Ugly vs Gogeous speakers

Aesthetically speaking, "Ugly" and "Gorgeous" are in the eye of the beholder.

I think the vast majority of society finds physical appearance important in every phase of life. If I'm not attracted to it, I don't want it.

...and one finds oneself at the 'aesthetics' of the reproducer of the sound we seek.  Speakers as 'sculpture', when the 'object of desire' needs to fulfill not just the qualities of recreating the music we love.  Since it's a focus of attention, one hopes that it looks 'good' or 'intriguing' while doing it.  The 'monkey box look' don't cut it no more... *G*  Unless one's listening area 'devices' need to support a lamp, a vase, or some cherished item, fitting into the trappings of a 'normal' living space that most of us have...

SAF becomes a factor for some.  If it doesn't fit her (or his, taking a 'liberal approach' to ones' relationships) thoughts on furnishings in a shared environment, more 'trad' designs will win the day and the nod. ;)

A lot of the 'high end' units look their best when allowed to stand as they are....high technology items, mechanisms like the flat screens we watch, no way to disguise their purpose.  They become 'audio jewelry', items of desire, high water marks of their intent, looking best when allowed to be such, 'minimalist' in their display.

ESLs' and MBLs', and their 'larger' cousins come to mind.  A Rothko painting betwixt would look fantastic.  Anything earlier...ehhh, selection becomes 'dicey'....'Renaissance'...it'd better be an original to pull it off. ;)

Everything else....*shrug*.  If you've got the dedicated space with all the appurtenances for 'room acoustics' that the space dictates that you Must Have to 'make it work' for you and the 'significant other' has ceded control of it to you.....

Knock yourself out. *G*

Personally, I'm working on a driver that 'disappears'.  Does what it does without drawing attention to itself.  That's my 'take' on the subject.  As for what you want to have to look at, enjoy the compromises involved.... 

When I was younger I designed and built a pair of speakers that looked like Pamela Sue Anderson. Thought I could mass produce them and they would sell like,,,well sell like Playboy magazine. I had some venture capitalists interested but all they wanted was a proto type to take home.

Those guys are sick. 

not me

So it is true that audiophiles hear with their eyes :-). My main system is in a dedicated room (basement actually), so it only has to look acceptable to me. Good thing too, my wife has stated that it will not go in the living room... ever. Something about it looking industrial & taking up to much space. She has made strange comments about the speakers (Lowther Fideleo's) in the past, such as Wife: "What are those large things holding up the cabinets?" Me: They're spikes. Wife: Do they need the big knobs on them? Me: It makes it easier to adjust them (in my defense, they are heavy). Wife: Why don't you cover up those (she is pointing at the drivers) with cloth or something? Me: Because they are Lowthers & I like looking at the drivers. Wife: Why are they so far from the wall? Me: If they are closer to the wall I lose the stage depth. At this point (or anytime I talk about sound stage anything), she rolls her eyes. To her defense though, she lets me enjoy my hobby in peace & has stated that the turn table can go in the living room, as long as the rest of the system stays in the basement. 

I have the Sonus Faber Homage Amati Tradition and I think they are great looking and sound awesome.  They replaced my Wilson Audio Duette 2's.  My wife did not like the monitor look so that is why I went with a full size speaker.

One major reason why the Golden Ear Triton Reference MSRP is seventy percent more than the Triton One is the piano gloss black lacquer finish. Exquisite. 

Check out Daedalus speakers - beautiful hand made wood cabinets , musical as well. 

Well, some people have taste.   ;-)

Yeah, bad....................... ;-)

@yogiboy lol thanks those look super cool though not for everyone as you said!

Just got my new Audio Note AN/Jlx's yesterday the style is a bit retro but I think they look amazing in their olive wood finish. There is a pic on my system page. Oh and they sound fantastic too which is why I got them.

The looks of this speaker might not appeal to all. But rumor is the tweeters are the best in the business!
http://www.likecool.com/Body_Speakers_by_Bob_Turek--HIFI--Gear.html

Sound good, price is right. Who cares what they look like.

Well, some people have taste.    ;-)

I am surprised no one has mentioned the MBLs Reference Line .  At least as a question of whether the aesthetics are pleasing or resemble an upside down pineapples resting on a right side up twins.

Sound good, price is right. Who cares what they look like.
Well in my household anyway...................

Black on Black Maggies have a non-ugly but ominous look to them.  Like the Monoliths in 2001 Space Odyssey.

The big Wilsons look like an alien robotic velociraptor that wants to eat you.

It costs money to make pretty wood finishes on speakers.  Vandersteen does it right IMO - a small amount of nice looking wood as an accent and the rest is just cheap cloth covering xlnt speakers.

Looks have some bearing, and I certainly wouldn't own a speaker that I considered "ugly".

That said, my current speakers, Reference 3A Grand Veena's, are neither pretty nor ugly in my eyes.

Sure, I like the look of the Sonus Faber Amati Homage much better than my plain Jane speakers.
However, I like the sound of my Reference 3A speakers better than the Sonus Faber.

Everyone has their own priorities.

Would you buy a car if it looked like a junk yard going down the road but ran good? Of course not! Aesthetics of a speaker are important as the sound unless some one designs a speaker that sounds leaps and bounds over the competition but had mediocre looks would be ok.

I'm thinking this could compare to another activity that we enjoy. If the room is extremely dark, looks just may not matter, however in a room with light, gogeous, at least in our eyes, becomes more important.

I'm very into the aesthetics of a speaker.  There's nothing more droolworthy, gear-wise, than a beautiful speaker to me.  Of course if I don't love the sound, the looks are meaningless in terms of my buying a speaker. 

I especially love the mating of a beautiful wood finish with a contemporary (not boring box shape) design.   A pair of Thiel 2.7s in ebony I currently own certainly fits that bill.

I often go through the speaker images on Pinterest because there are many beautiful speaker designs on display.  I have to say the sky high prices of some designs may not necessarily get you better sound, but they do get you "audio jewelry" that is hard to match in cheaper speakers.

Also, I'm one of those apparently rare audiophiles who doesn't like seeing every bit of gear when I'm listening to music; a clean aesthetic allows me to more easily just concentrate on the music, vs the typical jumble of wires and amplifiers set up in a "look at me" fashion around the speakers.  I even prefer to not look at the speaker drivers (and therefore use the grills) for the cleaner look, and because when I see speaker drivers I can not help but think of the sound coming out of the drivers.  Once they are out of sight, the speakers disappear more as the transducers, to my mind.  

When I had 802 D2's there was plenty of negative feedback on looks. Martren speakers are a great combo of looks and performance.

B&W polarize. I like the 802 looks. I had a pair at one time. I also had a pair of Dahlquist DQ-10's. My wife hated the looks. They looked like cinema screens to her, hence she named them East and West.....

I am not a fan of the aesthetics of most speakers especially as most aesthetics lead to compromises in sound. I don't like designs that try to disguise the speaker (Nautilus, Vivid, Sonus Faber)

However I like the industrial steampunk & Art Deco look - make the speaker look even more like a piece of machinery which is what it is!!!

Aesthetics wise I like
Large JM Labs
Large Horns like Avantgarde
Kef Blade
Evolution
Large Wilson

I think most large B&W speakers look silly - there is no flow in their designs. All angles and circles and cut lines - extremely lacking in aesthetics - no doubt they do this deliberately to stand out.

What about the looks of the B@W Matrix 800 speakers? A very different look indeed-But my wife likes the look.

I only go buy sound i have Magico Q3 i think they look and sound wonderful so does my wife.

 Life is too short for ugly speakers. 

 I own Sonus Faber Elipsa SE speakers in violin red.  They look gorgeous and sound incredible.

There is just something about a piece of audio gear when aesthetically appealing to us just sounds better in our system, I believe that although audio is a hearing thing the other senses seem to add to the experience as well and just enhance our overall experience such as the aroma of a nice glass of wine or drink, good cigar and in my case red translucent vinyl.

Ha!  While there are disagreements among us about what sounds best, that is nothing compared to the range of opinions about what looks good or  bad.  

For example, my wife actually likes the new 802D3 and hates purely rectangular shapes.  In addition, she gets to pick the color of anything I buy or review.  Fundamentally, the only ones who have to agree about looks are the people who will live with them.