The best looking speakers
Sonus Faber has always made some of the most beautiful speakers.... im listening to a 20 plus year old pair of Concerto right now and they still sound great and look beautiful. My Dad just picked up a pair of Electa Amator III. They are gorgeous. Fit and finish is over the top. They sound better than they look. A statement speaker for sure |
I am purely in the "form should follow function" camp of audio design. This usually leads me to love the looks of quite a few speakers that many find not so aesthetically pleasing. AvantGarde Acoustics, Tidal, Aries Cerat, Acapella, and others. Ugly speakers to me, are almost anything in a "monkey casket" type of enclosure, no matter how great the finish is on them. And don’t even get me started on this entire "retro" design trend that has been going on recently. "Hey! I have an idea. Let’s build speakers that look like they could have been the house brand of just about any mid-fi store of the 70’s, throw a nice finish on it, and call it "Heritage", or "Classic" or some other name marketing can come up with". "But we’ve learned a long time ago, that rectangular enclosures, with wide baffles, and a raised lip around the edge of the baffle, are sonic compromises". "Just do it". |
@kokakolia - Don't forget real/artificial plants. I've added to my listening space and wish I'd done it sooner. Big ones, little ones, different shaped leaves -very cool. |
@toro3 Don’t be like me and purchase a condo with a 3 year completion wait. I had 3 years to think about the interior decor, without setting foot in the condo. My brain was working 24/7 imagining what the space would look like. I even used AutoCAD at work to figure out a layout. I spent over 3 years obsessively watching interior decorators on YouTube. There are standouts : - Garrett le Chic - Page Wassel - Nick Lewis There are pitfalls in interior design: - Overspending on ‘new’ furniture. Nobody gives a flying care if your table has a ding or a scratch. Nobody cares about your designer chairs and if they’re « original ». It’s okay to have some white furniture if you introduce books, a rug, some wood etc… There’s no hard rule in decorating. Just fill the space with stuff. Have some colored fabrics that pop (accent chair, accent pillow, throw…). Have books (even if you don’t read. Look for trinkets at the pawnshop and flea markets.
|
@kokakolia you should start a thread about tips/tricks for decorating. I’ve always been really interested in room aesthetics and ambience in relation to putting foreign objects (speakers, amps, racks, room treatment) in an otherwise normal room. I found this to be most difficult and something I’m still trying to learn by going to Virtual Systems on the weekly (as well as Pinterest of all places). Seriously, though, it would be a great thread that begins with your insights. |
@kokakolia - interesting; I do take a big interest in my living space; I've been talking to a decorator about a re-do but it's not easy to find decorators who have any real interest in dealing with my audio-visual setup. The best looking speakers I've ever owned were stand-mount Sonus-Faber Cremona Auditors.... |
@ovature tell us you've never had a real relationship without telling us you've never had a real relationship. |
Personally, large speaker towers turn me off. They absolutely dwarf a living room and scream "me! me! me!". I would prioritize wood veneer or real wood to add warmth to a space. So any slim tower or tiny standmount in a wood finish is a solid choice. But the Elipson BS50 Tribute gets my vote. Otherwise I love the vintage JBL look of the L100 with the fuzzy orange grill. |
@ovature Men just have to take interest in their home decor. In my household, it's more like HAF (Husband Acceptance Factor). Why? Because I decorate. To be frank, I see a lot of pictures of empty listening rooms with tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment. This makes my blood boil. So you can afford $5000 speakers but you can't afford to decorate the space? I feel like I'm in a car mechanic's waiting room. It's depressing. Can't you hang pictures on the wall? Lay a nice rug? Add a few plants, an accent chair and nice pieces of vintage furniture? Can we have some color up in here? Why does everything have to be a shade of grey? I just want to drag people's butts to the local flea markets, the goodwill and pawn shops. Quality pieces are often cheap and IKEA sells drab white melamine furniture as luxury... |
IMO none of the major brands come close to Jim Salk's speakers. His custom finishes look like museum quality furniture. His speakers often have attractive finishes to be sure. Not always in love with the rest of the design. For me finish and overall shape/aesthetics have to go hand-in-hand. (And Salk does have some that do both I think. Some less so). |
Love the look the classic/modern Nova’s from SF... http://www.sonusfaber.com/en/products/olympica-nova-iii/ |
My Lansche 4.1 with elegant and real wood finish. It also has beautiful purple eyes (plasma tweeter). Ha Ha https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMtNSB4H5MbCvLRW_yUOEOl3WRBxcf--Jdo_iBJFwEeTH1i-rg4WsWWn5tp03-W... |
I agree the Gershman Avant Garde have a nice contemporary shape, though I always disliked the out-of-place-looking yellow driver. Looks like the "Grand" Avant Garde has some more interesting grill covers though. But their top of the line "Posh" speaker....egads! Saw it at a show and it was one of the most off-putting, industrial "shop prototype" looking speakers I’ve seen. The cobbled-together aesthetic is a real eye-sore IMO. cd13, I love the look of the timeless classic box designs (as long as they’re no darker than maple/cherry to rosewood - no zebra sriped ugliness please). ..... I feel the same way about a well-proportioned old-school speaker. And the Harbeths are particularly nice for their wood finish and the way they are designed with the grills in mind, so the grills sit neatly and deliberately inset in to the front, where many speaker grills break the aesthetic flow by looking like something you just add on afterward. But it’s also the case, at least for me, that a speaker has to look comfortable in a room. I bought the Harbeth SuperHL5plus to downsize from big Thiel 3.7 speakers. Since I liked the aesthetics of the Harbeths, and they were so much smaller, and I was dealing with a somewhat small listening room, I figured the Harbeths would win the aesthetics battle. But it turned out not to be the case. My room has a contemporary look, and speakers have to be pulled out pretty far in to the room. The Harbeths just looked "wrong" in there, out of place, jarring. Even though the Thiels were far larger, they had a more sleek, modern look, though with a comfy nice wood grain. Both my wife and I and others felt the big Thiels looked more "right" in the room. Even more so for my current Thiel 2.7s. As for "zebra striped ugliness" if you mean for instance the ebony finish on the Harbeths (or other speakers) there we depart. I love a good rich ebony and I deliberately sought out that finish in my Thiel 2.7s which make them match the room beautifully (the rest of the room is in deep brown, black, and cream colors). Maple is usually dull to me and, aside from the obvious atrocities of oak or black ash finish, cherry is my least favorite finish. I remember when cherry-wood was the rage in the 90’s and everyone did cherry. To me it’s simultaneously a boring wood and brings to mind the time of "Shabby chic" furniture and neon windbreakers of the 90’s. But...hey...that’s just one audiophile’s grumbly opinions ;-) |
...look at new, Gershman Acoustics speakers: modern pyramidal, architectural-looking (except for their studio monitor) from the Avant Garde up. HIGH WAF, easily blends into almost any environment... THE BIGGER QUESTION MAY BE YOUR DECOR: The problem I think you have is the "breathing room" needed by most higher-end audiophile speakers. You may need to consider new or vintage speakers designed for corner placement, or placement close to a rear wall... |
I love the look of the timeless classic box designs (as long as they're no darker than maple/cherry to rosewood - no zebra sriped ugliness please). Big Spendors, JBL L100s, Tannoys, etc all look good to my gaze. The Harbeth SLH5s stand out for me. Their grille and particularly their geometry just looks damn near perfect to my eyes. However as beautiful as these designs look, the perfect loudspeaker for me would ultimately be the invisible loudspeaker - and I'm sure my wife would probably agree. |
These are sweet. I hung a black v-shaped shag carpet between them to lock in the center image and it worked well, but for some reason I kept getting really horny while sitting in the sweet spot... https://aer-loudspeakers.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/aer-pnoe-3-mont-www.jpg |
When I brought home the Magnepan MG20's my wife said, "They're ....... Doors! After hearing them, she said "They actually blend in with the decor". Thankfully, WAF can be improved somewhat with better sound, if they can hear the difference. The Maggies have actuall expanded her appreciation of different genres of music. Happy listening, Butch |
Duevel bella luna always looked good to me, never heard them though. Speakers more than anything need to be tried at home and I don’t have the room for them. http://www.duevel.com/Produkte/EBLdia.shtml |
prof....good for you, as, it should be.....The point I was making was based on me, and my experiences....Great example. My ex wife ( we were together for 34 yrs ), did not like the look of many speakers I have owned ( not just speakers, such as cables, elevated, on wood / ceramic blocks, etc ), but appreciated my listening habit ). I always had my own dedicated audio room, which was pretty much used by me, and listening buddies visiting. I was never " limited " to what was brought into " my space ". This was also an agreement the ex and I had made ( sort of like a prenup, lol ), prior to our engagement. When she visited my, at that time, current home, during our dating period ( I was 24 ), it was quite clear, she was not as " accepting " as your wife. I helped hundreds of listeners over the years, in putting systems together, and there were more conflicts, than not, when it came to the " looks " department. I do appreciate, as well, the fact that you need to be pleased, visually, with your speaker choices. I would own an " ugly " speaker, if it gave me the performance that satisfied my enjoyment of listening. I suppose, my modified Klipsch Lascalas, and the subs I had built, would not please many, on a visual level. Again, these have been my experiences. So, I do understand, not " all " spouses, are like yours.......Enjoy ! MrD. |
As some other have said: Sonus Faber Are great looking. I also like Totem and Boenicke and my wife would be ok with all of those. I happened to mention Kii Three to my wife, more as dream speakers than something to buy right now. My wife took one look and said they were the ugliest speakers she has seen and that they would never come into our house. My dream was shattered. |
Altec Capistranos. 1950s design with solid wood top. Incredible piece of console furniture and terrific sound quality. I had a total furniture restoration done so mine are like a brand new pair. Reversed the baffle board on one so they are a mirror-imaged pair since these were originally sold as one in the monophonic days. Original owner did buy two so they are close match. Years ago, I used to have a pair of lacquered Mahogany Khorns w white cane grills, and those were pretty unbelievable to look at. Had to weigh in on this discussion. Don |
First, I don’t think there is a right or wrong. I’ve really enjoyed the varying opinions and learned of some other options. Speakers are awesome, all of them are lovely in their own way. The boenicke look really cool. Still a huge fan of Devore and Zu audio. everyone has their own style. Asking questions and listening to various answers is a great way to learn. |
I have been quite impressed with my Focal Sopra 2’s in Imperial Red. I own a modest ranch home and my living room is also my listening room (for now). My system occupies the majority of one wall and the fact that I am a single woman means I don’t have to answer to anyone but myself for design sense, taste, cost or volume!! I am fortunate in that sense. I had listened to the Focal’s off and on for several years, comparing them to other speakers in the same price range, and was, again, fortunate to have a brother-in-law in the business and a few friends to guide me. The Focal’s look great and sound better. I listen to vinyl and cd’s with vinyl being my preferred. I’m older now so this will be my last system and I couldn’t be happier. |
mrdecibel I don't quite agree. Though my wife has her opinions on the looks of speakers, I actually can buy pretty much whatever I want within my budget, and the looks of the speaker are up to me. Aesthetics are very important to me. I'll be looking at those speakers a lot, and it will be a piece of furniture whatever room I put it in. I want a speaker to look really pleasing, not a crappy DIY-looking collection of drivers in a box or whatever. I find ugly aesthetics detracts from the experience. Fortunately the options for speakers are so varied I don't have to sacrifice sound quality in order to also have a good looking speaker. |
This " best looking speaker " subject, is generally, when a husband, spouse, or roommate ( the audiophile buyer ), does not have a room totally dedicated to him / her self. Somewhat unfortunate, as, the music enjoyment, which we all agree, is the 1st and foremost basis, for purchasing any and all equipment, to satisfy the ears, hearts and souls. And yes, as in speaker choice for listening, it is highly subjective, with the cosmetics / room decor thing. |
LOL...Jadis Eurythmie: my wife would kick me out of the house if those showed up.
Which, again, I can predict some women I know including my wife would think look odd and sort of like robots. "Why doesn’t it just look like a speaker?" And even though my own wife’s aesthetic judgement of speakers is to some degree predictable, it’s not entirely predictable. She has liked the looks of some speakers I’ve had in the house much more than others, where I would have predicted the reverse. Point being: All this "best looking speaker" stuff is highly subjective. I’m not sure how the subjective all-over-the-map suggestions from other people can help, unless one has no taste of one’s own. |
