The first order of business is to find something that you agree on looks wise. I'm surprised of no mentions for either Sonus Faber (pretty much every model) or the Focal Kanta's.
Good luck, you're going to need it!
Integrating speakers into contemporary decor - can WAF ever be overcome?
This is a topic I'd like to see discussed more. Not a speaker issue per se, but it's speakers that usually cause the problems. My partner is a hard core interior design/aesthetics type. We will shortly be combining households with all the benefits and challenges that this presents. We're both fans of a "Music In Every Room" (MIER) lifestyle, so that's a good start. But we quickly diverge. And to be clear, we're not talking about giant screens on the wall or home theater. This is audio only.
Anyway, her idea of MIER is built-in speakers or, at most, tiny Sonos units on a bookshelf or behind furniture. I had some of that in my house albeit BlueOS stuff. That's OK to a point. But my LR had KEF LS50's on stands. Obviously difference in sound is dramatic, and she admitted it. But she doesn't care. For her the improvement in sound quality is negated by aesthetic horror of visible speakers.
It's worth mentioning that the decor/design aesthetic in question is basically high end transitional with mix of contemporary stuff, Asian antiques, some colonial antiques, large format abstract oils, etc. It's >not< traditional or frou-frou, really a look where the right speakers could easily be interpreted as industrial design pieces that mesh well with the rest. The LS50s fit that description I think.
So, getting to the question here... Has anybody had any luck convincing spouse that speakers can be a part of the decor? To think of them as some kind of sculptural elements, not "just ugly speakers?" That they're industrial design elements that somehow add to space? Have links to pix of living spaces that integrated speakers into the look? Any help or ideas would be great. Thanks for reading, a kind of odd topic, I know. Cheers,
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For a designer to say speakers are ugly and are not allowed is essentially the same as the designer saying light fixtures are ugly and are not allowed. If the design intent is to have a room include audio reproduction at a certain quality and purpose then the designer needs to fulfil that design requirement. The purpose of interior design is to implement chosen design objectives in an artistic, functional, and fiscally attainable way into an architectural space. If one of the design objectives is to have a high end audio experience then use of appropriate speakers and electronics located in appropriate positions is definitely part of the interior design. And the interior designer or architect needs to incorporate them in the same way as lighting, HVAC, plumbing, or meeting fire and safety codes. Architects and designers often object to the audio visual components that need to be incorporated into a particular space for it to serve its intended function while accepting all kinds of other components that bring nothing to the artistic side of the design. Think of all the ugly but required functional elements of a room that get overlooked by designers on a regular basis while AV components like speakers receive objections: electrical outlets, light switches, smoke/fire alarms, HVAC grates and thermostats, holes in the walls for doors and windows, recessed lighting holes in the ceiling. It is not that the speakers are innately ugly. It is that the designer does not accept that the speakers are required to serve the intended function of the room and need to be incorporated in the same way as the other functional and aesthetic elements of the room. |
@jjss49 ...not a viable option for most of us, but.... I'd bet she can feel what they're like... "...for something that sounds so nice....why are they just a box?" ;)
I'm working on my own solution... |
@audiotroy has mentioned the Cabasse Rialto and IO3. I often walked around with my wife around the showrooms and showed her the various speakers. Cabasse’s speakers without a doubt have the highest WAF. They can be easily put on the table or TV consoles. My wife would actually like a pair of Pearl Akoya for herself in the future. I have a pair of white Rigas and she thinks they are lovely. If Cabasse’s is out of your budget, Elipson and Gallo Acoustics provide similar spherical speakers. Gallo’s in particular can be hung from the ceiling. My wife also likes Jern’s nesting doll speakers. The red and the white ones are beautiful. |
Maybe, just maybe, these could pass? They look more like a sculpture, than the speaker, but never the less, its a great speaker for small or medium room.Had them in graphite color https://www.francoserblin.it/en/projects/lignea Just recently I bought new speakers (also in graphite), from the same company (Francoe Serblin, ex Sonus Faber) and my gf who lives with me cant stop 'complaining' how the previous ones were beautiful as the new ones have ' disproportionate dimensions' according to her...it does not help that nobody could say that this is not a beautiful speaker.. https://www.francoserblin.it/en/projects/accordo .As for the advice reagrding relationship handling, I would not dare to give any. There is an old saying that says that man can be either in right or happy, in a marriage...(I am not married)...
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