After doing numerous A/B comparisons I still cannot decide whether I like the towers with or without the towers. Sound-wise there is no difference to the human ear, but I am debating the 'look'. I like the sporty and sophisticated look of the grills, but also like the slickness of the black cones inside the brushed metal without the grills.

Decisions Decisions...

This is a dedicated home theater room, which is 11'X16'. The door in the picture leads to a laundry closet, so there is little traffic in and out. The towers are 14" from the side walls, 38" from the rear walls and are about 8' apart. They are toed in at 7 degrees. The listening position is 10 feet away.