A speaker grille (or speaker grill) is usually found in front of many consumer and industrial

loudspeakers A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or speaker driver) is an electroacoustic transducer that converts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound. A ''speaker system'', also often simply referred to as a "speaker" or "l ...

, and consists of either a hard or soft

screen Screen or Screens may refer to: Arts * Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing * Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry * Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which mul ...

grille Grill or grille may refer to: Food * Barbecue grill, a device or surface used for cooking food, usually fuelled by gas or charcoal, or the part of a cooker that performs this function * Flattop grill, a cooking device often used in restaurants, ...

mounted directly over the face of the speaker driver. Its main purpose is to protect the driver element and speaker internals (and possibly other audio components) from foreign objects while still allowing the

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

to clearly pass. However, because it sits in the direct path of the driver, the grille interacts with the sound produced. A suitable compromise between protection and sound quality must be made based on the speaker's application.

Types

Soft Grilles

Soft grilles can be made from any well suited

cloth Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...

, stitching,

foam Foams are materials formed by trapping pockets of gas in a liquid or solid. A bath sponge and the head on a glass of beer are examples of foams. In most foams, the volume of gas is large, with thin films of liquid or solid separating the reg ...

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

upholsteries and other similar materials. In general, soft grilles impose little resistance on the speaker driver because the material is free to move synchronously with the sound waves. Because the grille is capable of absorbing this vibration, softer grilles are (in general) less prone to rattling except at extremely high sound pressure levels. Soft grilles offer protection from small, lightweight objects, and may be water resistant to some degree but could be susceptible to being torn, or even stretched enough to reach the driver.

Hard Grilles

Hard grilles can be made from many types of construction material including metal, wood or plastic. Some solid grilles are made from a board or sheet of material with holes drilled or cut for the sound to pass, while others are made with thin strips of material either crosshatched together or equally spaced in parallel. Because hard material is not free to move with the speaker's sound like soft material, the speaker's output level must be considered when designing the grille. A grille with more holes will allow more sound to pass but will offer less protection from small objects. A speaker with too much material in front of the driver will begin to distort at higher sound pressure levels, and in severe instances could damage the speaker, resulting in unwanted rattling at the least.

Impracticalities

Some types of speakers have such eccentric characteristics that a grille would interact too much with the sound to be practical.

Studio monitor Studio monitors are loudspeakers in speaker enclosures specifically designed for professional audio production applications, such as recording studios, filmmaking, television studios, radio studios and project or home studios, where accurate ...

s, for instance, are required to reproduce audio so accurately that anything in the path of the speaker could obscure aspects of the sound, and thus are rarely seen with grilles. On the other hand, high powered

subwoofer A subwoofer (or sub) is a loudspeaker designed to reproduce low-pitched audio frequencies known as bass and sub-bass, lower in frequency than those which can be (optimally) generated by a woofer. The typical frequency range for a subwoofer i ...

s (such as those used in high-end

car audio Vehicle audio is equipment installed in a car or other vehicle to provide in-car entertainment and information for the vehicle occupants. Until the 1950s it consisted of a simple AM radio. Additions since then have included FM radio (1952), 8 ...

applications), produce such violent

sound wave In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

s that a grille may be susceptible to rattling or damage while the driver is under load. All but the most sparse grilles also possess the possibility of diminishing or distorting the low frequency waves being produced. Some speakers simply don't need a grille, perhaps because they are enclosed in a case (such as speakers found inside

personal computers A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...

) and are not meant to produce high fidelity audio, but only audible tones and noises.

References

{{Reflist Loudspeakers

Types

Soft Grilles

Hard Grilles

Impracticalities

See also

References