You said:
"Perforated screens are ALWAYS a compromise for critical two-channel performance not just for the slight losses in high frequencies, but the diffraction they cause if NOT perfectly flush mounted near the speakers. The primary emphasis of the Audioholics Showcase system is audio before video."
I'm wondering about 2 things:
1) Do perforated and woven acoustic screens perform similarly in this situation?
2) This isn't specific to your setup, I'm more likely to have aperion or klipsch at my price point but If you just put the center behind the screen do you have the same issues and can the high frequency performance be compensated by something like audessy? How much does diffraction matter for the center?
That might be more than 2 things...