Ugly vs Gogeous speakers


I know speakers should be all about sound but I can't help responding to the look as well and this presents me with a dilemma.

I have owned B&W Nautilus 803's for many years and love the sound and value (excellent sound for reasonable cost). I would love to upgrade but I (and wife) think that the retro Star Wars R2D2 looking speaker (802) is nothing we would have in our living space.

What do others think the best looking / sounding speaker is? Do looks matter to you?

128x128jyprez

Showing 2 responses by polarin

My wife and I recently downsized our empty nest home to a new condo.  Our new digs are quite contemporary and the 30 year old Ohm Walsh 3's just didn't cut it looks wise.  So I decided I decided to pull the trigger on a pair of Duevel Planets in a light silver finish which complimented our decor perfectly. I read several reviews on the Planets and felt pretty confident I wasn't giving up too much on the Ohm's and with the exception of a few Hertz down low they sound very similar to the much bigger Ohm's.  As I now have a dedicated Man-Loft system (Maggies) the main great room setup is more of a "Lifestyle" system.  It's fun when guests ask "what are those" and they're mighty impressed when I spin some tunes on them. So I suppose my foray into speakers based on how they look turned out OK, on a side note these are the only speakers my wife has approved of since my Martin-Logan Aerius speakers from some 15 years ago. 
The Duevel Planets really are quite something, a simple and attractive way to fill a room with natural and near full range sound.  I think the best compliment I can give them is I don't really think about them or the system at all.  In fairness I felt the same way about the Ohm's but simply couldn't get past their looks.