Help me replace my Genelec 8341's for the sanity of my beloved wife

[Sparky]

I live alone. Girlfriend does roll her eyes sometimes though at the state of my house.View attachment 405026

This would be me if I was single for sure!!!

 

[Rednaxela]

Perhaps also have a look at KEF HTS3001SE with one or two subs.

 

[Sparky]

Is there a possibility you can cover them with an acoustically transparent fabric, it could be any shape with a wire armature? Maybe the stands could be a harmonious end tables? Or the speakers could be a lamp-like object, even with some LED lighting inside the fabric. You could post a picture of the room on an interior design site and get feedback on harmonizing the room and whatever speakers, these, or a replacement.

I was going to get them wrapped in a walnut wrap but didn't want to risk damaging the paintwork for if I ever sold them. Looks like I made the right choice!

 

[Gringoaudio1]

What about some sort of scrim for them? A frame with grill cloth like these hideous Gallo speakers uses to make them look decent? You don’t have to touch the speakers at all. They still retain their value.

 

[Sparky]

What about some sort of scrim for them? A frame with grill cloth like these hideous Gallo speakers uses to make them look decent? You don’t have to touch the speakers at all. They still retain their value.View attachment 405027View attachment 405028

Oh wow. What an unusual design!! I love these!! Especially with the cover on! Good shout!

 

[Roland68]

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well!

As the title suggests, I have a really difficult dilemma to attempt to resolve for which I hope you lovely people will be able to help me with.
After a few drinks last night, we got on to the discussion of decorating the living room as we haven't really touched it for over 5 years so it needs a bit of an update.
It was during this conversation that my wife of 12 years broke down in tears (no exaggeration) at her hatred for my amazing Genelec 8341's and how they have ruined the "look" of her home.....
I was quite taken aback by this revelation as I wasn't aware that she hated them so much! They ruin the aesthetics of the room as they stand out like a sore thumb....which they do.....she has a valid point.

They are the 8341AWM (white model) and they stand proud on a pair of walnut and black speaker stands and I love them.
I have owned a huge number of speakers in my time but these Genelecs are by far, the best speaker I have ever heard in my room (with the GLM kit of course).
I love everything about them but I cannot continue to keep them if I know my wife hates them so much!! That would make me rather selfish.
She went on to tell me about the comments some of our friends have passed which include: "they look like a blood pressure monitor" the one's you see in hospital, the one's where you sit next to it on a chair and put your arm actually into a large machine and it prints out a report for you. Other evil comments were mentioned which I won't say on here as saying those comments will upset us audio loving people. The funny thing is, they are not wrong.

So, I am looking for a replacement speaker that has all the qualities of the 8341's (in particular, the concentric drivers) which are available in Walnut to suit the aesthetics of our lounge (KEF Concerto or R3 Meta maybe)?.
They don't need to be active speakers as I'm happy with going back to needing a power amp or integrated as long as the power amp measures well on it's power delivery and has plenty of it on tap.
I am really interested in the recent developments in the mini power amps that are currently wowing people on here....

My current set up is:

MiniDSP SHD (Full version)
Genelec 8341 AWM (x2) White + GLM Kit
Arendal 1723 Subwoofer 1S (x2) Gloss White
Intel NUC - ROON Core - ROON Lifetime member
Nvidia Shield - PLEX Server

My room is a traditional English small lounge but the plan is to replace the 8341's AND the Arendal subs for speakers and subs that are available with a walnut cabinet which I know limits me somewhat but this is the scope of works.

I did own a pair of BK Electronics XXLS400 (English brand) subwoofer before the Arendals came, they were really nice to look at in walnut and, being a 12" sealed cabinet and with having two of them, they certainly packed a punch!

Anyway, does anybody have any thoughts on how best to replicate the Genelecs in my room with non powered monitors.....with a pair of subs of course...

Have you spoken to your wife about what she hates about the speakers so much?
Is it just the color combined with the shape?
Would a different color/decor (e.g. dark wood grain) combined with nicer and more suitable stands (e.g. Solidsteel SS-X) make a difference?

How about alternatively very slim floor-standing speakers such as the Elac Carina or Vela series?
They would take up less space than the Genelec.

I would always recommend involving your partner in the decision-making process, at least as far as the external shape, design and color are concerned.

 

[Multicore]

You are determined to keep your wife?

I should hope so. Spent all that time keeping her disgust at those ugly things quiet for him. That's nice!

You're designing decor. Find a material acoustically transparent but visually opaque but nice to look at and get creative.

Tbh, nearly all speakers look terrible in my opinion. Well, they range from bad to excruciating. It's a matter of choosing what you can live with. But that may be just me.

Or ... give them a custom paint job and make them a feature. A lot of the electric control boxes on the street here have been thus decorated and some of them are quite nice. Find an artist to do something creative with that wave guide.

 

[Palmer]

Having invested that much in the Genelec's , judging by the photos you seem to enjoy them in conjunction with a screen...
Why not have a false "wall" with your TV and electronics in a recess, and the speakers behind a fabric of her choice?
No matter what speaker you will end up with, they will certainly be considerably bigger and even less attractive to your better half, if you want anywhere near the sound that you get from the Genelec's.

Edit: Acoustically transparent fabric.. Color-wise, there's choices.

 

[Mr. Widget]

I live alone. Girlfriend does roll her eyes sometimes though at the state of my house.

Pretty classy dipole antenna rig. If you pay shipping, I'll give you my Magnum Dynalab ST-2.
Schwinn Peloton?

What about some sort of scrim for them? A frame with grill cloth like these hideous Gallo speakers uses to make them look decent? You don’t have to touch the speakers at all. They still retain their value.

That was my first thought. A couple of walnut sides that are set back with a black fabric grille on a wire frame should be acoustically successful and would dress up the visual... there would still be the subs. Hmmm...

Have you spoken to your wife about what she hates about the speakers so much?

Seems obvious to me.

 

[Devnull]

They make some nice wraps now. Something she likes and a 3D printed grill cover and black or white dyed to a color of her choosing speaker cloth

 

[Mort]

I actually ordered a pair of BMR's in walnut just before I bought the Genelecs. I cancelled the order before they were built in favour of the Genelecs. Shipping them to the Uk was just too risky and I was concerned about resale value over here should I not like them.....still, they are beautiful speakers with well designed crossovers with quality parts. Can't deny that.

That's all very reasonable. You would not have been disappointed and it would be a fraction of the cost.

The HTs are only a half inch wider than the BMR monitors and are a full 1.5 inches shallower. They would look great in satin walnut there.

 

[AnalogSteph]

See attached, they just don't work in this sort of house at all. Ignore the image on the screen. My son is playing games....

I can kind of see the clash. The Genelecs look fine among all the other things in this corner though, it's that hideous wallpaper that would be bugging me. I mean, what decade is it, the 1890s? Obviously I don't know what the rest of the house looks like and what kind of vibe the decor is going for. (Your Genelecs would be a good fit for something Scandinavian or thereabouts, clean and uncluttered with pastel colors.) Maybe it's not so much the speakers themselves as the entire corner that may be sticking out and needs some better blending in if at all possible.

If this is all the space you get for your modern, form-follows-function, technocratic items (of which e.g. the TV is no less so than the Genelecs, IMO), you have already made some major concessions as-is. It is clear that the situation needs some sort of resolution, but I am not convinced that there is a miracle set of speakers out there that would solve the issue without doing anything else. Yours are by no means ugly.

 

[Ken1951]

Even if I lived alone I wouldn't have Genelecs or anything similar in my home. I'm with your wife on this one and big props to her for indulging you for so long.

 

[G|force]

My 8341's are grey.. Oh yeah it's my avatar.
If they were white, or the gorgeous (to me) limited blue ones, my wife might hate them a little less.

I can't have them in the living room, so a spare cramped bedroom it is.. "Yeah I'm in here, honey!"

She says she appreciates the sound, but she's content using an Alexa or a single Makita bluetooth speaker, though we have two for stereo. Terrible sound, but better than one for compact portable sound with DC power.

She knows what the 8341's and the rest of my gear cost and I think that's what she really doesn't like. ::headscratch::

 

[Roland68]

Seems obvious to me.

I just have different experiences and that's why I asked @Sparky . A corresponding wood decor would give the speakers a completely different look.

My ex-girlfriend found a shelf so ugly that she didn't want it in the apartment. After it was given a different color and glass doors, I wasn't allowed to take it with me after the separation.

 

[Sparky]

Having invested that much in the Genelec's , judging by the photos you seem to enjoy them in conjunction with a screen...
Why not have a false "wall" with your TV and electronics in a recess, and the speakers behind a fabric of her choice?
No matter what speaker you will end up with, they will certainly be considerably bigger and even less attractive to your better half, if you want anywhere near the sound that you get from the Genelec's.

Edit: Acoustically transparent fabric.. Color-wise, there's choices.

This is a really good shout actually. We are going to build a media wall in the coming months so it would be quite easy to hide them behind acoustically transparent fabric.

 

[Sparky]

That's all very reasonable. You would not have been disappointed and it would be a fraction of the cost.

The HTs are only a half inch wider than the BMR monitors and are a full 1.5 inches shallower. They would look great in satin walnut there.

I know mate, I know. I still wonder about how the BMR's would've worked in our lounge.
Looks wise, it would've been a huge success as the walnut cabinet subwoofers I used to have a while ago always got some nice remarks.

 

[Sparky]

I can kind of see the clash. The Genelecs look fine among all the other things in this corner though, it's that hideous wallpaper that would be bugging me. I mean, what decade is it, the 1890s? Obviously I don't know what the rest of the house looks like and what kind of vibe the decor is going for. (Your Genelecs would be a good fit for something Scandinavian or thereabouts, clean and uncluttered with pastel colors.) Maybe it's not so much the speakers themselves as the entire corner that may be sticking out and needs some better blending in if at all possible.

If this is all the space you get for your modern, form-follows-function, technocratic items (of which e.g. the TV is no less so than the Genelecs, IMO), you have already made some major concessions as-is. It is clear that the situation needs some sort of resolution, but I am not convinced that there is a miracle set of speakers out there that would solve the issue without doing anything else. Yours are by no means ugly.

Hahahahaha! The comment about the wallpaper is absolutely brilliant!!

You're right of course, it is real mixed bag of different styles and shapes and it Just does not work which is why we are going for the media wall to try to shake things up a bit.

Another problem is actually selling them for a fair price then having to go through the entire process of packing them up and shipping them out.....it's a royal PITA doing all that!

 

[DavidEdwinAston]

I live alone. Girlfriend does roll her eyes sometimes though at the state of my house.View attachment 405026

Can't see where you keep your cold beers gringo!

 

[terryforsythe]

It was during this conversation that my wife of 12 years broke down in tears (no exaggeration) at her hatred for my amazing Genelec 8341's and how they have ruined the "look" of her home.....

I had a similar experience. When remodeling of our home was nearly complete my wife told me there will be no speakers in the family room. I had already ran the conduit in the walls and had a built in stereo cabinet. I ended up searching high and low for small stand-mount speakers that would closely match our decor, then bought them and set them up without telling her. She ended up being OK with them. Then came the modifications to the speakers and change from passive to active to get the sound quality I wanted, but that is another story.