Speaker Grilles On Or Off: Which Way Sounds Better?

[TLS Guy]

My Canton Vento speakers for sure sounds different (worse and lower to my ears) with the grills on, so I've removed them for the fronts ones but left them on for my surrounds that are close to the wall. I'd rather have the grills on for protection, and did so when our child was small.

Looking at the construction of the grills that are MDF plates with holes for the drivers and some acoustically transparent cloth on top.

Yup! Very, very bad design, guaranteed to produce a bucket load of diffraction issues. I just can't fathom where these speaker designers learned their craft, or actually did not learn.

 

[Cos]

Paradigm in their ultimate wisdom charges insane $$ for Persona Speaker Grills...so yes, happy to do without, my two cats...not so much

 

[cpp]

Yes, grills off on my Kef's.

 

[dolynick]

On on my Paradigm Studios.

Off on my Vienna Acoustics.

Used to be on for my Paradigm Mini Monitors but off now as they interfere with the slanted stands I have now. They definitely seem clearer/brighter with them off in this case.

 

[Bobby Bass]

On on my Arendal 1723 towers. I think these things would stop anything short of a bullet. Good to have on when the kids are dancing around. Too much trouble to put keep taking off and remembering to put back on so they stay on to protect my big babies.

 

[Teetertotter?]

They must be lousy grills then. There should be no audible difference.

I put the Grills back on today and sound just the same with them off. You are RIGHT!

 

[MrBoat]

I've had mine on lately on the JBL monitors. Even immediate near field is hard to hear a difference. If there is one, it's not wrong, either way, and whatever subtle difference there may be, it's lost on me 30 seconds in and the music cancels it out. In other words, it's too subtle to focus on.

When I am listening to them with the grilles on, nothing compels me to remove them. On these JBLs, the grilles are open on all 4 edges as they are suspended off of the baffle.

 

[Golfx]

I always leave my grills on. I have a seemingly endless supply of toddler grandchildren.