When covering speaker frames with speaker cloth, most people first think about colour, texture and tension. Yet one crucial detail is often overlooked: the fabric’s grain direction. Here’s what it means and why it matters.
Our acoustic cloth is a piqué jersey — a knit fabric that, thanks to its structure, is both firm and dimensionally stable while remaining highly elastic. Its fine, alternating raised and recessed rows of loops run in a specific direction. This direction, known as the grain, determines the structure of the fabric and its characteristic stretch behaviour.
The grain direction and the way the fabric stretches are key for two reasons when mounting speaker frames, acoustic panels or wall coverings in studios and home cinemas.
The visual effect
Jersey reflects light slightly differently depending on whether you look along or across the knit pattern. If two otherwise identical frames are covered with the fabric mounted in different directions, the difference can become immediately visible under side lighting or diffuse light. One surface may appear slightly duller or glossier than the other — and the colours can even seem different.This effect is particularly noticeable with fine, plain fabrics like ours, because the human eye is remarkably good at detecting small variations in light reflection and shading. We are often surprised ourselves by how much the appearance of one and the same fabric colour can change if the grain direction is ignored.
To illustrate this, we carried out a few comparison tests, rotating two identical pieces cut from the same fabric roll by 90° and 180°. The results were striking:
The mechanical behaviour under tension
When stretching jersey over a frame, the direction of maximum elasticity makes a real difference. If the more elastic direction runs across the frame, the tension not only changes the size but also the shape of the fabric. Stretching in one direction causes narrowing in the other.That’s why it’s important not to overstretch the material during mounting and to apply the tension as evenly as possible. If two identical frames are covered with different grain orientations, the fabric on one may appear more transparent than on the other — simply because the knit structure is stretched differently.
The grain direction also influences how the fabric fits around the edges of the frame and sits at the corners. One frame may end up perfectly smooth and tight, while another shows faint ripples or uneven edge tension. Over time, these differences may increase as the material subtly adjusts under load. Ultimately, this also affects the visual appearance.
Acoustically, these mechanical variations are negligible. Neither the grain direction nor the choice of visible side has any impact on the sound transparency of our acoustic fabric. However, for a visually perfect result, you should always ensure the same grain orientation across all parts. Just take a close look at the photo showing two speaker fronts covered with the speaker cloth in opposite directions: the left side clearly looks darker, the right one lighter and more transparent.
How to proceed like a professional
- Before cutting or mounting, decide carefully which direction the fabric will be installed. Treat the grain like the grain in wood: once defined, it must remain consistent across all pieces to create a harmonious overall appearance.
- Mark the top edge and right side of each piece so that all cuts can be mounted with the same orientation.
- If you’re using pre-cut panels rather than fabric by the metre, lay them side by side and make sure their surfaces and colours truly match. If you’re unsure, check from different angles and under various lighting conditions. Once you’ve identified the grain direction, add clear markings.
- When mounting, apply tension evenly and in the same sequence for all frames (centre top first, then centre bottom, followed by the sides) to avoid uneven deformation. Likewise, make sure that staples, hook-and-loop tape, or adhesive are placed in the same positions on all frames.