Source of light color grill cloth

Jump to Latest
#5
A variety of grill cloth colors is available at Parts Express.
https://www.parts-express.com/speak...peaker-grill-cloth/speaker-grill-cloth-fabric

My local JoAnn Fabrics might be a little cheaper, but they only carry black speaker grill cloth. Michael's and other fabric stores may carry grill cloth also.

I forget the technical name but look for the kind that stretches in both directions. (double knit, as dave mentioned) You can wrap around the grill frame at the corners without wrinkles that way.

Antique Electronics Supply has cloth to match vintage guitar amps, etc. for a retro look.
https://www.tubesandmore.com/search/node/cloth/?categories=Grill%20Cloth
 
Last edited:
#8
I've bought the same type, also from China but bought it from eBay. It takes off a bit level on the top end but you will not find much better even for a lot more money, at least fabric. The difference isn't much but it's noticable, probably 0,5dB at 8k and 0,8dB at ~15k. It also depends how much you stretch it. Try to stretch it evenly, on the very light fabric you'll see the different stretch, much less obvious on dark shades. The quality of the fabric (bought 5 different colors) was very good.

I've used foam for PA speakers before which had less influence on the sound but that was on horns and not dome tweeters.

What you maybe don't know is, with very bright or even white cloth, you'll see black/dark details through if the sun shines on it.
 
#10
noviygera said:
Guilford of Maine fabrics
Click to expand...

I've had a look on their acoustic fabric. That seems to be very high quality, it's much tighter woven, which makes it likely non-see-through but at the same time it affects the mid-highs more. You'll definitely need to change your crossover or DSP setup.

Cape_Cod.png


At 2k they are at roughly 23% absorption. The loss in spl will increase with frequency. It's very nice to have this information. Opacity and sound dampening are (at least to a specific degree) opposing properties.
 
#13
Oh, I forgot to mention, they claim it's UV resistant and fire retardand.

pulexirritans said:
I think the Guilford FR701 fabric is what you're looking for. It's been a while since I used it but I think it shaved only 1/2db off on the high end?
Click to expand...

That's not dB, that's percent. 1 equals 100%, 0,8 equals 80% etc. And you are right, the Guilford FR701 loss is a lot less.

pulexirritans said:
Lol, ok nevermind, that looks more like 1db at 2khz on the graph ICG posted. You can always design the crossover with the grill on.
Click to expand...

Well, you have to weight out see-through and acoustical properties. If you don't mind seeing the drivers through on a light cloth, go for the china fabric. If you do mind, the china fabric will not make you happy.

And before I forget it: The frame holding the fabric will introduce diffraction and reflection if it's laying on the baffle. If you rise it, there will be some reflection and some angle shading. Best performance regarding both is a very thin steel frame (diameter ~4mm) on stand-off mount.
 
#15
pulexirritans said:
Yeah, I got that it was percent and I assumed 80% is about -1db at 2khz? But what about 20khz? Would need to test.
Click to expand...

I have only measured it with my phone but it got a bump at 16k and a deep dive above it. I can't hear 20k either, it was just a quick check to assess it. I was happy with the result since it meant I don't have to buy more expensive cloth. If the chinese manufacturer is indeed a different one than my fabric, the result may differ but I don't expect much difference since the openings seem to be equally wide, it should not differ much.
 
#16
Interesting. I remember measuring it with a calibrated mic and not seeing a big effect, although I have forgotten the details. Maybe the best thing about FR701 are it's decent replacement for the late 60s grill cloth, it's a known quantity and you can always get it.
 
#17
It got similar properties and it's high quality, so it's not a bad choice if you tweak the crossover. That's ofc not needed if the speaker in question got a similar cloth cover in the first place. My emphasis lays on the fact that the speaker won't sound the same with or without the cloth cover. You can compensate for that but 'just add a cloth cover' will not sound the same. Develop your xo to one or the other, both is not possible. If you don't like either, use a perforated metal plate with a high % of of openings (above at least 75%) and see if that fits your taste.

E: The vast majority of the 60s cloth will likely have a much higher absorption rate than the FR701
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom