waveguides and grilles

[tom31415926]

I have followed with interest the threads on waveguides, and am especially interested in the new Seas waveguide tweeter. When I ponder the possibilities, it seems that flush-mounted waveguide might not work as intended if there is a grille (e.g., fabric) flush against the surface of the baffle and hence right at the exit of the waveguide.

What sorts of grilles (grille materials and/or locations) will not interfere with the operation of the waveguides? Are the considerations different from non-waveguide designs? Could someone point me towards a good reference?

I searched for the words "waveguide" and "grille" but perhaps I missed something. Sorry if this is a duplicate.

Tom

[sdclc126]

Have you considered not using a grille at all?

[tom31415926]

Well. . . my wife doesn't like the "raw speaker" look.

Actually, I kinda like the idea of the speakers having a finished look. But I want to figure out how to minimize the impact on the sound.

Tom

[BHTX]

I've seen some people without flush mounted drivers put some dense damping material inside the speaker grille frame, with holes cut in such a way that the sound could pass through. From the looks of it, it seemed as though it should do a sufficient job of reducing the effects of not countersinking mid and high frequency drivers, as well as reflections from the baffle, and of course..removing a large portion of the negative effects of using speaker grilles. I haven't tried this myself though, as I just prefer not to use them, or I take them off when things get serious. In fact, the grilles for some large planars that I have sitting around here have been stacked against the wall in my closet since I've lived here. So, take that info as a grain of salt. Now that it's been brought up, I've actually been curious about all of this myself, and was hoping someone else with more knowledge on the subject would eventually comment.

[sdclc126]

I think a good solution is to make your own grilles, with very thin wood, and raise them a little bit off the surface of the baffle - lots of ways to do this.

Or make a different kind of "grille" altogether with vertical bars, perhaps in a flattened "U" shape. A visually finished look with the drivers still visible and essentially completely sonically transparent.