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Post by Percussionista on Jan 9, 2017 2:21:38 GMT -5
One of the reasons i've become interested in nice furniture finish speakers (notably the front towers) is that they don't feel like they are dominating the listening area like large all black towers. Big looming evil thingies. But I do get that may be in a more minority opinion and to keep the costs as low as you do you have to pick the right battles, you can only have so many options.
Another way to more affordably accomplish the non-looming aspect would be to have a few alternate choices for the magnetic dust covers over the speaker fronts since they do cover most of the front of the towers. For example, you could have elegant medium gray covers giving you a two-tone look, or maybe a touch of blue-gray (gotta have some Emo blue). Lightening up the fronts would accomplish a lightening up of the perceived weight so to speak. These would be optional choices, probably at higher cost since they would probably be shorter production runs.
My current Vandersteen 3A towers are covered with beige socks (with wood end caps top and bottom). The beige color just "disappears" being so neutral. I had no idea I was going to get beige socks beforehand. If you had asked me ahead of time if i'd want beige for their color I'd have laughed my head off. But this really works.
Just another silly thought from the peanut gallery.
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Post by ÈlTwo on Jan 9, 2017 8:27:04 GMT -5
Do you have any pics of your speakers with and without the socks?
I like the idea of lightening it up.
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Post by vneal on Jan 9, 2017 8:35:28 GMT -5
I have just the opposite opinion. I think black blends in the best in listening rooms and since most equipment is black in finish I think it matches also. The 70s featured mostly silver finish components and there does seem to be a trend back toward this finish(especially the high end)
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Post by macromicroman on Jan 9, 2017 10:16:13 GMT -5
More choices are almost always better. This of course will increase the price, however.
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Post by Percussionista on Jan 9, 2017 15:23:27 GMT -5
I have just the opposite opinion. I think black blends in the best in listening rooms and since most equipment is black in finish I think it matches also. The 70s featured mostly silver finish components and there does seem to be a trend back toward this finish(especially the high end) Your opinion is of course valid as it represents your idea for the listening room. My "listening room" is the family room as far as the comparison goes, and we have furniture there  Not black furniture either! So I'm looking for newer speakers to preferably blend into the whole furniture of the room idea. Most of the few components are in a low and wide brownish equipment unit. Yeah the big MPS-2 amp is out in the air just inside and back of the left speaker, low to the ground. And the big black SVS cylinder subwoofer is behind, pretty much blocked from view by the TV. So, the front speakers are well out in the air, and are the most obvious "components" to view. When I first got a pair of Stealth-8's we tried them out in the family room, up on some "stands", but in order for them not to be affected by the Vandersteens (which I didn't want to move), the 8's had to be just ahead and inside of the V's. The 8's kicked butt watching Star Trek Into Darkness, but they really loomed over us still being a good 6 feet or more away. |
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Post by Percussionista on Jan 9, 2017 15:49:37 GMT -5
Do you have any pics of your speakers with and without the socks? I like the idea of lightening it up. They would look like an engineering mock-up without the socks I'll see about getting a picture posted with the beige socks. They are about 48" tall with wood end-caps; we had a choice of colors for the caps and the socks. Naked, the bottom half is a sealed box, with a 10" passive radiator on the back side near the bottom. Above the box there are the three powered speakers (powered externally I mean) stacked one atop the other in the middle, attached to stuff of course, and musically aligned, but otherwise in "mid air" not in a big sealed container. You can't see this with the socks on (fortunately). You can see a socked and partially un-socked and opened up example, showing the inner stuffing of the box etc. on the Vandersteen website. Scroll down on this page to third from the bottom. Yes, these show the "typical" black socks, with light wood end-caps Ooh, they now cost 50% more than they were when I got them over 18 years ago - well out of my price range now! |
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klinemj
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Official Emofest Scribe
Posts: 15,101
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Post by klinemj on Jan 9, 2017 16:00:37 GMT -5
Different color socks is done by Magnepan. I prefer my black socks and aluminum sides. Others prefer other color socks and/or the wood sides. The option is nice to have.
Mark
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Post by Percussionista on Jan 9, 2017 16:24:47 GMT -5
Do you have any pics of your speakers with and without the socks? I like the idea of lightening it up. Here's the left one, in context with the left side of the TV, MPS-2 amp, and flotsam Given the large (black screen) TV in the middle, I suppose I wouldn't die if the Fronts were also black, even better if they could be moved a little further back towards the wall. But a wood finish would still be rather nice to look at. |
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Post by Loop 7 on Jan 9, 2017 16:25:10 GMT -5
Do you have any pics of your speakers with and without the socks? I like the idea of lightening it up. They would look like an engineering mock-up without the socks Here you go but with black socks. Percussionista's have beige socks. The Vandersteen 3a, to my ears, almost sound like planar speakers but with a seamless, fast low end.  |
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Post by Cogito on Jan 9, 2017 19:38:23 GMT -5
For me, "no wood, no sale".
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Post by ÈlTwo on Jan 9, 2017 19:40:40 GMT -5
I can see how that color would tend to disappear, if you could get them the color of your wall, no one would be able to find them   |
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Post by teaman on Jan 9, 2017 21:24:51 GMT -5
Personally I don't care if the speaker is bland looking. What I am paying for is sound quality. I guess if a nice real wood finish is available then I might lean that way, but I am not among those willing to pay a huge premium. I am willing to put up my average ordinary behemoth Klipsch KLF-30's up against any speaker in any finish for sound quality.
Tim
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Post by Percussionista on Jan 10, 2017 3:13:05 GMT -5
I can see how that color would tend to disappear, if you could get them the color of your wall, no one would be able to find them Yep, would be embarrassing to run into that speaker on the way to open the blinds of the window there, not seeing the speaker. Well, the sound quality is paramount but I would like to work on the esthetics. |
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Not black furniture either! So I'm looking for newer speakers to preferably blend into the whole furniture of the room idea. Most of the few components are in a low and wide brownish equipment unit. Yeah the big MPS-2 amp is out in the air just inside and back of the left speaker, low to the ground. And the big black SVS cylinder subwoofer is behind, pretty much blocked from view by the TV. So, the front speakers are well out in the air, and are the most obvious "components" to view.
