What is it about wood? Almost every UK specialist loudspeaker company still makes wood veneered (or wood look-alike veneered) loudspeakers in a range of finishes.
Roberts, Pure and Vita all offer premium portable and tabletop radios/stereos either built of wood, wood wrapped, or with wooden ends. (In the case of the wooden cabinet Roberts Revival range, it's still their soaraway best seller and was the company's 'saviour' product when resurrected as the R250 in the 1990s.)
Even Yamaha re-introduced the (very 1970s) flourish of wooden end 'cheeks' on their A-S1000/S2000 and CD-S1000/S2000 products.
Monitor Audio and Quad specialise in gorgeous mirror/piano gloss wood veneers and another IAG company (Castle) are doing well with a huge range of specialist veneer finished speakers.
With almost every TV (except my Pansonic it seems) finished in the ubiquitous gloss black plastic - and so many other home entertainment products finished in gloss black - it seems suprising to me that wood is still hanging on at all, let alone being quite so popular still, as a desired finish when gloss-black lacquered speakers mimic black plastic so well.
I don't think it's a generational thing. I know many people a lot younger than I am, who are fed up with plastic and metal and see a real wood finish as a desirable attribute.
I have noticed that more and more hifi racks and AV stands have wooden (or part wooden) construction compared to - say - 20 or 25 years ago when black powder coated steel and glass hifi/av furniture reigned supreme.
Any thoughts on my (very) non-rigorous/non-market researched observations? Are you a fan of wood on/in/around/under your hi-fi or radio or supporting your AV gear? Do you hate the stuff and prefer everything in black gloss or metal or plastic or glass? Are those wood trimmed or wood veneered products a vestigal reminder or 'throwback' to those 'radiogram days' that only middle-aged and elderly folk appreciate and refuse to let go of?
Would you like more wood trim offered by more manufacturers (like on those Yamahas I mentioned) on your amps and CDs? (Or at least have the option.)
Is it something deeper and beyond our understanding? A need maybe? We live in a world where wood can be easily banished from every single aspect of our lives and yet... that little bit of burr walnut on the dashboard, or the little bits of wood on your DAB radio, or the hankering for the Welsh dresser (despite a hose-down stainless steel and granite kitchen being more practical).
Anyway, let's talk about wood. Love it or hate it. What place should it have in 21st century AV technology?
Roberts, Pure and Vita all offer premium portable and tabletop radios/stereos either built of wood, wood wrapped, or with wooden ends. (In the case of the wooden cabinet Roberts Revival range, it's still their soaraway best seller and was the company's 'saviour' product when resurrected as the R250 in the 1990s.)
Even Yamaha re-introduced the (very 1970s) flourish of wooden end 'cheeks' on their A-S1000/S2000 and CD-S1000/S2000 products.
Monitor Audio and Quad specialise in gorgeous mirror/piano gloss wood veneers and another IAG company (Castle) are doing well with a huge range of specialist veneer finished speakers.
With almost every TV (except my Pansonic it seems) finished in the ubiquitous gloss black plastic - and so many other home entertainment products finished in gloss black - it seems suprising to me that wood is still hanging on at all, let alone being quite so popular still, as a desired finish when gloss-black lacquered speakers mimic black plastic so well.
I don't think it's a generational thing. I know many people a lot younger than I am, who are fed up with plastic and metal and see a real wood finish as a desirable attribute.
I have noticed that more and more hifi racks and AV stands have wooden (or part wooden) construction compared to - say - 20 or 25 years ago when black powder coated steel and glass hifi/av furniture reigned supreme.
Any thoughts on my (very) non-rigorous/non-market researched observations? Are you a fan of wood on/in/around/under your hi-fi or radio or supporting your AV gear? Do you hate the stuff and prefer everything in black gloss or metal or plastic or glass? Are those wood trimmed or wood veneered products a vestigal reminder or 'throwback' to those 'radiogram days' that only middle-aged and elderly folk appreciate and refuse to let go of?
Would you like more wood trim offered by more manufacturers (like on those Yamahas I mentioned) on your amps and CDs? (Or at least have the option.)
Is it something deeper and beyond our understanding? A need maybe? We live in a world where wood can be easily banished from every single aspect of our lives and yet... that little bit of burr walnut on the dashboard, or the little bits of wood on your DAB radio, or the hankering for the Welsh dresser (despite a hose-down stainless steel and granite kitchen being more practical).
Anyway, let's talk about wood. Love it or hate it. What place should it have in 21st century AV technology?