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Any High-end speakers "kid-friendly" not fragile?

OK. Crazy question. Have friend who wants to set-up nice system in multi-purpose 17x22 room where kids will play. Wants to know if there are any hi-end spkrs (budget $5k-10k used) where the drivers are not so fragile or so expensive to replace (ie, he doesn't want B&W diamond tweeter that is both very fragile and costs $1200 or more to replace). Now, mind you, his kids aren't playing with knives, lol, but the occasional bump or finger touch to paper cones, metal dome tweeters are a concern. Any sugestions?
jeffkad

Showing 2 responses by johnnyb53

johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
Does anyone still make high end speakers with perforated metal grilles? I bought a pair of ADS L1090 speakers the year my daughter was born. They were perfect--floorstanding, so she couldn't a speaker off a stand (and dent her punky li'l head), sealed enclosure (no ports for stuffing dolls or other items), and perforated metal grilles, which completely protected the drivers behind and provided reasonably transparent sound when in place.

Also, on a narrow tower, I recommend getting outrigger feet to make them less prone to tipping over.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
06-11-09: Onhwy61
Kid-friendly is different than kid-proof. I'd recommend any floor standing speaker with a large footprint (can't be knocked over).
Don't count on that. The Mirage M5si from the mid-'90s is 51" tall and 85 lbs. each. About 6 months after I got a pair, my then-5-yr-old was playing with the dog and managed to knock one over and break the fastener that secured the endcap to the column. Nobody got hurt. I was away at work and my then-wife and son kept quiet about it until I discovered it on my own weeks later.

As mentioned, the large footprint would have helped. The M5si base is about 16" wide, but only about 8" deep, which is the direction it fell over. You can also buy aftermarket outriggers (e.g., Soundocity) to provide a more stable base for almost any floorstanding speaker.
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