Seeking 'Lifestyle' Speaker Recommendations for a Parent's House

[Soniclife]

It sounds like your requirements are evolving, but the solution to your original idea would be sonus using the hub connected to the receiver line out, or wisa speakers with a hub connected to the receiver. I don't think any of these work out cheap, and they probably have some support complexities, but they give you wireless speakers with a traditional front end. Personaly I'd try and make what you have already got work, as I've never had to remotely reboot speaker cable to get it working again.

 

[CHenry]

As the temporary fix I ordered her a pair of Neumi BS5.

She called me the other day to say some friends stopped by and hooked them up for her. She had been expecting them to be a bit crappy, but they really surprised he. She liked them a lot over the 301s she's had for 35 or so years.

Something else fun is she lives in a pretty rural area at the foot of the mountains about 90 minutes from DC. She can barely pull in any radio stations. So she may have to learn to stream after all. But at least it looks like these speakers may be permanent.

Thank you all for the various recommendations.

The 301s were a brand entry level product in 1978. They got revised a couple of times with the same model number re-used. Inexpensive chipboard panels, a 1-inch cloth tweeter and a paper cone 8-inch woofer, an inexpensive crossover and some thumbscrew binding posts, that little plastic vane on one corner to tune reflected vs direct high-frequency and a cheap vinyl wrap with plastic foam grilles held by Velcro. Everything on them would have worn out except maybe the Velcro. They sold then for about $200 a pair. The Amazon Neumis are an order of magnitude better and significantly cheaper in constant dollars. Because China.

 

[DanielT]

Talk about 1960s lifestyle speakers, Luxor model 360 I think they are called. Some kind of omni speaker:

I see a couple are for sale now in the neighboring town. Maybe it would be fun to try, at the right price. Or maybe for Bothu (who is active here on ASR). He also lives nearby the seller of them and he likes Luxor (because of their history) and DIY. To go through them and fix them and maybe change the crossover possibly even change the drivers in them and get a better sound. A small DIY project when autumn comes?

The style from the 1960s is starting, for some things, to become popular again. I think a couple of Luxor 360 would be suitable as rear speakers in a home cinema system. Provided that they then fit in with the rest of the interior style of the living/listening room.

 

[DSJR]

Not sure the vintage of those Luxor speakers. We had the JR 149's and larger 150s, plus a visually matching sub..

 

[DSJR]

If I'm repeating myself I apologise, but if it was sold in your market, what about a B&O 'Beosound Century? All in one, a very nice sound indeed for general mid-field use and should be a doddle to use with reliable sliding glass door when a CD is to be played or removed. Speaker 'grilles' were in optional different colours.

 

[DanielT]

Thought there was a contender. One active and one passive, though. This may be the biggest one to overcome, at the speakers will likely be at opposite corners of the room.

I really appreciate all of the suggestions!

It is best to check how the speakers are connected because, as you mention, there can sometimes be cables between the speakers.

If, when your mother decides where the speakers should be placed, then maybe cable channel, could it be nice a solution?

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[Penelinfi]

I feel like an all in one compact cd player/amp/network could be ok and just deal with the wires - use thinner, easy to slip under carpet wires, or, you can get flat tape-like cable that could be hidden along the bottom edge of walls.