Truly a shame pics can't be posted here. |
I had Casta model A's with a brown grain gloss. My new Casta model C's will be in the same finnish in a birch wood. Absolutely stunning look. Very rich and earthly and the feel is very smooth and silky. |
Big fan of any really figured woods, Birdseye maple is a favorite of mine. Also like Rosewood, Yew, Ebony.. I also like some of the super deep looking high gloss finishes. |
Dust some of the best loudspeakers I've
picked up where covered with it. |
I love a good wood finish on a speaker, especially some of the more exotic ones. Though I"m not a fan of the exotic finishes that seem to traverse into "gaudy" - a personal call of course.
One of my favourite finishes is the ebony wood used on the latest Thiel speakers, and also some of their amber wood finishes.
Least favourite is cherrywood (next to plywood I guess). Although it can occasionally come in some more interesting grains, usually cherry is the definition of "bland" to my eyes.
I also dislike oak. Maybe growing up in the 70's conditioned me to perceive it as cheap and cheesy. |
Rosewood glossy or matt for me. Second choice glossy black. These colors seem to go with everything. |
Bcgator
None that I know of now. All my speakers are ProAc's, which I brought directly from the UK. About four years ago I purchased a rosewood pair of 140's from the UK. Can't really tell if it is truly 'Brazilian', but they are beautiful. For the last ten years I have been looking for a pair of vintage Klipsch Belles. All Klipsch rosewood units were built with Brazilian rosewood. The quest continues. |
I would always buy black speakers. A few years ago I bought a pair of used Harbeths that are Eucalyptus and I like that wood finish the best. No more black speakers for me! |
Why is Brazilian rosewood banned from being shipped to most countries?
I had never seen Brazilian rosewood and it is gorgeous!
Rja, interesting that you prefer a matte over a gloss finish; I would bet that the majority prefers gloss. I prefer gloss finishes but you make a good point that you like anything nicely figured; I agree.
The more character the better, in my opinion.
Also, what is the term when the veneer matches on both speakers? Is that called book matched? This is also a quality I like; when both speakers are tied together whether mirror or a continuation.
I think the Bubinga finish on my Monitor Audio GX50's is really pretty and I appreciate that it is one continuous piece of veneer all the way around each speaker.
I've looked up every speaker mentioned here and there are definitely some beautiful speakers mentioned. What I didn't expect was to see how many were on display in ridiculous homes. |
I had a pair of Spendor SP 2/3s in cherry that were absolutely beautifulÂ…the BEST cherry finish I've ever seen. Sometimes when the evening sun hit them, I just stared at them, really. The modern cherry finishes seem to be too light and character-less, but those Spendors were natural works of art. |
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Oh yeah, I forgot, I like the finishes on just about anything Sonus Faber makes.
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Brazilian rosewood
Piano black
Burled wood of almost any type
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Buconero117, which manufacturers are doing speakers in Brazilian? Or are they all custom-builds? I've got two guitars with solid brazilian necks and I agree with you, it's superb. Smells like candy too. I've just never seen it on speakers but would really like to. |
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I like any nicely figured wood but I hate super high gloss or piano lacquer finishes, prefer matte. |
Brazilian Rosewood (Palisander) is beautiful, but I ended up with black piano finish speakers (similar to Wilson Puppy) that I hated with passion. My wife even mentioned that they resemble small coffins. Now they are growing on me and I think I even like them. One advantage I can think of is ability to fix scratches. Any piano repair place should be able to take care of it. |
Bcgator,yes,the leather on these are real. As are the walnut veneers used on the panels. I was once told that all speaker manufacturers aspire to be of Sonus faber quality. After buying the Olympicas,I can now see why.Truly a work of art.Not only in the quality of sound,but also,in the all out craftsmanship used in their construction. Bravo SF... |
Brazilian Rosewood, which is a global banned wood for shipment to most countries, like US and UK, and has been for about fifteen years. Other countries claim to have rosewood but compared to Brazilian, they suck. All of my speakers and most of my furniture is Brazilian rosewood. Gorgeous!!!!! |
Hey Aolmrd1241, the leather on the Olympicas is real leather, not the faux stuff from the earlier lines correct? Something about Italian leather - the scent from Campomaggi leather accessories is the perfect example - it's just fantastic. I was serious - I'll buy a pair of the standmounts one day just to admire them, you're a lucky fellow to have those IIIs. |
I like the very high gloss finishes like they put on some affordable Quads in recent years and that one often sees on the real expensive stuff. |
I like rosewood, although I've never owned a pair of speakers that were rosewood; and I really loved the book matched burl of the Focus Audio 888s that I used to own. If only they had sounded as good as they looked. Yew is also nice, as in some speakers I have seen from ProAc in the past. |
The old Duntech Sovereigns had a Santos Rosewood veneer, I believe, that was beautiful on that speaker. I think the Infinity IRS also used that veneer. In the current finishes, a lot of beauties from Sonus Faber have been mentioned; I also like Nola's high gloss rosewood with the gloss black accents on their Micro References. |
White(mother of pearl) on any Kharma speaker! On more modest speakers the Satin Sycamore on KEF Reference Series is a long time favorite. With budget speakers the Sonus Faber Venere 3.0 in Walnut Veneer is a standout! FWIW have always been a fan of Rosewood if enough red hues are intact. |
Dynaudio Consequence Rosewood one of the best looking speaker ever also the Sonus Faber Extrema 2 |
I had a pair of Silverline SR11 monitors in the gloss red finish. I loved the look (and sound) of those small speakers. I also once had a pair of the Usher S520s in the gloss yellow; they were beautiful.
That being said, my current favorite is the ebony finish used by Proac. |
03-03-15: Bcgator
"Sonus Faber's walnut - loved the original Concertinos and Concertos, and now the Olympica is even nicer. I would buy the Olympicas just to stare at them."
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As an owner of the SF Olympica III,without a doubt, the fit and finish on these speakers are superb and second to none. Not only are they beautiful to look at [love that natural walnut ] but to caress that finish, and smell that leather, could be considered borderline illegal in most states.....8^) |
Sorry its a wonderful thread. |
I too go for the red violet color of the Sonus Faber. |
Favorite finish that I've owned was the Makore finish on Verity Audio's speakers. I've seen many too many beautiful finishes to name them all. |
Red violin color from SONUS FABER for the quality of finish and also grey silver from EGLESTONWORK ANDRA 3 are not bad |
Sonus Faber's walnut - loved the original Concertinos and Concertos, and now the Olympica is even nicer. I would buy the Olympicas just to stare at them.
The red birds eye gloss on the B&W 805 Signature.
I wasn't sure I'd like the carbon fiber on the Wilson Benesch designs, but it looks amazing. I'm normally a wood guy, but they're the exception.
The aesthetics of my speakers are important to me - they're not just sound boxes, they're part of the decor, I want to enjoy looking at them as well as listening to them. |
Cherry or Rosewood. I just can't get into painted speakers with automobile finishes. But if the painted speaker were to sweep me off my feet then Black is acceptable. I can always apply wood colored contact paper. |
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Nice! Bocote wasn't one I had seen before either.
I'll add Piano Ebony on Monitor Audio Gold GX to the list also. The Rosewood on my Quad 22L2's were pretty nice also but the clear coat wasn't perfectly smooth like some speakers.
Musicpod, I looked up the grey color on sf speakers; it's actually called graphite and that is another color I have not seen on wood. Really pretty! |
Both by Tidal Audio....Pyramid stepped mahogany and Madagascar Ebony gloss! |
Cherry.
Love the finish on my Totem Arros. |
I have a pair of Fritz stand-mounts made from Bocote wood... the only pair he ever made and love them |
Manufacturers:
Vienna Acoustics
NHT
Colors:
Cherry
That "greyish" color on the SF Olympias
Piano White |
Ebm, I see you post that response a lot; kinda ironic how your statement sums up your response quite well.
Just wondering what some of your favorite finishes are in part so that some of us may find some new finishes that we like, for instance Cocobolo... I had not seen that one before. I also like piano gloss black or white and bubinga. |
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I've always been a maple fan (any type) but my latest speakers are Indian Rosewood and they look rather striking.
All the best,
Nonoise |
The red violin finish on Sonus Faber speakers. |
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They always charge me more for the scratch and dent finish. I don't really like the way it looks, but the guy in the store says its the best. So I buy it. |
Kewazinga
Bubinga
Black Walnut
Rosewood
Cocobolo |
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