Why are there so many wooden box speakers out there?

@kenjit  

Everyone would love to see your system. It seems obvious you won’t list it but the question is why not? We all enjoy looking at other peoples systems that’s part of the fun on this forum.  It doesn’t matter what level it’s at. 

"There is no right or wrong though thats the problem you have Dill."

- I have no problem as I am neither right or wrong.

"It is not supposed to sound like anything. So if you have a preference for one speaker over another then one or both of them must be WRONG. The goal of this hobby is to find the RIGHT speakers and dismiss the WRONG ones. Anybody that thinks otherwise is WRONG."

- Do you read what you type? That is the most ridiculous thought you have spewed to date and that is saying something. Lay off the scotch and get back on your meds. BTW: I have found the right speakers and you sir, are WRONG.

Both my room and the speakers residing in it are box shaped, yet I do not somehow feel doubly cursed.

BTW: I have found the right speakers and you sir, are WRONG.

Have you heard of something called a mistake? Audiophiles are WRONG all the time. They think they hear something which either doesnt exist or is NOT what they think they're hearing. I've made the same mistake multiple times. This hobby is not easy Dill its not for amateurs. If you think you can get perfect sound out of a wooden box, then you are completely WRONG Dill. Serious audiophiles spend millions of dollars and their entire lifetime searching for perfection. Many of them never find it. So dont you dare claim that you have found the right speakers and expect me to believe you. What you mean to say is that you have found something you are able to tolerate but they are riddled with flaws and you are willing to tolerate those flaws because you have no other options. 

The first step towards PERFECTION is to listen to your speakers and then write down a list of all the things which are imperfect about them. Do it Dill and then come back. 

In the real world, I’m a marketing guy, As a partner in a regional shop that has prospered through all the changes in delivering marketing communications over the last 37 years, our team knows one thing for sure....perception is reality. The entire process of branding, clarifying the difference between features and benefits and various calls to action is based on encouraging consumer choice. The process is elegantly simple "Why chose to spend my time or money, or both, on a specific product or service?"

Regardless of the technological differences between speaker designs and specs, it all comes down to listening. Many of smartest people in the hifi industry agree that the single most important link in the audio chain is the loudspeaker. It creates the sound wave you hear, right?

Just IMO, but it’s obvious that there is no perfect speaker, just like there’s no perfect microphone, perfect recording or perfect electrical amplification chain. The best speaker for any individual is the one that makes the sounds they want to hear. That reality is colored by everything involved including the sonic characteristics of a speaker and the colored reality of listener’s preferences.

To be honest, this really is a trolling question in the face of a wave of "heritage speaker" popularity. The current sales demand for attractive looking throwback big baffle speakers now being produced by the likes of Harbeth, Mission, JBL, KLH and Wharfedale is unassailable testimony that these two and three way wooden boxes are perceived by a wide range of stereo buyers to be pleasant, musical, well priced and a nice match for Mid Century Modern home decor.

Are they super transparent? No. Are they the best imaging speakers out there? No. Do they require a narrow range of amp styles and power to be enjoyed? No. Are they successful popular products? You bet.

Which brings us all the way around. Perception IS reality. Big box speakers are not only OK, they are all the rage around the world for a significant segment of hifi listeners. If only those among us with Golden Ears are buying, the home audio business would die, so I’m rooting for wooden box speakers to rock on.

Signed,

Happy Wharfedale Linton Heritage owner with some old 1980s pro audio amps :)