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Author Topic: Should I replace speaker grills Foam or Not ?  (Read 7074 times)

Maidson Pierre Louis

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Should I replace speaker grills Foam or Not ?
« on: April 09, 2018, 05:27:56 PM »

I Just sand and paint some of my speakers, on most of them the grill foam is deteriorating or break down. I want to know if a good idea to replace the foam with a new one or Not. A friend of mine said to me without the foam the speaker sound better. I am looking for your advice and the pro cons for that project.
If i have to replace the foam which Brand and thickness you will recommand.
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Mike Monte

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Re: Should I replace speaker grills Foam or Not ?
« Reply #1 on: April 09, 2018, 06:06:56 PM »

I Just sand and paint some of my speakers, on most of them the grill foam is deteriorating or break down. I want to know if a good idea to replace the foam with a new one or Not. A friend of mine said to me without the foam the speaker sound better. I am looking for your advice and the pro cons for that project.
If i have to replace the foam which Brand and thickness you will recommand.

IMO grill foam makes a speaker look more pro....plus it gives me an extra minute or two to "bag the speaker" in the event of rain at outdoor events.  I have added grill foam to my Yorkville e152's and it does not seem to ill-affect their performance.
I purchased the foam from partsexpress.com  It was inexpensive to do.

My reason for adding the foam was o
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Dave Pluke

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Re: Should I replace speaker grills Foam or Not ?
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2018, 11:46:14 AM »

A friend of mine said to me without the foam the speaker sound better. I am looking for your advice and the pro cons for that project.

Reticulated foam is not supposed to interfere with sound.  That said, there may be a SLIGHT difference in high frequency content.  On the other hand, the lack of foam may result in undesirable noises from the metal grill.

I agree with Mike regarding the benefits of using foam behind grills in general.  As to the thickness, I would recommend using the same as the original.

Dave
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Sam Costa

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Re: Should I replace speaker grills Foam or Not ?
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2018, 12:01:22 AM »

I Just sand and paint some of my speakers, on most of them the grill foam is deteriorating or break down. I want to know if a good idea to replace the foam with a new one or Not. A friend of mine said to me without the foam the speaker sound better. I am looking for your advice and the pro cons for that project.
If i have to replace the foam which Brand and thickness you will recommand.


I would replace the foam. Take it from me, if you do outdoor events it keeps a lot of the dust from getting into your cabinets /speakers, also I noticed many years ago that my previous subs that the foam actually helps keep the sunlight from prematurely damaging your speakers and cones.
If you know the size you need, let me know, I have a great shop near my warehouse that has cuts speaker foam material. Recently did all of mine and it definitely keeps them looking new and looking great.

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Steve Eudaly

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Re: Should I replace speaker grills Foam or Not ?
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2018, 02:09:05 AM »

I would love to hear some advice on where to get small orders of larger foam sheets. This topic has definitely come up a few times on PSW, but the suppliers I called didn't seem to want to sell me relatively small quantities. One of the suppliers referred me to Granger, but all of theirs was too dense. Our KF850s need new foam and it the rill faces are something like 24" x 40" so the Parts Express stuff is too small.

For now I just removed the rotten foam as the look doesn't bother me too much since they are used primarily for rock and roll Texas headphones, but I do know dust and moisture will be more of an issue without it.

Bob Leonard

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Re: Should I replace speaker grills Foam or Not ?
« Reply #5 on: April 13, 2018, 06:21:07 PM »

Search the web for reticulated foam, and if your speakers came with the foam they should have the foam.

Reticulated foam is foam that has all of the little bubbles broken or burst during the manufacturing process. The correct size should be used to replace the foam, however, if you can't find the right size lean towards a larger size. (Size of broken bubble in layman's terms.)

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/default.aspx?catid=1070&clickid=popcorn

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=105396&catid=1070

These are examples. Note the PPI. The higher the number the more porous (open) the foam. Call these guys, tell them what you're doing and they'll help you out.
« Last Edit: April 13, 2018, 06:26:11 PM by Bob Leonard »
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Jeremy Young

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Re: Should I replace speaker grills Foam or Not ?
« Reply #6 on: April 13, 2018, 08:03:16 PM »

I replaced the foam behind the grille of a few of my EV monitors.  I went to the local fabric store and asked around, and they had "speaker cabinet foam" that they sold by the yard.  I honestly don't know if it was reticulated foam or not, but an afternoon with some spray adhesive and they look a lot better.  You might have good luck somewhere like that?   
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Craig Alan

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Re: Should I replace speaker grills Foam or Not ?
« Reply #7 on: April 15, 2018, 01:01:13 PM »

i have used window AC filter foam.  It comes in sheets to cut yourself and is inexpensive.  I think I bought it at Home Depot.  It works great for smaller grills, but I it is only 18” square or so.  You may be able to use a couple of pieces on larger grills.  3M Super 77 glue sprayed on the back of the grill has kept it in place.
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Sam Costa

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Re: Should I replace speaker grills Foam or Not ?
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2018, 02:35:01 PM »

I Just sand and paint some of my speakers, on most of them the grill foam is deteriorating or break down. I want to know if a good idea to replace the foam with a new one or Not. A friend of mine said to me without the foam the speaker sound better. I am looking for your advice and the pro cons for that project.
If i have to replace the foam which Brand and thickness you will recommand.

Why sizes do you need and how many pieces of foam?
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Maidson Pierre Louis

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Re: Should I replace speaker grills Foam or Not ?
« Reply #9 on: April 30, 2018, 02:19:04 AM »


I would replace the foam. Take it from me, if you do outdoor events it keeps a lot of the dust from getting into your cabinets /speakers, also I noticed many years ago that my previous subs that the foam actually helps keep the sunlight from prematurely damaging your speakers and cones.
If you know the size you need, let me know, I have a great shop near my warehouse that has cuts speaker foam material. Recently did all of mine and it definitely keeps them looking new and looking great.

than you. i will send you a pm
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Maidia Event Productions

Jbl SRX722, SRX712, SRX718, EV, EAW. RoLand JC120, Crown Itech, Crown Xti, DBx, Denon, Mac Book Pro, M-Audio , Motion Labs, Ewi, On Stage, Ampeg, Yamaha Drum, SoundCraft expression 3 etc ...

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Re: Should I replace speaker grills Foam or Not ?
« Reply #9 on: April 30, 2018, 02:19:04 AM »


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