most beautiful (looking) speakers

OMA is pretty amazing

@henry53 couldn't agree more on Tannoys. A mystery to me.....

@pwdmark 

I don't get the look of the Tektons. At all.

@snilf 

I sent it for all the countries (who knew Cyrpus made cool speakers) but yes, Slovenia is impeccable, pretty as a postcard

Yamaha NS5000 - soo black, can't make up my mind about them

Kharma is pretty hard to beat

@kingharold

I think there are speakers and then there are pieces of art that also produce sound

@cd318  wow... yes, they look really cool! Timeless and yet so 90s. They also sound great

20 years of massive technological improvements :)

@matro5 

thank you, I too love Danish design!

but what is it doing in the garage? :)

btw is the similarity between the LSA 50s and and Sonus Faber Concertino purely coincidental?

this was my OP

We always talk about sound and sometimes about looks. I am obsessed with the speakers’ looks as it’s an expression of trends, evolution of design and technology as well they convey the maker’s philosophy about the sound and the capabilities of the speaker.

I went to the local audio store yesterday and saw more speakers than he ever had, his showrooms were stacked. It was a complete visual orgy. There were a few speakers I saw the first time, mainly Sonus Fabers.

If I had to rank, this would be my top 10 list, in this order

>> Sonus Faber Guarneri Tradiion - it is winner in any design competition, looks even better than on pictures. I was speechless

>> Dynaudio Evoke 10 - small is beautiful and so Danish!

>> Dynaudio Confidence 20 - even more Danish!

>> Totem Forest Signature - the rare exception when the floor standing version is better looking than the bookshelf

>> Revel Salon 2 - solid but nothing exciting

>> Vandersteen KĒNTO Carbon - it looks very solid, high quality but for a big piece of furniture like this, the design is a little underwhelming

>> Harbeth p3esr xd - if I didn’t know the name, I would call the design amateurish. But I do. And with that it looks cute and mature.

>> I have never seen a Marten but next time I am in Europe.... it’s my favorite looking speaker - from the pictures

>> Big fan of the Zu looks, never seen them

>> Lastly, most German Austrian Swiss audiophile speakers look brave and stunning. If I had to pick one as the best living room furniture: the avantgarde acoustic may edge out a win

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One thing I have to note, I did not yesterday or have not ever seen speakers stands that I liked. Some look OK, some borderline aesthetically pleasing, but nothing to write about. The only exception may be Buchardt tripod stands.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am wondering if anyone has a brand and model they find an absolute beauty.... that they can’t stop raving about :)

just what I suspected, we all have very different tastes :)

@sandthemall 

I am totally split on the Harbeths. I feel the quality but it still looks like a school project. 

I realized through this post that I like classic with some bold details. 

I don't get the Blade at all.

@manogolf 

I don't know if you can upload it to into a comment from your desktop/iMac, but if you post it somewhere on the web, facebook or any picture sharing site, you can link it in from the image source url.

@coachpoconnor 

"hard to divorce the looks of speakers from their reputation"

yes and reputation comes from the quality

with industrial design, function comes first and that defines design. We are not talking about pretty boxes, it's about what they do. I get goosebumps when I see a gorgeous speaker and I want to HEAR it!

nice, up-to-date page

one of the prettiest ugly speakers:                                           

@roxy54 

I have the 5s. I absolutely love them. I like the way they look, I just think they have  the ultimate pure functional look with no time wasted on design details. So they are simple and beautiful in the same time, so British, so much fun to listen to!

the company that started the Scandinavian invasion - design-wise

@roxy54

this is the weirdest story: last year I was comparing 8+ speakers to upgrade.

I have a few "better" speakers in my garage, that I could save from 4+ moves across Continents and States and Coasts. I bought my Celestion 5s in 1996 on Boylston Street. I still remember what the salesguy said: "if it fits your budget, stop looking at more expensive models, you will be happy with it, You will upgrade later"
So 25 years later, when demoing expensive fancy speakers, I unwrapped my Celestions as a reference for every pair. I couldn’t believe my ears, They sounded better or as good as all these fancy KEFs, Wharfedales, SFs, Klipschs, Totems, etc. Not a lof of bass and highs but super easy listening, fun, detailed, warm, inviting a very nice round presentation of any music. I never put them back in the garage and I never will. Hooked up to my 1060 amp forever (perfect match by the way)

I never liked the B&W sound and so I never got excited about their speaker design But they are decent for sure.

the Xavians do look stunning:

I "love" the BO quote:

"Love it when it’s on. Love it when it’s off."

So you guys are very open about this being mainly a design component - you were really going for the BO Concept furniture thing?

I used to have these and should have never sold them. Back then I was that unenlightened person who thought that all a man needs is ONE set of speakers.

@prismdissonant 

pretty good looking speakers! I am sure we'll stumble on a few forgotten items like these,

not strictly a speaker but a pop-culture icon and design hit, for sure

@scotandholly pretty interesting speakers, not sure about the pink, but definitely cool design!