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Any High-end speakers "kid-friendly" not fragile?

OK. Crazy question. Have friend who wants to set-up nice system in multi-purpose 17x22 room where kids will play. Wants to know if there are any hi-end spkrs (budget $5k-10k used) where the drivers are not so fragile or so expensive to replace (ie, he doesn't want B&W diamond tweeter that is both very fragile and costs $1200 or more to replace). Now, mind you, his kids aren't playing with knives, lol, but the occasional bump or finger touch to paper cones, metal dome tweeters are a concern. Any sugestions?
jeffkad
douglikesaudio
118 posts
 
Jeff, count me in on the pro-Martin Logan side. I got a pair specifically as a kid-friendly choice when my first child was just starting to crawl. ML are very sturdy and the panel itself is hard to destroy. I've heard that the panel will still play with holes punched in it. After several years mine were in excellent shape when I sold them--no issues, and there were plenty of kiddos running around!

Only issues were that they needed to be securely spiked through carpet, and the black finish on the sides and back seemed to mar easily.
zowie
68 posts
 
My then 2-yr old walked up to my Quads and wiped his nose on the grill cloth. I should do the same thing to his iPod now, although it'll be much easier to clean. Moral: no audio gear is kid friendly.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,252 posts
 
Kid-friendly is different than kid-proof. I'd recommend any floor standing speaker with a large footprint (can't be knocked over). When not in use keep the speaker grills on. Makes sure the cable connection is inaccessible and can securely keep the connection in the event of someone tugging/tripping on the cable. It's also my opinion that a speaker that can be place very close to the wall is more kid-friendly than one that requires freestanding placement.
rsasso
39 posts
 
They might not be able to knock it over, but you surely will get punched in your woofer
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
06-11-09: Onhwy61
Kid-friendly is different than kid-proof. I'd recommend any floor standing speaker with a large footprint (can't be knocked over).
Don't count on that. The Mirage M5si from the mid-'90s is 51" tall and 85 lbs. each. About 6 months after I got a pair, my then-5-yr-old was playing with the dog and managed to knock one over and break the fastener that secured the endcap to the column. Nobody got hurt. I was away at work and my then-wife and son kept quiet about it until I discovered it on my own weeks later.

As mentioned, the large footprint would have helped. The M5si base is about 16" wide, but only about 8" deep, which is the direction it fell over. You can also buy aftermarket outriggers (e.g., Soundocity) to provide a more stable base for almost any floorstanding speaker.
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