Mid century modern mini speakers?

Considering size and that "mid century" look you're wanting I would also suggest EPI/Epicure M50's - if you can find a pair. They are covered in real wood veneer and will look absolutely gorgeous sanded and re-oiled.

The footprint is small 10" W X 8" D and they are 13" high. In a reception area, I assume low level volume would be the norm and M50's should be capable of moving enough air for satisfying bass when fed little power.

This is one of the pair I have which has had its grille cloth replaced - the stock black wasn't cutting it for me. I re-used cloth salvaged from another speaker grille of similar vintage.

I have yet to obtain a new one, but during my refinishing process, the orbital sander I was using burnt out. That is why the cabinet surfaces are not as pristine as they will be when I get back to them again.
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Manny E - of course the JBL Nova 88s are not the coolest, as in best, speaker ever. I was talking about their looks, which makes sense in a thread about MidCentury modern design - is there even such a thing as midcentury modern sound? The OP asked about style, and they are very stylish.
A similar logic was behind my suggestion of them despite size - small was desired, but exactly what small is depends on the situation, and in some instances, coolness might outweigh restrictions. Obviously there may be physical limits that the OP has not specified, in which case the Nova are non starters. But people have been suggesting 8 inch two ways, which don't really hit the 'small' target, either.

The suggestion of the JR 149 is an excellent one, sound wise, but they might be too modern looking.
 
So, my girlfriend has me outfitting her waiting room with a vintage receiver and speakers. She's set the whole waiting room up with a very mid-century modern vibe, and the receiver I've chosen fits in nicely. It's a Pioneer SX-3600. Not anything really spectacular spec-wise, but it gets good reception and it looks the part. I've stripped the vinyl off of the wooden sides (it was peeling and looked terrible), and I've refinished them with oak veneer. I found a stain that comes pretty close to the original color. It looks really sweet so far.

So, the next step are speakers. I'm currently running it with a pair of Koss M80 speakers, which sound great, but don't really look particularly great. Especially since they're also covered in faux wood grain vinyl. I'm looking for something that fits a mid-century modern vibe, but is also rather small. The M80 is about as small as I want to go... but I don't really want a full sized bookshelf speaker either.

Thoughts?

Charles.

I just gave these to a colleague, as they weren't being used. They sound decent, but look even better.

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There are a number of small Telefunken and Grundig speakers with a strong MCM vibe.

(Telefunken RS-5 and Grundig Lautsprecher Box 8 spring to mind, but there are definitely others as well.)

Good luck.
 
How about the JBL Bel Aire:

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It doesn't get much more MCM than that. Too bad they are very rare. I think building some look-a-likes would be a cool DIY project.

BNM
 
How about the JBL Bel Aire:

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It doesn't get much more MCM than that. Too bad they are very rare. I think building some look-a-likes would be a cool DIY project.

BNM
Talk about kool.... those are the definition. I notice the bullet ring radiator, not my favorite tweeter... I wonder what they sound like... they would have to sound really bad to offset that really kool MCM look... and they are JBL, not some department store offering.
 
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