too much work. It's a very intricate beveled-edge design with a cutout for the driver and the control panel, made of 1" MDF.