Why are most hi-fi speakers so damn ugly?!

[admin_exported]

Is it just me or does anyone else find most hi-fi speakers unattractive? The only manufacturers that seem to make nice speakers are Monitor Audio and Tannoy. My hi-fi is a major feature of my living room and with large floorstanders they are certainly not discrete they have to look good too. Surely a speaker and sound great as well as look nice - I don't see why the two are mutually exclusive. In all my speaker purchases the asthetics has played a factor in a purchasing decision and I've had to decide against some speakers because I didn't their looks.

Does anyone else feel this way?

 

[Anonymous]

Why are most hi-fi speakers so damn ugly? Because otherwise our life would be ruled by them, but the WAF of most speakers is sooo low that nothing like that happens...

 

[Craig M.]

maybe most speaker designers are men with big bushy beards and a purple tanktop, and the last time they were aware of interior design was from seeing a habitat catalogue back in the eighties.

 

[drummerman]

Monitor Audio nice?! Perhaps compared with some but having rows of white drive units staring at me is not my idea of nice. Still, each to their own. Its like furniture and as such has to fit in with the rest of the living area for most normal people that happen to inhabit space with others. There's enough choice out there to please most people. Slim, wide, tall, small, curved, round and different colours, where's the problem? Have a look at missions new speakers. Not for everyone but absolutely gorgeous in gloss black to these eyes.

 

[Andy Clough]

Some of B&W's more upmarket speakers don't exactly look bad either. And I've got a pair of Audica MPS-1 speakers sitting on my desk as I write this. OK, they're not hi-fi speakers, but they do look great in their swoopy aluminium finish.

 

[Anonymous]

I didn't consider looks when auditioning and buying my equipment, it was all about the sound...

 

[Anonymous]

BigGuads:I didn't consider looks when auditioning and buying my equipment, it was all about the sound...

Just luckly, Focal chucked in the looks on your speakers for good measure...

 

[Anonymous]

Breeder:
Is it just me or does anyone else find most hi-fi speakers unattractive? The only manufacturers that seem to make nice speakers are Monitor Audio and Tannoy. My hi-fi is a major feature of my living room and with large floorstanders they are certainly not discrete they have to look good too. Surely a speaker and sound great as well as look nice - I don't see why the two are mutually exclusive. In all my speaker purchases the asthetics has played a factor in a purchasing decision and I've had to decide against some speakers because I didn't their looks.

Does anyone else feel this way?

Ugly speakers are usually ugly due to cost savings. Mdf and the box shape are just the cheapest way to build a speaker housing.
Ugly speakers that cost a lot are ugly because the engineer is a bearded.......

 

[the record spot]

The new Acoustic Energy monitors look stunning IMO; WHF banged on about styling in the reviews, but I thought they were a bold and interesting design. Good call AE!

 

[Anonymous]

Sonus Faber has some very beautiful and good speakers.But they are rather expensive.

 

[Thaiman]

I love the look of speakers, some of them are really stunning for example

 

[tounra]

I think my speakers look pretty good

 

[SHAXOS]

B&W 805S
LOVELY LOOKS!

 

[Mike_Schmidt]

Proac D28's...ugly but its all about the sound right

 

[drummerman]

tounra:I think my speakers look pretty good

Have you tried kissing them?

 

[timwileman]

i prefer a good sense of humor to looks.....

 

[Anonymous]

What about QUADs? Yes they are box shaped.....but the finish on them is first class, possilby the best cabinet finish I've seen. I've just bought a pair of 11L2's for our bedroom in piano black; they look and sound divine. I'm also seriously considering the 22L2's for my main system....

 

[Ajani]

Breeder:

Is it just me or does anyone else find most hi-fi speakers unattractive? The only manufacturers that seem to make nice speakers are Monitor Audio and Tannoy. My hi-fi is a major feature of my living room and with large floorstanders they are certainly not discrete they have to look good too. Surely a speaker and sound great as well as look nice - I don't see why the two are mutually exclusive. In all my speaker purchases the asthetics has played a factor in a purchasing decision and I've had to decide against some speakers because I didn't their looks.

Does anyone else feel this way?

Yep.... lots of ugly speakers and electronics out there.... part of it has to do with audio brands not spending enough money and time on aesthetics... part of it is also deliberate.... Many audiophiles feel that the only factor in determining what to buy (other than cost) is how it sounds.... so any money spent on aesthetics, could have been better spent on sound quality.... Personally, I see no reason why sound and good looks should be mutually exclusive... and there are more than enough brands that make both good sounding and good looking equipment....

 

[professorhat]

I personally love the look of most speakers and stare adoringly at my B&W 685s on occasion. Strangely though, I have neither a bushy beard nor a tanktop...

 

[John Duncan]

Sandals?

 

[professorhat]

Nope. Flip-flops... (or thongs if you're of the Oz persuasion)

 

[John Duncan]

professorhat:or thongs if you're of the Oz persuasion

I thought that was ruby slippers?

 

[professorhat]

Well, I can't tell you about the things Dorothy got up to off camera...
(No honestly, I can't)

 

[John Duncan]

Hey, she's a friend of mine..........

 

[professorhat]

Sorry, but she rankled my mate the tin man when she told scarecrow she'd miss him most of all...