Speaker recommendation for married couple
"My speaker were purchased on sound alone." I certainly get that many audiophiles have only that criteria...and the look of many audiophile rooms suggests it ;-) For me, aesthetics plays a role and adds to any experience - whether it's a beautiful old, grand movie theater vs a non-descript movie theater, a restaurant with beautiful decor, or just a nicely decorated room in a home. I love beautiful hi-fi equipment, the way it can enhance rather than detract aesthetically in a room. I especially love gorgeous speakers and since I'm looking at them as I listen, if they are beautiful to look at it enhances my satisfaction, rather than looking at an eye-sore collection of drivers in drab box or whatever. |
My wife won't try to stop me from any particular speaker purchase based on their looks, but she does care how a speaker looks and so do I. My listening room is the front living room of the house and I had originally chosen a decor based on brown and black because most audio equipment tended to come in those colors. It worked, as just about every speaker I ever put in there - usually brown wood, black grill - seemed to fit in pretty seamlessly instead of being an eye-sore. When I renovated the room to do home theater duty as well, I kept that theme. The main motivating factor for why I've been searching for a possible replacement for my Thiel 3.7s which are visually too room dominating due to their size (in our small room). And my wife is picky, doesn't like equipment in general, and often thinks speakers look "weird." (Though doesn't hate the Thiels). I purchased Harbeth SLH5 Plus speakers to try out, both because they were significantly smaller than the Thiels and I thought as a bonus my wife would be good with their more subtle, traditional speaker-look. And they were in a gorgeous rosewood finish too. Turned out to my surprise my wife hated the looks of the Harbeth! Thought they were totally ugly in our room and said she much preferred the look of the Thiels. I thought she was right. It was just an issue of style-matching. The room is furnished in a contemporary feel, and the speakers have to be brought out well into the room. The Harbeths just stuck out like a sore thumb, both in their hard edged boxy shape and their orange-red finish, nice as it was, didn't match with anything. The big Thiels are more sleek, rounded, modern design that actually manage to blend in and look more subtle in the room, despite their size. The fact I felt the Harbeths (as excellent as they were!) couldn't hold a candle to the Thiels sound-wise made it an easy decision to sell them quickly and move on in my search. I"m about to try a smaller version of the Thiels (2.7) and perhaps some others. |
My wife likes the Martin Logan Months with gloss cherry finish Very stylish and modern , And the music is seamless and musical. The newer ML impressions I was thinking on getting instead but the Bass box Is huge over 28 inches deep and you need do give the back of woofer at least 8 inches from the wall meaning 3ft minimum. Montis only 18 inches. 2 ft from walls |
I felt bad and happy when I found this killer deal on a barely used SHL5 (not Plus) Harbeths. See, I was not too crazy for the SHL5 Plus version. Actually liked the Compact 7ES3 better. I have never heard the SHL5 before but I compared the 40.1 & 40.2 (not that I could afford). I liked the 40.1 better. So, I thought I have a chance of my wife liking the non Plus version. Because from what I have heard from people they are different speakers. They are playing as I type and they are AMAZING! I love them. I don't want to talk big but I think the search is over. After all these years I have found the speakers I have been looking for. I don't think it is everyone's cup of tea though. OK. Let's see what wife thinks. She loves them (at least that's what she says). She is a very honest person though. I know she would tell me if she didn't like them. Actually when she was listening Taro by Alt-J like me she couldn't believe how real and emotional the vocals were. She also loves the Tiger Ebony finish and surprised how cool even the stands are! These speakers are amazing! Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. We both appreciate it. Wife says, "Yes, I really love them too :) The warm sound, the look, and my happy husband :)" |
I know this thread has about run it's course, but had to share how much my wife is LOVING the look of our new Vandersteen Quatro's. As most know, I got them painted in Havana Black. Highly metallic. My wife LOVES that we will be putting in spot lights above each speaker. She was 'fine' with the look of our Treo's. Said they were much nicer looking than those 'box' speakers with their taper. They were in cherry and fit in nicely, but once the Quatro was installed, I was worried as auto paint is different than wood. Boy was I relieved when she said, 'oh, those are pretty' when first installed. Once she started to hang out in the room with me, she said how pretty they were. Now she's spending more time with me in the loft where we keep the system. She's really happy that I had them painted as they disappear into the room, but when you look at them, she said it's hard to take your eyes off of them. I asked if I should have gotten them in Ferrari Rosso Red. She said that would have been cool and given the room a different look. She said that they were just really pretty and is glad that I love them as much as I do. I'm glad that she's spending more time with me enjoying music. lol. |
What a thread. Yes, you need to go listen. Your wife most probably does have much better hearing than you do. If you want a full range sound with a warmer mid, most of the speakers that folks are mentioning probably don't fit that bill IMHO. You mention looks also, so is that a wood or painted look? Yes, I'm a Vandersteen lover and you can get a pair of Treo's painted if you want to or in wood. If you want to spend much less, then the 2 or 3 are the way to go. They fit the bill about what you are looking for, but so do a few others, but until you go listen you'll never know which ones. There are many listed though that are very very hot in the high end. My wife has heard a few of them and within seconds said no way, lol. She liked Avalon's (very expensive and the distributor isn't really doing a great job with them). She heard the Legacy's with me and both of us looked at each other and said NO WAY, lol. That ribbon they use is very detailed, but it's bright. It's hard to get a smaller speaker that has little bass (physics says smaller cabinets can't produce that much bass) to sound warm. A few I've heard over the year have, but you can tell that you are missing a large part of the music. Again, what is the budget? Where do you live? As Troy said the NYC area has a ton of dealers, but only a few who are reputable. Yes, Johnny is one and Troy is in NJ too and has a totally different set of gear. Again, you need to find out what YOU like and believe in your ears. Don't let a sales person tell you how to listen to music. If you hear a speaker make sure you listen for an hour or so and not have anyone in the room (other than your wife) to see if you can live with them full time. Often times we listen to a speaker and it sounds so "OPEN' or "extended' or whatever, but in the end it could be distortion or the speaker's just very hot and you won't be happy for the long haul. The same thing can be said about a mid that too forward. I used to LOVE Sonus Faber but they changed with their new speakers (and now being owned by the Mac group folks). I have heard them in a few set ups and they sounded dead to me. The mids were very forward and there was nothing on top. They just never opened up and they were being run with top Conrad Johnson gear (which is very good) in one set up and with top SS amps in another (I'm sorry, but I forget which amps). It's hard to make decisions on speakers unless they are in your own room though. That's why I try to keep an open mind when going out to listen, so you want to keep that in mind also. What does your room sound like? If it's got lots of reflections and slap echo, then you really need to fix it or stay away from a speaker that is bright, unless it's a speaker that you will set up and listen to in a near field kind of set up. That way you take much of the room boundaries out of the equation. Have fun and take what you think is good advice and stick with it. Again, trust your own ears as well as your wife's. Ask what wood choices and what other finishes you can get (like painted). The best part is that you will have fun and get what you both love I'm hoping. |
The comment (I paraphrase) that to "hear what a speaker is capable of you need to use your current electronics" is lame. Example: I have a pair of biwireable speakers and the designer told me this model of his lineup sounds much better single wired…tried both and he's right. My new speakers supposedly sound better biwired (again, from the manufacturer) and hey…they do! Some speakers do better with brighter or not so bright or SS or tubes or Class D or are better not used at all. The last group are simply speakers that can harm pets and furnishings…hot lava tweeters, liquid lead bass drivers…avoid those. |
Thanks again everyone for your recommendations. @cory1985 I have met Adrian years ago. Very funny guy and loves what he is doing. He did a demo. Can’t recall the model but I remember him trying to distort his mini (maybe should call micro) monitors with Pass Labs amp. That thing didn’t distort! Took all the beating. Couldn’t believe it. He makes very good speakers but very hard to audition the new models. |
Look up Tetra Loudspeakers from Canada. Not that it matters, but a few Jazz greats, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter endorse them. I own the 222's and am waiting for the 111's (bass units) to arrive shortly. I have owned a lot of loudspeakers over the years, Klipsch, Duevel, Magnepan, Ohm, Trenner & Friedl, Silverline, Vandersteen, Infinity, Polk, Bose, Pioneer, Avid, EPI, A/D/S, Fritz and the Tetra 222's do it for me. They sound natural, without any emphasis on certain frequencies. The 222's are running I think $2750.00. They make stands for the 222 which were made for them. If you think, you need more bass, you could add the 111's later but they are quite a bit more in cost. Adrian is the owner and builder of these speakers. He tunes everything by ear. I am not a spokes person for his company just a satisfied customer. |
Speakers will depend on your budget, amps and room size. But considering all +/- average, I would go for Tektons or for near perfect unbeatable sound beauty and balance for pounds/sound: XTZ Divine 100.33 http://www.xtzsound.eu/product/divine-100-33 |
Listen to these:
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Notes from the wife :) Hello wife. Buying Hi-Fi is quite a tricky subject. Sizable dosh for something personal. It is even more tricky for me because I live very close to the edge of the earth and the opportunities for listening are few and far between. Not only that but I have a wide range of styles to accommodate; from singer and guitar to large orchestra. That is enough about me. I like the suggestions so far about Sonus, Canton, and Tannoy. You can add Triangle and to that. In particular I think the 'paper driver' comment is right on the money. I think little boxes - Harbeths, LS3/5a, Kef LS50 - wont cut it. These days manufacturers do sterling work with getting bass from small designs but the bass - while there - seems a little contrived, without real body. Sorry for the abstract language, but hopefully you are used to it by now. Or as has been said 'There is no substitute for cubic inches' - or was that in relation to vehicle engines? :-> I know there is already enough to think about but (& sorry if I have missed it) what amp is to drive the speakers? The relationship between those is the most important issue in system matching, in fact this is why 'active speakers' are inherently right. Good luck. |
Tekton speakers aren't so attractive looking…might sound OK but really….maybe with some exotic finish. I'm looking into single ended tube amps so I just bought a pair of (93db efficient) Sonist Recital 3s, solid wood (Poplar) with a deep reddish finish, and they look great. My wife likes them, but doesn't care much about gear as a hobby as is the case with 99% of everybody I know. I try to hide wire behind things and keep the rig from dominating the room, and when people come by for fun I move the speakers back so so nobody feels like they could knock them over…I put the grills on also if I think about it. |
Sonus faber Cremona M Auditors are spkrs my wife liked if you want stand mounted monitors. We also got some YG acoustics Carmels for our family room that she really likes (yes, I'm a lucky man...). also, I'd agree that Vienna Acoustics might work. They are very attractive speakers and with their thinner profile, they don't look like bulky old school spkrs. I actually got a pair of Mozarts for my 20-something daughter. |
Interesting thread. Same thing happened here. My wife wanted good sound from a speaker that was not hideous like my Bowers and Wilkins 802d3... So we ended up with walnut Sonus Faber Olympica 3 to match the furniture downstairs and I can tell you she enjoys that speaker. We even had a designer come by to help with finishing up the house and not one objection was made with regards to the Sonus Fabers in the family room. |
The only pair of speakers I ever regretted selling were our Vandersteen 4, although if we still had them our cat(s) would have shredded the brown nylon fabric covers by now, and they also would be decorated with dried dog slobber (we own a 170-pound English Mastiff who slings everywhere). Oh, well. I did not like having to use Vandersteen's external crossover for bi-amping and tri-wiring, but it was fine. The sound was glorious no matter the size of the room or where we were sitting. We "upgraded" to a used pair of large Genesis III, still excellent speakers, of course, just harder to place to achieve the right soundstage. We use them now with an 18" Velodyne sub, but sometimes they are just too revealing of the harshness of early digital recordings. I can adjust the treble on the speakers, but it is hard to disguise the "nails on a chalkboard" sound of massed orchestral violins on 1980s and 1990s digitally recorded classical CDs. Accuracy is not always a good thing! Our upstairs system was purposely chosen to be more forgiving, based around a pair of old ProAc EBS speakers. They are not ideally placed, but we lie in bed and just enjoy the music. Both systems use Wadia CD players, which easily sound as good as $6600 worth of separates we tried (a CEC belt-driven transport and several different brands of expensive DACs), tubed Audio Research preamps (with remote volume control - a must!) and Levinson amps. I sold the huge Vandersteen 4 to a woman who runs a music academy in her cavernous great room overlooking the northern California coast, and even placing them under the stairs and running them with a mediocre mid-fi integrated amp, they filled the entire room with amazingly wonderful sound. I've heard the inexpensive Vandersteen 2 at a friend's house and, while not in competition with $6,000+ plus speakers, they too were very musical. I don't know if second-hand Vandersteens are available in Europe, but they are quite engaging and tend to disappear, leaving you to enjoy your music. I wish I could say that of our Genesis III. They are absolutely stunning speakers on well-mastered recordings, but far too revealing of poor source material. Congratulations on marrying a woman who shares your love of music and fine audio! Please let us know when you find a pair of speakers that pleases you both. |
Celo, At least you have a wife who gives a Schiit about your hobby. The more time I spend with my music/system; the more my wife hates it. ;^) Take your time shopping and enjoy it. Have you tried any brands not as often mentioned in the forums these days? PSB may be just the ticket, or SVS or even (gasp) GoldenEars. |
My wife at first was only concerned with the furniture: that is, the size and appearance of my speakers (Altec 604C duplexes) which is what I thought this thread was going to be about. Now that hat my system has been repaired and tuned again, she hears the difference and she's sorta into it. Sorta. Kinda. Good luck. |
Hi, I am Italian and this is the first time I write here but I am an old member of the Naim forum and it's extremely interesting to see how similarly all audio things are seen from the two sides if the sea. Anyway, I am slightly amazed at reading of a wife who really cares about the sound of a pair of speakers instead of their looks – this is not meant to be diminutive of women's musical taste or intelligence. But there can be surprises: my wife never objected to any pair of speakers I bought or tried at home, from an aesthetic point of view, safe for the Naim Ovator S-400s, that I love and that she found ugly. Then, in the end, after an awful amount of tentatives, I bought a pair of Ovators S-400s, and she had to admit a) how beautiful they are and how easily and elegantly they fit into the room and the furniture and, b), how good they sound. They go down to below 40hz when requested, are extremely coherent and never harsh. So this would be my 'blind' recommendation. Max p.s. How do I change font, please? |
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