Does speaker finish/looks matter?
skipshot12
Posts: 1,169
in Speakers
Just as the title says…..
Does it matter what the speaker finish looks like to you?
Does the actual look of the speaker matter to you?
If yes why.
If no why.
Does it matter what the speaker finish looks like to you?
Does the actual look of the speaker matter to you?
If yes why.
If no why.
Comments
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Yes. Because you have to look at it. It's always a sense of pride to have nice looking stuff. That's akin to this - would you rather drive a beat up old, rusted out Pinto station wagon or a newer, shiny Honda Civic (for example), when they both will get you down the road?
No. Because the looks of a wrap/finish have nothing to do with the sound.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Yes, speakers affect the feel of a living space the same as anything else in a room does.
Aesthetics should accompany good sound, IMO. I’m paying for both, not either/or.CD Players: Sony CDP-211; Sony DVP-S9000ES; Sony UDP-X800M2 (x2); Cambridge Audio CXC
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Yes absolutely matters to me. Aesthetics are very important when it comes to my room and I love the vibe the equipment has created. If I am going to look at it everyday, I want to like what I’m looking at2 Channel in my home attic/bar/man cave
2 Channel Focal Kanta 3 I Modwright SWL9.0 Anniversary Pre I Modwright PH9.0X I Modwright KWA-150SE I VPI Prime Signature w/ Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC I Lumin U2 Mini I North Star Designs Intenso DAC I Audience OHNO ICs/Audience Furutech FP-S55N and FP-S032N Power Cables/Acoustic Zen Satori I Isotek Sirius -
Yes, Absolutely!! I will echo the statements above..Polk Audio SDA 2.3tl Fully Hot Rodded. 😎
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My answer is.... It depends.
I would settle on superior preformance over looks but I'm not into damaged goods. But scratches, dings, etc are a huge no for me.- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
Aesthetics cost money that could otherwise be put into performance in a competitive industry. Companies have to find the right balance. I don't recall ever buying a speaker solely based on how it looked but when there was a choice of finishes on a speaker I knew I wanted based on its price/performance I'd always go with the finish that I thought looked the best. Black has usually been the safe choice.
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I suppose it depends on your priorities. (and budget)
I love nothing better that a speaker that's a beautiful piece of furniture.
But the looks will fade pretty quickly if the sound is not what you want.
Personally i prioritise SQ over looks. Within reason.
For instance I had some Tekton Lore speakers for a few years.
Just a very plain big old matte black box, but man did they sound great. For the money.
As always having a very understanding wife can have a large bearing on what's allowed.
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I would take ugly speakers with fabulous sound over gorgeous speakers that sounded “pretty good” any day."Conservative Libertarians love the country, progressive leftists love the government." - Andrew Wilkow
“Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
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My buddy Jerry still has that old, beat up, ugly sub I have talked about. Why? He could care less about the looks.....it's the sound he's after! He loves that Direct Servo bass.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
It's sound over cosmetics here as well. For several years I had a mint pair of khorns from 1989 that stayed here mostly because of their beautiful walnut cabinets. Earlier this year those beautiful K's went to a new home and lost their spot to a pair of IMF super compact II's. The IMF are a long ways from being mint and they do show their age with some dings and scratches. But every time I turn that rig on there's no doubt in my mind the right choice was made.
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I was and am fortunate to have beautiful (to Me) speakers in 2 rooms of my home that both sound very good! Yes looks matter because that reflects on our environment in which we dwell!"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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There is no reason you can't make those imperfect looking speakers look better though right?Polk Audio SDA 2.3tl Fully Hot Rodded. 😎
SVS SB16 X2
Cary SLP-05/Ultimate Upgrade.
Cary SA-500.1 ES Amps
Cary DMS 800PV Network
OPPO UDP 205/ModWright Modification
VPI Scout TT / Dynavector 20x2
Jolida JD9 Fully Modified
VPI MW-1 Cyclone RCM
MIT Shotgun 3 cables throughout / Except TT, and PC’s -
I must admit I've kept a pair of Spendor speakers that I haven't used for several years mainly because they have a beautiful matched maple veneer on them and I like light wood veneers on speakers. I have other speakers that surpass them overall in performance but they get midrange vocals so right.
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For me top priority is sound. If sound is at proper level then look has to be decent, nothing fancy.
I am not willing to pay extra big money just for look if there is no justification in sound.
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There are some speakers that I just can't get past the looks no matter how well done the finish is.
B&W Nautilus, great sounding speaker with a fit & finish to die for but, that damn snail in the woofer section... I can't for the life of me get past!
It's one speaker I wouldn't pay $1,000 for if it had to sit in my listening room. -
A good looking speaker that sounds bad is like a good looking woman who you can't relate to. After awhile the looks don't matter as you can't stand to be around her.
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Hard to tell if the OP means choosing between a brand-new set of speakers, where one set is beautiful on the website/catalog page (and in your room), but the sound is marginal, vs a brand-new 'homely' model that sounds much better.
Or, are we talking about choosing between a used speaker that has been around the block a few times, yet sounds fantastic (like a 'sleeper'), vs brand-new that looks beautiful, but just sounds pretty good?
Also, we know that folks have stereo systems in garages and workshops as well, and I doubt anyone cares about looks in those environments. Actually, sound quality may not be very important in those situations, either."This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
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I think there is a line everyone draws regarding looks/performance, but we all draw that line in a different place. For me, there are some speakers that I wouldn't own simply based on aesthetics, no matter how great they sound. At the same time, I would never have an average sounding speaker just because I thought it looked great.
I think this will tell where I draw the line:
I sold a mint condition pair of Usher MD2 so that I could buy a pair of "scratch and dent" Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole. The MD2 is a beautiful speaker that sounds great, especially with the Diamond tweeter. I loved those speakers and would have been happy if they were my last speaker, BUT the Rosso is on another level and quite honestly, I couldn't have afforded to buy a pair at new prices. For me, I can accept the fairly minor cosmetic damage to get the upgrade in sound. For others, the damage would be a deal-breaker.
Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden -
The Nautilus Snail is about as ugly as they get, and sound as good as they look.skipshot12 wrote: »There are some speakers that I just can't get past the looks no matter how well done the finish is.
B&W Nautilus, great sounding speaker with a fit & finish to die for but, that damn snail in the woofer section... I can't for the life of me get past!
It's one speaker I wouldn't pay $1,000 for if it had to sit in my listening room.
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Well the new R200AE look the business.
When mine finally arrive I'm hoping they sound as good as they look. -
nooshinjohn wrote: »
The Nautilus Snail is about as ugly as they get, and sound as good as they look.skipshot12 wrote: »There are some speakers that I just can't get past the looks no matter how well done the finish is.
B&W Nautilus, great sounding speaker with a fit & finish to die for but, that damn snail in the woofer section... I can't for the life of me get past!
It's one speaker I wouldn't pay $1,000 for if it had to sit in my listening room.
Bahahaaaaaa.... -
skipshot12 wrote: »nooshinjohn wrote: »
The Nautilus Snail is about as ugly as they get, and sound as good as they look.skipshot12 wrote: »There are some speakers that I just can't get past the looks no matter how well done the finish is.
B&W Nautilus, great sounding speaker with a fit & finish to die for but, that damn snail in the woofer section... I can't for the life of me get past!
It's one speaker I wouldn't pay $1,000 for if it had to sit in my listening room.
Bahahaaaaaa....
I seen pictures of those speakers in a guys foyer as a piece of artwork, he must have different taste then me. -
I bought a pair of used Legacy Audio Focus. They were finished in a white wash oak with white grille cloth, probably why I was able to afford them. Damn that was a lot of white in a white room!
Ended up changing the grille cloth to black, turned out not that bad as far as looks.
I'm very lucky I have a wife that likes her music more than how a speaker looks
Heck of a nice sounding speaker but they kept breaking a wire, voice coil to cone, going to the mid drivers.
Had to keep extra driver's on hand it happened so often.
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Were they the yellow kevlar legacy drivers?
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Well, the Nautilus (the actual animal) is not really a snail...but I do get the inferencenooshinjohn wrote: »
The Nautilus Snail is about as ugly as they get, and sound as good as they look.skipshot12 wrote: »There are some speakers that I just can't get past the looks no matter how well done the finish is.
B&W Nautilus, great sounding speaker with a fit & finish to die for but, that damn snail in the woofer section... I can't for the life of me get past!
It's one speaker I wouldn't pay $1,000 for if it had to sit in my listening room.
"This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon -
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After changing the grill from white to black...
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skipshot12 wrote: »Heck of a nice sounding speaker but they kept breaking a wire, voice coil to cone, going to the mid drivers.
Had to keep extra driver's on hand it happened so often.
Not sure I would have gotten "Approval" for the white ones. I have had a pair of Focus S/E's for a couple of years. They don't have the yellow mid and I have not had any issues with any of the drivers.
I would say the finish is important but not the most important quality of a speaker.
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skipshot12 wrote: »
Talking to Bill when I was at the Springfield office (a long time ago) he had mentioned they quit using those because of problems. The company he bought from did a total new design, so this all makes sense now.
Bill is one to show you everything he is working on, a very generous guy. He practically wouldn't let a friend and I leave that day LOL. We seen EVERYTHING on site top to bottom. He knew we couldn't afford his gear and that never bothered him in the least.
Somehow we received invites to attend his "open house" in the mail. It was very impressive to see a 5.1 HT set up with both the Whisper and Brooklyn series speakers. VERY IMPRESSIVE.
