Speaker meshes/screens? Audio quality or just aesthetics?

Question

I have some speakers that have removable meshes. If I remove them, does the sound change at all? Or is the difference purely visual?

Answer 1

If the speakers are of decent grade, the manufacturer made them properly. The very thin, semi-transparent fabric will have no audible difference.
I always keep my covers on - if you happened to damage them them you will notice a difference.

Answer 2

Hi.George .Speaker meshes/screens are mainly used to protect the drivers from damage and also to hide them from view which is more pleasing to the eye .Depending on how transparent the screens are ,yes they do affect the sound Any covering will change the sound from the speaker ,no matter how open.
Whether or not you will hear a difference depends on the acoustical properties of the screen.As soon as i bought my speakers i removed the screens before even listening to them with them on .I did not want to have doubts.

One way to find out is to have a double blind test to see if you can hear a difference without knowing if the screens are on or off. You put a blindfold on and get a friend to hold the screen and to put it against the enclosure and take it away without you knowing and when you hear the music you have to say if you think the speaker is covered or not
Cheers.

Answer 3

Any mesh is going to change the sound. A lot of commercial audio systems don't have meshes these days for that reason. However you'd probably have to be an audiophile to notice the difference.