How do the metal or plastic grills in front of speakers and amps not hugely affect the sound coming out of them?
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They can do. For this reason, many audiophiles take the grills off their speakers.
Typically, the grills are designed and built from materials that will minimise the impact on the sound quality, whilst still providing the protection needed for the speakers intended use case.
Due to the physics of sound waves, the higher frequency sounds are affected more (in basic terms) and you’re more likely to have hearing damage in the higher frequencies, so these factors, plus others, mean you may not notice the effect
They do and this is why in studios, you see monitors with no grills on them.
Grills are used for stereos and large speakers on a PA system for protection where 100% sound quality isn’t necessary.
They can do. For this reason, many audiophiles take the grills off their speakers.
Typically, the grills are designed and built from materials that will minimise the impact on the sound quality, whilst still providing the protection needed for the speakers intended use case.
Due to the physics of sound waves, the higher frequency sounds are affected more (in basic terms) and you’re more likely to have hearing damage in the higher frequencies, so these factors, plus others, mean you may not notice the effect
Most well-designed speaker grilles will not change the volume of any frequency by more than 1dB.
If I played the same sound for you twice, one if them being 1dB louder than the other, you’d have trouble identifying which one is louder. 1dB is a very small difference. Most people start to hear a difference in volume at around 3dB.
Grilles prevent the speaker from being damaged, and it’s better to keep them on. The effect they have on the sound is extremely minimal. If you’re listening in a room with untreated walls and floors and ceilings, then the acoustics of your room are surely having much more of an effect on the sound than the speaker grille.
If a self-professed “audiophile” claims that it changes the sound, do a blindfolded test and see if they can reliably identify when the grille is removed. Play a sound 10 times with them blindfolded. Each time, randomly put the grille on or remove it. See how accurate they are. Most likely they’ll be as accurate as a coin flip. All but the cheapest and shittiest speaker grilles don’t have a perceivable effect on the sound in typical environments.
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