most beautiful (looking) speakers

@tweak1

There was more to the whole story. I did the short version to keep from writing a book.
From past experience I saw the future coming. thought it best to exit ..... stage left.

and the speakers were (to stay on topic)

Acoustat SPECTRA III ESLs.

Not gaudy in my opinion. sounded great to me in ’89. Pretty good looking and massive panels at 66" tall and 32" wide each.

@rickdoesaudio 

I don't recall which speakers I had at the time of the intruder, but I did own Accoustat 2 + 2s, sans sox (I loved the look) with 4! servo amps, which I slightly modified with the help of a fellow Accoustat lover+ the medallion interfaces. Although I tried a number of SS amps, I much preferred the servos, but they were very unstable. Long after I sold them I heard of a guy who was able to resolve that. I built adjustable outriggers which got them off the ground some 5" with fore and aft adjustment 

When it comes to beautiful speakers there is the Living Voice Vox Olympia and then there is everything else.

@kingharold

I think there are speakers and then there are pieces of art that also produce sound

I think the Legacys hold their own.... Not only in looks but killer sound

I think the Fleetwood Deville speakers are beautiful.

 

+1 SF Stradavari

I had the privilege of helping to set up four pairs of Stradivari.  Most of them were set up using the Sumiko Method per the distributor’s recommendation.  They sounded and looked nice.  

@nitrobob 

 

Those are very pretty.

How do I upload a photo? I recall instructions and do not find them readily available. Perhaps an add to FAQ is in order. Regardless, I am attempting to drop a photo in this message from my iMac and am unable. Is there a special suffix that is used for file type? .agonpic? Let me in on the handshake please.

 

@manogolf 

I don't know if you can upload it to into a comment from your desktop/iMac, but if you post it somewhere on the web, facebook or any picture sharing site, you can link it in from the image source url.

Really? An outside app is the way. I know I'm getting longer in the tooth but it was less difficult 20 years ago. What has changed?

20 years of massive technological improvements :)

I suppose if that is the way but I have to ask.

@manogolf also remember to avoid http links, use https. I made that mistake and now the image won't be shown to some people. Depends on their browser settings.

Here is an https linked image of the Bayz Courante.

Legacy Audio Phantom and the HD model.

B&W Nautilus

 

 

prismdissonant

I have both those Legacys in my system. Along with Focus Se's , a Marquee Center and 4 of their Foundation Subs.. Here is the Center..   

 

 

 

That's a very fine center. Does it never come with a grille? I don't see any photos of one online.

FWIW I own neither Phantom nor the Nautilus. The Phantoms, do they punch precisely? Everybody always talks about surround diffusion, but even with dipoles I locate everything exactly (my preference), and one thing I consider a must is precise bass impact when things fly overhead. Unless that is your gear is employed for multichannel music.

On topic I do like that Tekton offers colorful options, some of which come out almost ceramic in appearance.

A number of the most amazing looking speakers left me with indelible scars of their sound...

Well said, loudspeakers are to be heard. When looks are priority, sound quality recedes to the shadows. Any serious lisening session should be done with eyes closed anyway... if eyes are open when listening to music, you are barely engaging your eras & brains, you are missing out 90% of what the speakers can translate.

Also, keeping eyes open forces the brain to skew interpretation of the sound to fit what you see...  

All that being said, the most beautiful speakers are the ones made from real wood cabinets. To me, nothing else comes close to their natural beauty, simplicity and honesty.

Sonus Faber Elipsa and Extrema. Franco Serblin Accordo. I have all three and they are all so beautiful in different ways.

 

Equation 25 speakers. I thing to behold in pinched maple

Best looking, most aesthetically pleasing speaker ever made?  Gotta be the early generation Klipsch La Scalas in the raw birch plywood.  (Sorry - I had to do it.  No flaming, please - I'm actually a Klipsch owner!) 😁

Thanks to previous posters for sharing some real beauties!

"Danish or Italian. The Danes make beautiful stuff."

- jrbirdman333

Nods while looking at my Dynaudio Heritage Special and Chario speakers....

@grislybutter I love your taste! Always loved the Davones and the Trennr & Friedls. Great stuff. Here are pictures of my Charios & Dyns...

Roxy54 , yes Diapason Adamantes sound good looks good. Norh 9 very unique marble speakers...

@matro5 

thank you, I too love Danish design!

but what is it doing in the garage? :)

It's hard to divorce the looks of speakers from their reputation in the Audio Community.

My choice would be Avantgarde

@coachpoconnor 

"hard to divorce the looks of speakers from their reputation"

yes and reputation comes from the quality

with industrial design, function comes first and that defines design. We are not talking about pretty boxes, it's about what they do. I get goosebumps when I see a gorgeous speaker and I want to HEAR it!

"thank you, I too love Danish design! but what is it doing in the garage? :)" 

- @grislybutter 

Being built, by hand, one at a time...

:) 

According to Dynaudio, "This is where Heritage Special takes shape. Literally. It isn’t a photo-set, carefully dressed to look like a factory. It’s a factory, left as it is, with a finished Heritage Special left on the bench after Martin went home (he didn’t want us distracting him with cameras while he worked)."

I appreciate exotic looks in speakers, but I also love old school veneered boxes, and I've always thought that those Heritage Dynaudios are beautiful. 

Estelon Extreme’s look super cool but as Roxy said, I much prefer classic old school box speakers. Proac Studio 3’s are my favorite….simply gorgeous.

Woe betide you if you disagree when she speaks.

No, all seriousness aside.

Eminent Technology LFT8 Bravo

No really all seriousness aside.

Devialet Silver. Get the Silver. It's not as loud as the Gold but the sound is more refined.

The best looking speakers are speakers that disappear when you start playing music.

I actually had Totem Forest speakers - I was looking / waiting for them for over a decade. But then... I walked into a shop and noticed the ones below even before hearing them. The metal rings almost shine and broke my heart (and wallet). 
I added Gaia III feet underneath, put them on a black marble slate (for stability) and didn't look back ever since.

F704 Floorstanding Speaker | Hi-Fi - FYNE AUDIO

 

ESTELON YB MKII

Laufer Teknik The Note. IMO, it's beautiful in that is near invisible the only shortcoming is it's 85-93" tall. I have the height, but sadly, not the budget

JBL Paragon....

Also the speakers featured in the Amazon "Bosch" series. Don't know what they were but were very impressive looking!

I kinda like the look of my Focal Sopra 2's.

ozzy

I personally really liked the Audiovector SR3 RAW, concrete outer shell. 

 

I realize that it is often the case that loudspeakers share a living space with other household members and that a certain attractiveness is a bonus and sometimes even a requirement.  I credit Lewis Lipnick, when writing for Stereophile, for creating the WAF [Wife's Acceptance Factor] and the MIF [Marriage Interference Factor] guidelines regarding the visual appeal of any audio equipment.  I know personally that any compromises that were encountered involved trips to the Laura Ashley Store to smooth things over. 

    Personally, I once owned a pair of B&W 801 loudspeakers, finished in rosewood, that were so attractive to view that they became a distraction to my enjoyment of the music they produced !   I actually traded them to a friend for a pair of the same speakers finished in plain black and can honestly say that my enjoyment of listening to music increased severalfold.  I understand why the beauty of the cabinetry can be a joy in itself, but my experience with the 801s firmly set my future loudspeaker choices to the most neutral in appearance possible.  It still works for me.   Anyone else ?

nice, up-to-date page

Looks like tubebuffer has a new screen name.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. May I have your opinions on Tektons? @Millercarbon is an advocate, but certainly not just for looks. I am personally drawn to high end Magico's, Dynaudios, I would say B&W (owned 5 pair), but even with the fantastic evolution not for me in looks.