Loudspeaker grills on or off - what's your preference ?

No choice for me - ON as I have Naim S600 Ovators. I've seen them with the grilles off and they don't look at all good!

I used to have EPOS ES 25s and 30s and they were designed to run without grilles.

Some people say they don't look good naked and I have never tried to "undress" my Ovators but it would interesting if someone, who has done it,  posted a picture. In the best possible taste, please.

PMC 23s,

• On in the first month or two when they are running in (they definately sounded better with them on during that stage).
• Off after that
• On again after the first baby arrived.
• Off on Friday nights when I have the place to myself for a few hours.

I do sometimes feel they sound better with them on. I suspect this is the psychological effect of the grilles making the eye tell the ear that the sound comes from the whole speaker making them sound bugger than when the grills are off and you know that sound comes from 2 fairly small drive units.

Tony2011 posted:

Some people say they don't look good naked and I have never tried to "undress" my Ovators but it would interesting if someone, who has done it,  posted a picture. In the best possible taste, please.

That's almost encouraging speakers' pornography

Grilles will inevitably have some effect on the sound passing through them, though how audible will depend on the grille: foam, cloth or metal mesh, taughtness, thickness and size of holes each contributing to both dispersion and sound level, particularly as frequency increases. Some speakers are designed and set up to be used with grilles on, and so likely to sound at the best the designers could achieve with them in place, while others are designed grille off but grilles added for cosmetic or protection purposes but sounding better without.

Of course, as the effect is most likely to be evident at highest frequencies, it might be expected that opinions as to whether the difference is noticeable would vary with the age of the respondent, with the oldest least likely to report hearing a significant difference...

To the OP, you mention toeing in as well as taking grilles off - was your assessment of how they sounded without grilles specific to the grilles, i.e before doing the toeing in, or after having considered the effect of toeing in? I ask simply because you didn't state, and of course changing of their angle can make a big difference. 

Adam Zielinski posted:

Tony2011 posted:

Some people say they don't look good naked and I have never tried to "undress" my Ovators but it would interesting if someone, who has done it,  posted a picture. In the best possible taste, please.

That's almost encouraging speakers' pornography

Easy, Adam. Down boy! 

SBLs so on, always.

Stu.

Tony2011 posted:

Adam Zielinski posted:

Tony2011 posted:

Some people say they don't look good naked and I have never tried to "undress" my Ovators but it would interesting if someone, who has done it,  posted a picture. In the best possible taste, please.

That's almost encouraging speakers' pornography

Easy, Adam. Down boy! 

If you youtube Naim Ovator S400 you can watch a cone-shaking video clip of grille free S400's.

G

GraemeH posted:

Tony2011 posted:

Adam Zielinski posted:

Tony2011 posted:

Some people say they don't look good naked and I have never tried to "undress" my Ovators but it would interesting if someone, who has done it,  posted a picture. In the best possible taste, please.

That's almost encouraging speakers' pornography

Easy, Adam. Down boy! 

If you youtube Naim Ovator S400 you can watch a cone-shaking video clip of grille free S400's.

G

Cool

Grills off on my former Totem speakers and current Scansonic but of course neither pair comes will grills either. 

Innocent Bystander posted:

To the OP, you mention toeing in as well as taking grilles off - was your assessment of how they sounded without grilles specific to the grilles, i.e before doing the toeing in, or after having considered the effect of toeing in? I ask simply because you didn't state, and of course changing of their angle can make a big difference

They did sounded marginally better with Grills off.But I think putting the bungs in and toeing really tightened things up. especially the bass which tightened it up.As Timmo mentioned in an earlier post would we really be able to tell in a grills on and off blind test ?

I use Royds and they were designed to be listened to with grills ON. Coherence goes west if you remove them...

Sister xx

Grills off on my Motive 1 and Sonus Faber Grand Piano, better sound in both cases

NBL grills on to protect the delicate nested box suspension from tiny fingers!

Off to prevent tan-lines.

On when playing loud or when having a party/have people around.

James L posted:

Off to prevent tan-lines.

Most definitely! If I wanted two-tone speakers, I would have bought them like that in the first place.

Aside from that, the ProAcs look beautiful when naked which I'm quite sure makes them sound better too.

Living Voice Avatars OBXR (10+ years old now) ... grills on provides the best music if not the most hifi-ist presentation.

but I do try remove them in the summer as the cabinets lighten (bleach) in sunlight., leaving a darker virtual grill to the remaining surface.  reverse of tanning

The grilles on my IBLs fell victim to ageing. I'm perfectly happy with them sans grilles but it would be nice to bring them back to original spec.

Jamo concert 11 grills off.

S600s. Grills on to protect against happy-whippet tails.

Grills off D28. I can't do serious listening with them on anymore.

Chag -

ON: Briks & Wilson WATT

OFF: ATC SCM10

winkyincanada posted:

S600s. Grills on to protect against happy-whippet tails.

By design - Bass damping is integral to the Ovator grilles l think.

G

Grills off on the ART's. I like to see the drivers.

But, but, I keep my Kan's on. But who would listen to these jewels undressed?

Chag