... since I'm more of a "form follows function" aesthetic, I like speakers that simply look like speakers that are beautiful, but there's a limit to what you can do with that look performance-wise:
Oh I'm not having trouble finding speakers I like- I collect old Snell's when walnut veneers were still king. That said, I have a pair of Linton's in my library that I built custom stands for that look very nice but that I plan to sell in exchange for something more "endgame" when I find it or build it. But I would I agree that the Linton's are one of the best buys right now in terms of a balance between performance, cost, and classic good looks, especially if your wife's preferred aesthetic is Danish modern.The Wharfdale Linton looks nice, especially with the grills on, which is apparently how they are supposed to be used and sound best, together with their dedicated stands:
View attachment 357602
LINTON Heritage – WHARFEDALE
www.wharfedale.co.uk
Or perhaps the bigger Dovedale:
It's veneer, not real wood. I'm talking about using real wood or at least plywood in stead of plastic, mdf and so. Veneered mdf can be nice, but it's not the same as real (ply)wood, nicely finished to a high level. That is where i may pay a extra price for, not for those glossy blingy speakers that are sold today, nor for the utility look of most pro audio speakers (including studio monitors).
you might want to read up on the discussions re solid wood vs plywood vs mdf for speaker construction, but you probably already know solid wood is horrible for making speakers because of the resonance. multi-ply baltic birch plywood is fairly common and has a surface that can be finished to a reasonably good look (check out Troels Gravesen's builds in Denmark), but that may not be what you're thinking of. Of course you could build an MDF inner box, coat it in elastomer and cover it in real wood panels, but again, it would be a shell and the end grain structure of the wood could not be displayed the way you would use it in classic furniture construction. Or maybe go the BBC route with thin wood walls, although I'm not sure if solid wood would work for the technique they are using there to keep resonances inaudible. You could also build an open baffle speaker where the face panel isn't pressurized and therefore less driven to resonate. Some people are building OB speakers using large chunks of live edge hardwoods. Maybe someone can think of a more "real wood" speaker that was successful in terms of measured performance?
The Wharfdale Linton looks nice, especially with the grills on, which is apparently how they are supposed to be used and sound best, together with their dedicated stands:
View attachment 357602
LINTON Heritage – WHARFEDALE
Seem to sound good too: https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/wharfedale_linton_85/
Or perhaps the bigger Dovedale:
View attachment 357603
DOVEDALE – WHARFEDALE
Only if your living room dates from 1956.Why they don't make speakers that look like this anymore. This is furniture quality build.
It's a Jensen Imperial PR-100, released in 1956, it needs 35w in 16R and is off course not up to modern standard, but i'm sure modern speakers can be build that way. It would be much easier to integrate in a living room without protest from the family i think in stead of those plastic boxes or bling hi end stuff.
Specimen collectors?
Yes, I imagine you have to empty out all the dead moths and insects every once in a while.
rflmao...
I agree with @cavedriver . I’ve heard plenty of reasons to avoid actual real wood in speaker building, and likewise even Baltic Birch (outside of its usefulness in Subs).
Amen, bruddah. From enormous and quite ugly horns to the grotesque vintage-esque aesthetic…
If we had a 'most ugly speakers' thread it would have a lot of the same content.
We have and it’s the same speakers in that one I suggested they should merge years ago
I think it's been the unspoken understanding for some time now that this is the most beautiful and most ugly speakers in the world thread all in one. Praise subjectivity! It goes back more than 10 pages too, like 50+ pages. Personally, I don't comment on many of the "ugly" speakers and just hold off until something truly painful comes along. Respect/pity for the good intentions of many of the designers even if I find them hideous.
And so ugly.
I guess this is to some extent of the topic, but I didn't feel it necessary to open a new thread...
For some reason, over the years I have become more and more attached to the Genelec 8000 series design language.
The most beautiful in the world? Hardly. But for speakers that are within the reach of an ordinary wage earner and are still interesting, not only for their sound but also for their design language. I would dare to make the argument; certain kinds of modern classics. Highly subjective that is of course.
In upper picture, Founder of the Genelec (with Topi Partanen), Ilpo Martikainen (1947-2017). And small 8020/G2 speaker.
I had the pleasure of having some conversations with Mr. Martikainen over the years. Although mostly related to things other than sound reproduction.
. The black screwheads and mounting holes are a bit much. Actually, I've become sensitive to screwheads from this thread