Home audio and aesthetics

[planet10]

Originally Posted by Fivetide

I was just wondering what people thought about the combination of great sound and the aesthetics of its home. I work as an IT contractor now but I did an apprenticeship in cabinet making and I come from a long line of joiners and furniture designers. When I was married I remember having to make a compromise with the wife about the looks of the hi fi system for the actual quality of the sound. I guess this is not such an unusual situation, anyway I was talking to a friend at work about the same thing and he said that if I was to make something that his wife would accept and of course sound awesome then the expense would be justified. I was just wondering if anyone else would accept that argument. The reason I asking is that I want to get out of IT , it bores the hell out of me now and would love to get my hands dirty and make something that gives me a sense of pride rather than sitting at a desk waiting for something to go wrong. Anyway maybe I’m just having my 2nd midlife crisis lol

I try to design most of my speakers with both aesthetics & sonics in mind. The speaker that has likely best acheived this so far is the Frugel-Horn Mk3 (not by myself, this one was a team)... it has already been called a timeless classic. Of course not a universal panacea, but it has hit the sweet spot for a lot of people and their SOs. (Pano, even Cal has a pair). That it can be done real cheap (frugal-phile(tm)) doesn't hurt either.

BTW, i (mostly) dumped my 'puter job a dozen years ago, i sure make a lot less money but get much greater satisfaction.

dave

[Pano]

Originally Posted by JoeDJ

Personally, I want to hear what was mixed in the studio, not what some monster home sound sys has morphed it into.

Personally I want to hear instruments and voices life size. Not what some tiny speaker has squeezed them into. Personal tastes I suppose. No reason that big or small can't look good.

That said, most line array speakers I've heard sound larger than life. A fun effect, but not for me, no matter how cool they look.

[JRKO]

And therein lies the problem the insurmountable problem

2 fields of choice, 1)sounds good & 2)looks good

even if you only sell to people in England you have a possible 51 million answers and for by far the majority of them 'hi-fi sound' is not a priority. In fact, we're almost back to the grand days of listening to mono from a Quad ESL (albeit now stereo from a small ipod dock on a shelf!)

This ( Model XL - Geneva Sound Systems ) appeared in my wife's latest copy of Elle Decoration (but without the stand) - I think it looks quite nice - it has a cd player, ipod dock and DAB radio. There are 6 100w digital amps and 2x tweeter, mid and 8inch bass

In the times were living in where album purchases are at an all time low and downloads are hitting new highs, simple/discreet 'dock' like this one is probably your best bet for selling in decent numbers - you should easily be able to beat £1699! Maybe a modern take on the console systems of old?

[JoeDJ]

Fist one has to define "small"

That said, most line array speakers I've heard sound larger than life. A fun effect, but not for me, no matter how cool they look

This is basically what I have been saying......
A speaker that sounds "larger than life" can not be considered accurate.

[JRKO]

Have we lost our OP?

Fivetide, we need to know a bit more of your 'dream'.........

[Fivetide]

Sorry guys , yes I have been reading the thread when I have the chance, I have just finished modifying my TDL’s and had to fit the huge crossovers on the outside, aesthetics went out of the window on that occasion , but sound quality was increased many fold. (Ergo : “the dreaded compromise”!) Although I am lucky in one sense I don’t have to justify anything I do anymore because I am no longer in a relationship.

I think we deviated a little, to discussing a modern aesthetically pleasing console? Although I do like the idea and I think there is a market, my direction to start with, would be towards functionality as a piece of furniture, and that is also pleasing to the eye. In one way we only have one side of the audience that input is required from, although I have no idea if all the contributors to the thread are in fact male, I suppose I have to make that assumption, seeing as this forum is dedicated to the musical reproduction side rather than interior design. Of course although most men may deny it, the female in most relationships / species decides how the nest is constructed and furnished. Also it’s fair to say, that financially, either both parties have a say, or the decision is made solely by the female.. J.

So back to the topic in hand, my idea is to produce high quality furniture that is both stylish and functional.

·High quality, because I simple don’t like low quality, plus the market for bespoke handmade furniture demands it. I am not thinking of producing for the masses, it will not be the IKEA of audio equipment housing.
·Stylish is also tied in with quality, as has been mentioned in the thread; there are timeless classics, pieces of furniture that have never looked out of place in any modern house for the last 100 years. I have Knoll Chair, designed over 70 years ago that still looks good and is both practical and comfortable. There will be functionality compromises for style or visa versa. Doors may have to slide rather than swing, or have the ability to store away within the cabinet. All these things have been done and done successfully for many years so finding a practical solution is not a problem, incorporating it in to the style may be.
·Functionality: all furniture has to have functionality to justify its own existence, whether it is, simply to house books, display a flower arrangement or to make it comfortable to remain in the room. The functionality I hope to achieve will be the housing of the audio equipment , i.e the amp – DAC – HTPC – turntable etc, I may even go so far as to try and incorporate a discrete Plasma or LCD tv.
·Speakers: The majority of my work will be in the speaker department. Somehow I have to produce good quality sound from a single piece of furniture; or rather that is my goal. So what do I do? Do I create detachable speakers that are physically moved to the correct position every time? Of course that then it becomes 3 pieces of furniture, this would be the semi optimum build for sound reproduction, but would my goal still be intact?

Do I build both the speakers as separates to the main audio equipment housing? In that case it would be cheaper for the client to buy separate speakers...?

Do I house it all in one unit that is stylish and functional and can reproduce ( at the speaker level) good quality sound?

[Fivetide]

Originally Posted by Mrbobb

IT boring? Depends what level you are and how much control is under your purview.

Originally Posted by Mrbobb

Now aesthetic. Of course! she own 1/2 of the house. Are we discussing something few people know? I like aesthetic myself, just go easy with the pinks I tell her.

Mrbobb : I’m the senior applications support Analyst for the largest Insurance Company in Europe. This will be my 23rd year of working with some form of information technology, from DAT tapes to Worldwide application rollouts. Although I agree one of the most satisfying roles was dealing with users and solving problems on the fly. I don’t think I have talked to a user in 5 years. And the part about the female influence .. my point exactly lol !

Originally Posted by Andersonix

Assuming the question is about the speaker cabinets in general (and not individual taste in proportions, materials, etc.), then I think the least aesthetic thing about them is the required toe-in, as this upsets the rectilinear arrangement that most of the remaining furniture has. So any speakers I design must work with this in mind...

Originally Posted by Andersonix

If it's about the electronics' front panels, then I demand it be all black, with all red lights, of course! (but we already had that thread...)

Andersonix : this for me is more about incorporating the speakers into the single peice of furniture, I ‘m trying to stay away from the electroics side ,except for the speaker / crossover etc construction.

Originally Posted by River757

I would. Sounds good AND looks good too just never seem to be something that can be done cheaply.

Originally Posted by River757

River757 , I won’t be going for cheap mass market , I want to aim for higher end of furniture manufacturing, and thanks for the links excellent material J

[BOON]

I am doing a re-build of my family room an plan to incorporate my speakers into what might be called a 'furniture unit'. I like my compromises, but they are compromises nevertheless.