"Pro" Active Speaker Aesthestics

[JustJones]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I showed my wife a photo of the Genelec 8361a and asked if they would be a definite thumbs down. To my surprise she said they looked unusual in a good way better than the usual wood box. She really liked their modern look.

 

[warpdrive]

I agree. I don't like my speakers to look spacey or futuristic. The Genelec 8361a is the epitome of function over form and while I appreciate the technical aspects, it wouldn't go within 10 feet of my living room. I think part of the problem is that they look all like plastic speakers, and there is no grill to make it look more like a piece of furniture than a technical gadget. It's even worse if there are LEDs or knobs on the front. When the speaker is off, I usually put the grill back on just to keep dust off.

Aesthetically I prefer simple box designs like a KEF R3 or Arendal speaker. Those perform well, so it's not a case of one or another (form or function)

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

Genelec likes so hard as much as Neumann to do ugly thing
Why Genelec never '' invented '' the shiny black color for these 8361a/8351 ? XD


Just see the KH420 they pick the worst color, i mean that was a election... they want the kh420 to looks bad

i forgot to say the stands for the genelec 8000 series just don't fit them...
yeah the W7381 doesn't match the form factor too

 

[Hephaestus]

Is anyone else turned off by the aesthetics of active (mostly professional) speakers? I know folks here are big fans of Genelec, Neumann, etc. and for good (sonic) reasons. However, I personally couldn't stand to live with them because I would have to see them everyday.

Now, don't get me wrong -- sound is more important than looks. But I would bet these companies would sell a lot more units for the home market (which granted isn't really their primary market) if they hired some decent industrial designer and didn't end up with something that looks like a cheapo plastic outdoor speaker (looking at you specifically here, Genelec ).

Genelec did hire well established industrial designer Harri Koskinen for their 8000 series. For me 8000 series represents stunning industrial design - form follows function.

Harri Koskinen - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Harri´s famous Block Lamp is a part of MoMa´s permanent collection.

 

[Dpaulyn]

The Kii three are attractive and a hit with my wife - especially since the electrostatics and Bryston amp and DAC and subwoofer and cables are now gone from the living room.

 

[rogu3]

I agree. I don't like my speakers to look spacey or futuristic. The Genelec 8361a is the epitome of function over form and while I appreciate the technical aspects, it wouldn't go within 10 feet of my living room. I think part of the problem is that they look all like plastic speakers, and there is no grill to make it look more like a piece of furniture than a technical gadget. It's even worse if there are LEDs or knobs on the front. When the speaker is off, I usually put the grill back on just to keep dust off.

Aesthetically I prefer simple box designs like a KEF R3 or Arendal speaker. Those perform well, so it's not a case of one or another (form or function)

My thoughts exactly - speakers can be functional but also pleasant to look at, just like furniture. Though personally I don't mind some of the futuristic designs like the KEF Blades. I think we have similar tastes -- I recently ordered some KEF R3 metas in indigo blue to try out

 

[rogu3]

Genelec did hire well established industrial designer Harri Koskinen for their 8000 series. For me 8000 series represents stunning industrial design - form follows function.

Harri Koskinen - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Harri´s famous Block Lamp is a part of MoMa´s permanent collection.

Like others have said, aesthetics are subjective. I've been to MoMa and some things are just unappealing to me.

I find KEF's designs more to my taste.

 

[Fledermaus]

The Kii system has a modern and cohesive design aesthetic that I find appealing and its remote control is easily the most attractive out there. Also, highly rated by professionals and snobs alike! The D&D is a close second in terms of speaker appearance but lacks a dedicated remote that looks this good.
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Ooops, almost forgot the KEF LS60 active speakers! These look more "traditional" and one I'd definitely consider especially when you take its price into account - "only" $7,000 a pair but beauty costs money my friends

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Visually I could easily live with the 8Cs - they're looking sleek, elegant, somewhat understated vs. Kii Three (which I could live with too, make no mistake )... Utilitarian looks is expected for a working tool that has to pay for itself, but some, such as Focal monitors (6 series, Shape series) aren't that ugly.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Like others have said, aesthetics are subjective. I've been to MoMa and some things are just unappealing to me.

I find KEF's designs more to my taste.

Get both. KEF for the living room and Neumann/Genelec for the office. Problem solved. ;-). It is what I did. .

 

[JustJones]

Focal is more traditional looking and you can get grill covers as well.

The Trio 11be

 

[kemmler3D]

Industrial design in speakers attempts to approximate what buyers in the intended audience think a speaker in that price range and functional category should look like. A good industrial designer will push that concept about 5% beyond what currently exists, a competent but safe industrial designer will just customize the status quo a little.

At least, this is how I approached it when I managed that kind of thing. Most people shop with their eyes first, so if it doesn't look the part, nobody will bother to read the specs. The history and present state of studio monitors means we can only change them about 5% per year. So in 20 years, you may get your wish.

 

[rogu3]

Get both. KEF for the living room and Neumann/Genelec for the office. Problem solved. ;-). It is what I did. .

Best of both worlds! I bet those Neumann/Genelecs sound fantastic in near-field. My own office setup is a pair of Audeze CRBN electrostat headphones which are quite fun

Focal is more traditional looking and you can get grill covers as well.

The Trio 11be


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I like most of Focal's designs. They know what they're doing and that beryllium tweeter is epic. My win-the-lottery speakers would be a pair of Maestro Evo's

 

[Deleted member 51584]

The Kii system has a modern and cohesive design aesthetic that I find appealing and its remote control is easily the most attractive out there. Also, highly rated by professionals and snobs alike! The D&D is a close second in terms of speaker appearance but lacks a dedicated remote that looks this good.
View attachment 300597
View attachment 300599

Ooops, almost forgot the KEF LS60 active speakers! These look more "traditional" and one I'd definitely consider especially when you take its price into account - "only" $7,000 a pair but beauty costs money my friends

View attachment 300602 View attachment 300603

I was quite keen on the Kii Three and went to hear them at my local pro audio store, KMR in North London. I then showed them to my wife and she gave me an "over my dead body" look.

Most "pro" speakers are generally considered dead ugly because they are designed to be heard and not seen. That doesn't mean that, for all their good intentions, consumer speakers are generally considered pretty. If my wife is anything to go by, most of those are pretty ugly as well.

PMC did some focus grouping and found that narrow speakers are most acceptable and designed the Fact range based on that evidence, with considerable commercial success. I had a pair and my wife was very fond of them. They had to use a 6.5" bass drivers and the front was only about an inch wider. The result was they had to be played quite loud to image properly, and I like fairly quiet quite often. For that reason, I suspect the Slim Jim KEF LS60 actives will be hugely popular.

In the end my wife chose some very pretty speakers, they sound great and there has been domestic bliss ever since. She even paid for them with her debit card (OK, from our joint account). Half the money probably went on the paint job (Wilson apparently have about 1,000 coats applied over aeons), but I've stuck with a pair of speakers for over over a decade twice before and these will probably be around as long. Anyway, they are in effect furniture and we've spent a lot more on other furniture.

My audio dealer was rather shocked that my wife did not like Sonus Faber or Franco Serblin, which tend to be default brands when wives' aesthetics are an issue. It's the curves that make them pretty, anything not to look like boxes, but very expensive to make.

 

[fineMen]

Is anyone else turned off by the aesthetics of active (mostly professional) speakers?

Sure, but not me. Depends what aesthetics means to you. If the visual design tells what a (technical) thing does, it speaks to me, logically. If I've given up to understand my technical surrounding, what an empty life that would be? So better those gimmicks say something relevant.

My KEF R3s carry the front cover all the time, sitting in the shelf, no stands allowed. With such an appearance they remind me of, Bauhaus? Nice, elegant, humble, but not 'active'.

I dismiss the Revel designs for instance. The visual voicing is a bit screechy. Guess you prefer, uups, just let me ask!

 

[tmtomh]

I think the Genelecs look a good deal better in person than they do in photos - and counter-intuitively (at least to me), the more widely stocked dark gray "producer finish," which has some kind of reflective or metallic flecks in it ("yuk" in theory), looks better than all-black. It provides a contrast with the black concentric drivers in the middle, and it provides more contrast between the in-room appearance of the front baffle and the sides (because of shadows cast by room lighting). So it lightens the appearance overall and prevents them from looking like the monolithic blobs they appear to be in online photos, especially photos of the all-black ones. They also don't look plasticky in real life, at least not to me.

 

[NiagaraPete]

Is anyone else turned off by the aesthetics of active (mostly professional) speakers? I know folks here are big fans of Genelec, Neumann, etc. and for good (sonic) reasons. However, I personally couldn't stand to live with them because I would have to see them everyday.

Now, don't get me wrong -- sound is more important than looks. But I would bet these companies would sell a lot more units for the home market (which granted isn't really their primary one) if they hired some decent industrial designer and didn't end up with something that looks like a cheapo plastic outdoor speaker (looking at you specifically here, Genelec ).

I happen to love the Genelec look. The wife hates them though.

 

[Prana Ferox]

We all have our preferred looks. I don't mind, say, the shape of the Genelecs, but if a speaker is only available in white or black (and especially piano finishes) I wouldn't even consider it. If I'm going to pay big bucks for something effectively furniture I want a nice veneer.

If you're going to say "but a curved shape requires plastic" I'm going to remind of the incredible advances in CNC mills, even 30 years ago we could do nice wood waveguides.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Better looking than any KEF
Except the Blade maybe

 

[DMill]

I happen to love the Genelec look. The wife hates them though.

Genelecs look awesome in urban loft spaces and minimalistic modern designed homes. They tend to suffer imo in the “normal” suburban home, which is probably 95% of us. That said, many members here post pictures of their man-cave listening room. Which is racks of electronics, a proliferation of wires, a pair of Revel floorstanders that are too big for the room, 4 subs, and a framed Steely Dan Aja album hung crooked on the wall. In those cases, who cares how the speaker looks?

 

[Pe8er]

I think the Genelecs look a good deal better in person than they do in photos - and counter-intuitively (at least to me), the more widely stocked dark gray "producer finish," which has some kind of reflective or metallic flecks in it ("yuk" in theory), looks better than all-black. It provides a contrast with the black concentric drivers in the middle, and it provides more contrast between the in-room appearance of the front baffle and the sides (because of shadows cast by room lighting). So it lightens the appearance overall and prevents them from looking like the monolithic blobs they appear to be in online photos, especially photos of the all-black ones. They also don't look plasticky in real life, at least not to me.

Not to mention they are incredibly nice to the touch!