Speakers esthetics

[Noam]

So, straight to the point, what makes a speaker beautiful? How do companies achieve an appealing product and is it aspect which you would consider important.
I am building a big speaker. Following the design of the Danish designer Troels Gravesen. If you are not familiar with his work I strongly recommend his website. I am building something which resemble the Wilson audio Alexia... Unfortunately I never found the big Wilsons to be beautifull. (maybe beautifully made - but that's not quite the same). They have those big shoulders and look to me like a BMW m5 sport car. So I am fiddling with the design... And I am quite stuck. How do you make a big speaker not aggressive looking or overwhelming... So what are your best candidates for beautiful speakers and why? For me, the Stradivary of Sonus faber, very musical too!

 

[Shadowfax]

The High Gloss Walnut on the Fyne speakers is really nice to look at no matter what size or model.

 

[Noam]

Looks amazing indeed! But damn gloss is a pile of s#*##t to do right

 

[NekoAudio]

People's preferences and the amount of weight they apply to aesthetics versus functionality varies. Likewise, things change with the times, and with the technology and our understanding of what performs well. Consider how cars, TVs, even refrigerators and floor lamps used to look decades ago versus today.

In that vein, taking a cue from other products popular among your target audience might be a good starting point. After all, some people (communities, countries, regions, etc.) do on average like things that look aggressive and big while others like things that are cute and small/lithe. And take care to look outside your immediate circle—Microsoft famously neglected to consider differences like this when they first launched the Xbox.

 

[Hear Here]

Tricky one particularly for DIY speakers. The big producers (or smaller ones charging huge prices) can afford to make their speakers "beautiful" by employing more curves than is possible to the DIY’er. Plywood can be moulded in autoclaves or they can use moulded plastic-based materials to produce non-cubic shaped enclosures. Even aluminium can, to a certain extent, be rolled into interesting shapes.

Decades ago, I built hexagonal-shaped enclosures following the designs of Wharfedale's then top-of-the-range Airedale system. This was built from flat panels of high density plywood used in the building industry, but with spaced narrow slats of solid walnut covering the 3 visible front upright surfaces. The top was also walnut veneered. I liked these big speakers but they were originally designed in mono days and more suitable for corner placement. I built 2 of them and fortunately had 2 room corners that were the right distance apart for reasonably good stereo.

I continue to dabble with speaker aesthetics but based on modifying commercial designs. My 2006-vintage Avantgarde Duos became rather dated-looking as they were designed in the 1990s, so I redesigned the support system for the horn tubes and added new feet, resulting in a more modern appearance and (in most friends' opinions) are now much better looking - and sounding better too by improving the vibration control.

However the old adage “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” leaves you to do whatever pleases you – and maybe your other half!

 

[Jim Smith]

Double post - :doubtful:

 

[Jim Smith]

Tricky one particularly for DIY speakers. The big producers (or smaller ones charging huge prices) can afford to make their speakers "beautiful" by employing more curves than is possible to the DIY’er. Plywood can be moulded in autoclaves or they can use moulded plastic-based materials to produce non-cubic shaped enclosures. Even aluminium can, to a certain extent, be rolled into interesting shapes.

Decades ago, I built hexagonal-shaped enclosures following the designs of Wharfedale's then top-of-the-range Airedale system. This was built from flat panels of high density plywood used in the building industry, but with spaced narrow slats of solid walnut covering the 3 visible front upright surfaces. The top was also walnut veneered. I liked these big speakers but they were originally designed in mono days and more suitable for corner placement. I built 2 of them and fortunately had 2 room corners that were the right distance apart for reasonably good stereo.

I continue to dabble with speaker aesthetics but based on modifying commercial designs. My 2006-vintage Avantgarde Duos became rather dated-looking as they were designed in the 1990s, so I redesigned the support system for the horn tubes and added new feet, resulting in a more modern appearance and (in most friends' opinions) are now much better looking - and sounding better too by improving the vibration control.

However the old adage “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” leaves you to do whatever pleases you – and maybe your other half!

Speaking of vibration control, there is a nice (and affordable) improvement in sound when the cylinders behind the drivers are appropriately damped.

Done properly, there is an improvement in focus & tone, while remaining unseen to anyone looking at the speakers.

FWIW - I would think that the cylinder supports that you incorporated helped to some extent in that area as well.

Although I remember doing the mods, and I wrote about this in an article 18 or so years ago, for the life of me, I cannot remember where ...

:badnews: :dunno:

 

[Spock]

So what are your best candidates for beautiful speakers and why?

There are so many beautiful speakers. So many brands like Tidal, Marten, Vienna Acoustics, Usher Audio, Sonus Faber, Audio Physic, Rockport, AudioSolutions, just to mention some with more conventional look. But i like some strange look too, like Estelon, Mbl, or even Kef Muon or Kef Blade
Don´t like a few electrostatic models and please don´t talk to me about horns. :lol:

 

[Mike]

I decided that Estelon wasn’t for me. But I am looking at adding a real pretty (and virtually unknown) modestly priced speaker next year. Stay tuned. Late spring/summer time frame.


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[CPP]

I decided that Estelon wasn’t for me. But I am looking at adding a real pretty (and virtually unknown) modestly priced speaker next year. Stay tuned. Late spring/summer time frame.


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"modestly priced speaker next year", cool Mike, can't wait to see what ya add .

 

[W9TR]

My wife laughed at me when I traded out Vienna Acoustics Beethoven’s for Wilson Sophia 2’a. She thought they looked like some kind of industrial vacuum cleaner. (I’m channeling Zappa’s Joe’s Garage). Anyway the Sophia 2’s were replaced by SF Amati Futuras which my wife and I both think are beautiful. They sound pretty good too.