Hi. My wife and I finally agreed to put a proper stereo in the big room (700 sqft or thereabouts) and I bought a massive Krell amp in preparation for the eventual Magnepan purchase because we decided that the aesthetics of those speakers (with white socks) were tolerable.
Before I pull that trigger, though, are there any "beautiful" speakers, respected by the audiophile community, that I should consider? I've looked over SFs and Focals, and they're indeed beautiful, but not so beautiful as to sway us.
(as an aside, really, would it kill some of these manufacturers to offer a few more finishes-- with high-resolution photos taken from modern homes? They are literally throwing money out the window with these Geocities-quality websites. I'm surely not the only suburbanite looking for an audiophile-approved speaker with nice aesthetics)
Very difficult to say something is "stunning". So many speakers are "love/hate" designs and few deliver the sort of value that Maggie's do. At $2K, there is not a lot of competition beyond rectangular boxes.
Looking at the Jadis speakers you mention, there are other designs that might work.
Others have mentioned Vandersteen but the Treo or Treo CT could work. Very warm sound profile and you would use similar amplification for them and the Maggies. These used to be $7K-$9K.
Verity Finn - this is a much easier to drive speaker that is also a bit more forward. You would want to go with slightly warmer amplification. These used to be like $7K.
If you willing to consider non-wood designs, the Vivid Kaya 25 is a very modern speaker and not crazy at $10K. Big sound and they behave very differently than most speakers because they are made for a fiberglass sandwich material.
Obviously, there are brands like YG, Magico, Wilson, Stereokonzept, etc... that have very different looks but they start at higher price points. The YG Carmel is interesting looking or the bauhaus styled Stereokonzept Model 2 can stand out in a good way but they are like $24K.
Regardless...there are many unique products on the market. It just comes down to if you find them appealing AND can justify the spend.
CONOLETELY disagree with Maggie's having one sweet spot. Like almost all speakers they sound best in the center of the channels at the proper recommended distance for your room. However. And I,'ve had lots of great speakers over the years, the 1.7is sound great all through the house. Uncanny.
You should consider the Spatial line of speakers. They look very modern and fit in to the aesthetics of most room furnishings. Don't require massive power and sound great. Also, I think they still have an in-home trial period and a 5yr warranty.
The 1.7’s are only about $2k new, so many of these suggestions are multiples of that budget, if constrained to near that. For new near that, I’ve almost done a trial of the new LSA 20 Statements and/or Signatures. Nice finishes (not user selectable), and with Dan Wiggins on board I expect a very well executed low end at the least. Bit still, I’m leaning hard toward the 1.7i’s for my situation. I understand WAF … my living room setup uses Epos K2 in white to go with other furniture and relatively inconspicuously.
Salk offers a ton of finishes and outstanding speakers.
I’ve got a pair and a pair of Maggies.
The Maggies have a unique sound and are only good for 1 person / listener. They have a very small sweet spot, but that spot is pretty sweet. Piano, strings, horns and bass are pretty spectacular, and this is just the LRS. Im strongly considering some 1.7i’s.
I’ve had Magneplanars, one model or another, for 40 years now. I’ve tried other speakers but I always come back to the Maggies. Audition them! Some of the modifications, suggested, above, are in order. I have completely discarded the factory crossovers and use an electronic crossover. Keep your magnificent Krell amp and crank it up! You will need subwoofers.
Certainly don't want to rain on your parade but have you heard the maggies or any other electrostatic design speakers? Some like 'em; some don't. Of course, the same can be said for virtually any speaker.
Personally, with regard to speakers, I don't much care what they look like. My overriding concern is performance. However, with regard to the WAF, have you checked out Revel?
I have owned Maggis from 1.6.1.7 not much difference, just Xover point ,and owned 3.6 also much more cohesive. They are made so dam cheap though you would think in 20 years they would give you at least a decent loudspeaker terminal , that cheap Nickel post. They destroy the signal before even getting there , then the beauty fuses another disgrace more grunge , the frame flexes like a sail. Mye stands at the minimum . Then the Xover the lowest quality garbage I had to put over $1500 into it just to fix the apparent flaws . that’s why they sold magnastands not even sure is Peter Gunn is doing these rebuilds any more but he did a great job transformers these …. Speakers into a true Audiophile speakers.
For amazing sound, classic design, and beautiful finishes, consider the graham audio ls5/5. Price about $20k. Need a little room to breathe like most speakers, but they look great in my modern design living room.
Year after year after year after year after year Maggies when best speakers in larger size categories across several publications. Why look at anything else?
very easy to refinish, custom veneer, all flat surfaces, have it your way. new fabric easy, simple staple job, your color, as long as you can easily breathe thru it, In the old days, we used to blow cigarette smoke thru as a test.
Consider the Dali Epicon 6’s. They are beautiful and my wife helped pick them out. Looks are very important if you value your marriage and the system is in a shared living space that is the main socializing room in your home. Don’t have to sacrifice sonics when buying a great looking speaker. We don’t all have dedicated music rooms!
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. There are some good ones there to consider.
The Maggies (if I go that route) will be tucked away when not in use and pulled out for listening. The Jadis speakers I have seen but ultimately I decided that I wasn't going to spend $10K for old speakers made by a French company that doesn't make speakers anymore and won't respond to emails even those written en mon français parfait.
when you consider the look of magnepan, any flat panel, you might want to visualize a pair of big subs, because they will not produce enough bass IMO, so I would discuss that with the wife before you order.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have no intention of ever owning any stat/panel speaker Just thought I'd chime in about ML. The thing is the added bass modeule. I might love ML's stat panel, but not like how the bass module sounds... I think its paper composite, I;'ve never cared for paper composites, now that i own Magnesium cone woofers. This is my only caveat to adding a ML as a second speaker system.
Are you prepared to place the Magnepans where they can display their virtues or will the be tucked into the room where they "look good." If I could no optimize placement might well consider one of the above suggestions. As beauty is in the eye of the beholder, might be helpful if you share what things you are looking for aesthetically.
Since you already have a "massive" Krell amp, and were planning on getting dipole Maggie's, how about considering Martin Logan. Their Electromotion series may be within your budget, or perhaps you can spring for a used Masterpiece series model. The transparent stat panel has higher WAF than Maggie's!
You will find very few speaker companies with as wide a selection of veneer and color as Salk Audio, and they have a high degree of quality sound to value. I have reviewed two Salk speakers for Dagogo.com, the most recent being the SS 9.5, which is a great value.
If you can't make a home run aesthetically with a Salk speaker's array of veneers and finishes, then get the panel.
Imo, deciding based on looks is the wrong way to buy a speaker, but I'm all about sound quality and understanding what different genres of speakers do. I do understand that in some instances aesthetics is all important, and I think you are wise to have agreement with the wife, versus militating against her opinion. I strongly suggest that if you do not know the fundamental differences in how dipole/panel versus dynamic speakers sound, that you educate yourself. If you already have a basic understanding of that and it has been taken into consideration, then carry on.
Note well, there are rabid fans of every genre of speaker. Do not get swayed by the fanatics who will proclaim that only one genre is best/correct. :)
As much as I like Krell amplification How about reversing your system ethos and look out for a second owner pair of AvantGarde UNO FINO horns which you can run with a huge selection of lower power output amplification.
@jasonbourne52 The SFs look too "modern." too "delicate." Our home is a 1936 modern monolith. It's hard to decorate.
Thank you for your suggestion, the DeVores are generally pretty cool and *maybe* the
Auditorium 23 Hommage 755 would fit here. I'll ask the wife.
I posted a thread a while back where people (mostly) talked me out of the Jadis 2 speakers, which were aesthetically perfect but overpriced and a little bit risky. I don't expect a company to make speakers that look like that today, but those were little pieces of art. They *fit*.
So you don't like the aesthetics of the Sonus Faber Amati's or Cremona's? Both these are much better sonically than the Magnepan's! I think you are making a mistake choosing Magnepan's! Check out speakers from DeVore instead! No need for a Krell amp!
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