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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?

128x128jyprez
jtcf's avatar
jtcf
1,620 posts
 
I used to watch an HDTV show where on one episode she designed a room around a bright gold grand piano(family heirloom).Quite challenging,but it looked really nice.On another episode the owner had some large Martin Logans that he was going to leave in the room.The designer and his wife banished them to another section of the house and they went for tiny in - wall speakers.So the garish piano can be incorporated but not the speakers?Silliness!
mschott's avatar
mschott
134 posts
 
I would choose sound over looks 95% of the time but it’s not hard to have both. Mine are Paradigm Studio 100 V5’s in the cherry wood finish. A very good looking speaker as long as the grills are attached. Without, they are ugly. Brands that make the prettiest speakers are Sonus Faber and Salk. Jim makes gorgeous speakers. 
gsm18439
895 posts
 
Given what is available in today’s market, it is not necessary to compromise on sound or aesthetics - especially speakers that are available in different finished or woods. The advantage of competition. The exceptions are electrostatics or large (or multiple box) speakers or those requiring positioning that dominate the room. 
rockadanny
1,226 posts
 
Looks shmooks ... while I think most of my gear is beautiful to the eye, if I could replace my speakers with a pair of paper plates and amplifiers with a pair of potatoes while retaining the audio quality I'd sell my gear, replace it from grocery store items, and spend the savings on music.
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