[cacophony777]

While we're on the subject of scientific basis for decisions ...

What kind of effect do the grills have on the Songtowers? Has anybody done a frequency response comparison?

I feel more comfortable leaving these beauties protected most of the time 
but if going grill-less makes a noticeable difference I'll have to reconsider.

[jtwrace]

You are kidding right?

[werd]

Nope. he's serious... its a beaut... 

[cacophony777]

Wow, thanks for the insight guys. You've been real helpful.

[jd3]

Don't know if Jim's taken any measurements, but he recommends removing the grills when listening.  There's a thread somewhere here where he talks about it.  I leave them on for 'protection' but remove them when I'm listening.

[werd]

Cacophonny

I am going to give you some real good advice and i hope you take it into consideration. To get started you want to develop your own tastes. Make them your own, its good to get help but really the end result should be a very personal development of your own taste.  This question trumpets your lack of personal involvement with your own gear. To answer your question, try them both on and off. What ever you like better go with..... 

[Vulcan00]

I never have put my grills on, infact I never unwrapped them.

[cacophony777]

Cacophonny

I am going to give you some real good advice and i hope you take it into consideration. To get started you want to develop your own tastes. Make them your own, its good to get help but really the end result should be a very personal development of your own taste.  This question trumpets your lack of personal involvement with your own gear. To answer your question, try them both on and off. What ever you like better go with..... 

I have tons of "personal involvement" with my gear. I listen to music every night.

But I'm also relatively new to this, and thus don't always know what to listen for. I also don't trust my auditory memory unless it's a very obvious and significant difference (and based on what I've read neither should you). Different speakers make this type of significant difference that's immediately obvious to me. Nothing else I've heard (amps, source, cables) has made any difference at all as far as I can tell.

[DMurphy]

While we're on the subject of scientific basis for decisions ...

What kind of effect do the grills have on the Songtowers? Has anybody done a frequency response comparison?

I feel more comfortable leaving these beauties protected most of the time 
but if going grill-less makes a noticeable difference I'll have to reconsider.

Hi   I took some measurements once and posted them, but good luck finding them.  I'll try and measure again tonight.  It makes an obvious difference in the plots, but I'm not claiming that difference would translate into an audible difference that would survive an A-B test.  But at least I can document that it does change the frequency response.   

[werd]

I have tons of "personal involvement" with my gear. I listen to music every night.

But I'm also relatively new to this, and thus don't always know what to listen for. I also don't trust my auditory memory unless it's a very obvious and significant difference (and based on what I've read neither should you). Different speakers make this type of significant difference that's immediately obvious to me. Nothing else I've heard (amps, source, cables) has made any difference at all as far as I can tell.

[/b]
List your gear and maybe i can help...... What source are you using?, what amp,etc. You should be hearing differences.

[cacophony777]

List your gear and maybe i can help...... What source are you using?, what amp,etc. You should be hearing differences.

The only upgrade I've made with my own setup is speakers.
I was referring to auditions I've made. Every speaker I auditioned had a very distinct sound, but when I tried different amps, sources, etc, (with the same pair of speakers) I never was able to hear any differences. I was not able to quickly A/B, so there was a couple minute delay between these switches.

edit: I have heard a small difference between two DACs, but it required fast and regular A/B switching.

[cacophony777]

Hi   I took some measurements once and posted them, but good luck finding them.  I'll try and measure again tonight.  It makes an obvious difference in the plots, but I'm not claiming that difference would translate into an audible difference that would survive an A-B test.  But at least I can document that it does change the frequency response.

I'd love to see the difference in FR plot, but it would also (or alternatively) be interesting to see if you can tell the difference in a blind A/B switch!

[werd]

So you don't want to list your gear....?  No one is going to flame you over gear.

[cacophony777]

So you don't want to list your gear....?  No one is going to flame you over gear.

I have no problem listing my gear (it's in other threads...):

Songtowers (with Sonicap bypass caps  )
Onkyo A-9555 integrated amp
Onkyo C-S5VL SACD player (has the Wolfson WM8742 DAC)
Monoprice 12 guage speaker wire, banana plugs, and interconnect

[werd]

Do you run your Sacd into the integrated by analogue or digital connect? Try using a digital connect.

[cacophony777]

Do you run your Sacd into the integrated by analogue or digital connect? Try using a digital connect.

The amp only has analog inputs, so nothing I can try there...

[werd]

The amp only has analog inputs, so nothing I can try there...

Ok, this is where you want to head. You want to be able to hear a difference in gear swaps. It looks like the gear you have is unable to resolve the music enough to make difference . I would look at the integrated as the culprit. I know i piped on about sources but i think that integrated is just polluting out all your resolution. If you are ever looking to upgrade i would start there with a full out analogue integrated or pre/power combo. Stay away from all out digital integrateds as an upgrade.

[billmcc]

Do you run your Sacd into the integrated by analogue or digital connect? Try using a digital connect.

Looking at the A-9555 it does not have any digital inputs.

Bill

[werd]

Looking at the A-9555 it does not have any digital inputs.

Bill

at first glance i thought it might...

[coke]

I actually prefer the looks of my speakers with the grills on.  Gives them a much more "finished' appearance.  Jim should consider putting some pictures on his site.

  I listen to my stereo almost every day though, so the grills don't get much use.