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Speaker Recommendations - Wifey likes pretty things!

Blur2018 said:
I hesitate to admit that my wife wears the pants...
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I suspect that you are way ahead of the pack, wife-wise, in that your wife actually finds some speakers attractive :). That's the stuff of legends in my book.

Instead of describing what she likes in words, it would be much better to post some pics of speakers she finds attractive (just grab pics from the interwebs). I read the whole first post -- probably ADD on my part, but I still don't really get what she like or dislikes. Post some pics of examples that are attractive to her and you will get much better suggestions.
 
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I have ADS L400s in "her" room (aka living room) and Maggies in my room (music room). I don't think she has ever said "these got to go" but last night she wondered why I have two sets of Maggies. The second pair really doesn't fit in the spare bedroom.
 
I forgot to mention in my earlier post Dynaco A25's (already listed above) or A35's. Other excellent vintage narrow floor standers worth looking at are DCM Time Window 1a's and DCM Time Frame 700's.
 
Absolutely true and why I often recommend the AR58s rather than the AR11 and other highly sought after models. The 58s is a true AR 12" 3/way in every sense of the word, from its dome midrange to its furniture grade cabinets, it's just not a 70's model.

As its designation 58 is shared by other vinyl covered models with cone midrange drivers this speaker lies in obscurity keeping the prices low, how fortuitous for those that know.

Picked up these babies for the whopping price of $275 lol.
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And they look great with my late 70's Kenwood gear.
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The right grill cloth can work wonders to sway the SO into accepting your speakers. Bring her on board for the choice. Limit options to acoustically transparent choices, though. My wife is a big fan of the linen look. I've used Charlescraft Irish Linen from Michaels for a few speakers. I love the look, too, so it's a win/win.

Lots of speakers can look good when dressed up right.
"onlinefabricstore" has some stretchy poly "linen" fabrics that look good, too.

Continuing the AR vibe: the AR11 with Charlescraft Irish Linen.
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Have you considered the Polk Model 7? Only slightly larger than the 17's and if you can find an early version, they have a rosewood veneer which I think it one of the better looking vinyl clad speakers.
Try refoaming your Genesis G1's see if you like the sound (I'm an EPI/Genesis Physics fan). If your G1's are vinyl covered, you could strip them a re-veneer with the veneer of your choice or find a pair of the real wood veneer versions of the EPI 100 or Genesis 1s.

If a floor stander is an option, look for some Advent Heritage speakers. My favorite Advent of all the Advents I've owned. (the Advent Laureate is a smaller version and still a fine sounding speaker)
 
I love my Sony APM speakers, I have several pair. Generally they’re over your budget, but if you can find a pair of APM22 you might be very impressed. Sometimes had for $200 to $400. Not to mention, they have a very cool and unique look with the square speakers. Also, the ones that have foam surround scan now be repaired with new square foam (33’s, 55’s, 77’s), so if you find them they’re ok to consider, and fantastic, but much more expensive.
Just avoid any APM with a 3 digit number. The one and two digit ones are hifi grade, the three digit sets are much lower end (700,717 and so on).

I have 22’s, 33’s and 55’s and will likely die still possessing them. My other babies.
 
HTHMAN said:
You might look at some Realistic speakers. The Optimus-1 (and 1b) and Optimus-5 (and 5b) were designed to look and sound like the KLH 5 and 6. Nice walnut cabinets. Their Nova 7(7b) and Nova 8(8b) are the same with a lattice grill if your wive would like that. You will find them much cheaper than AR ot KLH.
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When I read the initial post, I immediately thought of what HTHMAN beat me to...you may also look for Realistic Optimus-6's, same 10" acoustic suspension woofer and pair of tweeters, or even the Optimus-4's, smallish corner speakers (with seat on top!), again same drivers.
 
tyella said:
The right grill cloth can work wonders to sway the SO into accepting your speakers. Bring her on board for the choice. Limit options to acoustically transparent choices, though. My wife is a big fan of the linen look. I've used Charlescraft Irish Linen from Michaels for a few speakers. I love the look, too, so it's a win/win.

Lots of speakers can look good when dressed up right.
"onlinefabricstore" has some stretchy poly "linen" fabrics that look good, too.

Continuing the AR vibe: the AR11 with Charlescraft Irish Linen.
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Those grill cloths look killer! Nice work, tyella! I would definitely consider going that route.

Thanks for all the detailed and specific responses so far - much appreciated!

Based on what I've shown my wife (well, in regards to speakers), she loves the look of the ARs, and I'm definitely intrigued by the models I didn't know about (AR11 and AR58). I recently read that the 18s are solid, as well? Although, I'm having a hard time finding any of those locally for right now. I'll stay patient and keep looking. I am curious about the sound differences between the 2axs and the 4xs, though there are slightly different models.

Seems the ADS line is a thread favorite, as well. There is a pair of L810s about 15 minutes from me, but it looks like they'll be about as big as the Monitor 10s. I'll see about some of the smaller versions and their availability, though the overall appearance of those is not at the top of the list. She's picky. I guess I should take that as a compliment!

Dynaco A25s - these definitely fit the bill asthetically. Gonna see if I can find a pair locally to hear first.

Again, really appreciate all the recommendations. This website came through in a big way!

Polk Monitor 7s would be awesome, but they're quite rare and usually a tad pricey. Maybe some day...
 
goodolpg said:
That's nice.
No name, no price, does it even fit in with the "problems" he had with other speakers, and I have to say he's tried quite a few? In addition, are they $300 or less as shown with stands, as specified in the OP?.
Is everyone recommending strictly on appearance are have they taken into account the "weaknesses" the other speakers had in his opinion.
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It was a quick response but the speakers are Diapason Adamante III 25th Anniversary model from Italy, and yes a bit over budget but something to save for if looks AND sound are important.
 
Update:

I sold the Monitor 10Bs and picked up a pair of Dynaco A25s (already recapped) locally. A/B with the KLH 17s yielded clear results; the high end of the 17s was more prominent, but also sounded slightly muffled, and the overall balance was FAR better on the 25s. I've had them for about a week now, and the low end is mighty impressive for such a small cabinet. They look great, too!

@colohiker I took your advice and refoamed the G1s. While they do sound great, there's some ear fatigue from the tweeter after listening for a while. Really impressive speaker, though!

Thanks again to all for your recommendations! I'm sure this will be an endless search for years to come (really hoping to hear some ADS and AR speakers at some point), but for now the wife and I are quite content. It seems we'll have plenty of quality listening time in our near future...
 
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