You will find very few speaker companies with as wide a selection of veneer and color as Salk Audio, and they have a high degree of quality sound to value. I have reviewed two Salk speakers for Dagogo.com, the most recent being the SS 9.5, which is a great value.
If you can't make a home run aesthetically with a Salk speaker's array of veneers and finishes, then get the panel.
Imo, deciding based on looks is the wrong way to buy a speaker, but I'm all about sound quality and understanding what different genres of speakers do. I do understand that in some instances aesthetics is all important, and I think you are wise to have agreement with the wife, versus militating against her opinion. I strongly suggest that if you do not know the fundamental differences in how dipole/panel versus dynamic speakers sound, that you educate yourself. If you already have a basic understanding of that and it has been taken into consideration, then carry on.
Note well, there are rabid fans of every genre of speaker. Do not get swayed by the fanatics who will proclaim that only one genre is best/correct. :)
If you can't make a home run aesthetically with a Salk speaker's array of veneers and finishes, then get the panel.
Imo, deciding based on looks is the wrong way to buy a speaker, but I'm all about sound quality and understanding what different genres of speakers do. I do understand that in some instances aesthetics is all important, and I think you are wise to have agreement with the wife, versus militating against her opinion. I strongly suggest that if you do not know the fundamental differences in how dipole/panel versus dynamic speakers sound, that you educate yourself. If you already have a basic understanding of that and it has been taken into consideration, then carry on.
Note well, there are rabid fans of every genre of speaker. Do not get swayed by the fanatics who will proclaim that only one genre is best/correct. :)