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?
I'm a sucker for a simple contemporary look with a beautiful wood finish, so here are some speakers I think look great: Tidal: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/07/ef/8c/07ef8cb965521e21e4283a62d1a7f332.jpg Joseph Audio Perspectives (I hope to buy a pair some time): https://i.pinimg.com/564x/39/13/52/3913522d7ac97099183530f341566d22.jpg Though I prefer this wood finish: https://d29pumjbf1ozmy.cloudfront.net/resize=w:700,h:470,fit:clip/rotate=deg:exif/output=quality:70/... And I love, love, love the look of the Thiel 2.7s that I now own in the premier ebony. They look exactly like these pictures: http://img.usaudiomart.com/uploads/large/779895-thiel-audio-cs27-pair-in-premium-composite-ebony-msr... I prefer grills on: http://img.usaudiomart.com/uploads/large/779884-thiel-audio-cs27-pair-in-premium-composite-ebony-msr... |
@imhififan yeah, that second pair is hideous. The first you shared I kinda like.. I got a used pair of top of the line rbh speakers with nice wood veneer and rounded corners because my wife hated the giant black jbl L7s that I had. We were remodeling the basement and she told me the L7s were too ugly and had to go. I said sure, as long as I could buy a pretty pair that sounds at least as good.. that worked out well for me since the JBLs were $400 plus refurb effort. For me, if they sound good, it makes them look better. It’s like a person you find just marginally attractive, but whom you find incredibly attractive after talking to and seeing who they are as a person. There is the inverse, in speakers as well.. I really like the look of these crazy bang and olufsen floor standers: https://www.stereophile.com/content/bang-olufsen-beolab-90-loudspeaker |
Vandersteen Treos (CT in my case) have a clean architectural look I like, but also lots of lovely matched cherry veneer. I know the finish doesn’t add to the sound quality but since I spend a fair amount of time sitting facing them, and it’s nicer than the stretch-sock exterior of some towers. The Treos replaced a pair of KEF LS-50s which were also beautiful, but I couldn’t find stands to put them on that didn’t ugly them up. |
