Speaker grill/cover and grill fastener questions.

[marchel]

Hello to all,

I would like to ask questions:

Do you bother to use or make speaker grill/cover for your DIYed speakers?

Is it alright not to use/make cover for your DIYed speakers?

Have you ever tried grill magnets as fasteners for the speaker grill?

How do you mount grill magnets?, Will a 2 part epoxy be enough to hold the magnets into a bare MDF skin? will the MDF not strip?


Any tips on how to use/mount grill magnets?

It seems that grill magnet is a good idea, But I havent seen many speakers using grill magnets, The majority still uses the traditional grill fasteners, Could there be any pitfall in using grill magnets?

Thank you.

 

[WithTarragon]

There are many reasons to use grills. For one, your girlfriend will not be as upset with you ....

The arguments about acoustic issues are usually incorrect if you use proper grill cloth.

Yes, magnets can be used. For instance the new Palladium series from Klipsch uses magnets which may actually be under the veneer.

Good Luck,
-Tom

 

[sdclc126]

Grille fasteners and magnets are fine - you just need the tools to drill all the necessary holes correctly aligned with eachother. In the case of magnets if they aren't aligned the grille will attach to the speaker at an angle and you have to start all over.

Personally I use small Velcro tabs - not high tech but they work just fine and are hardly visible, especially if you recess them back from the edge of the grille/baffle.

 

[MJL21193]

I like looking at my nice, expensive drivers and the hard work I did properly recessing them. Prettier than any grills.
If she doesn't like it, she knows where the door is...

Not much sense recessing the drivers to avoid diffraction if there is a big clunky wooden frame surrounding them.

 

[sdclc126]

The grille frame doesn't have to be big and clunky - it can be made out of very thin, flat wood, and also raised off the baffle to reduce diffraction. Easy way to do this - small dowels or square wood cut to length and glued to the baffle. Velcro tabs work here too.

A compromise between appearance and sonic issues is a minimal structure with a few thin vertical bars, something I'm considering - gives you visibility and aesthetics, and less diffraction - the trade-off is more work and precise fabrication.