Hi,
I've come to this point where I've concluded that I can't make the loudspeaker cabinets "disappear" for the purposes of WAF, or SAF. I'm not willing to go with ceiling or wall mounting, either.
So, another approach would be to build something that looks very nice, and integrates well with home decor. I guess this means something beyond a dark rectangular box.
So here's the question - if Frank Lloyd Wright were alive to design a loudspeaker today, what would it look like?
I'm trying to provoke thoughts on attractive cabinet design that doesn't shout "I'm a loudspeaker". I chose FLW as I've always admired his architecture, and he typically designed furniture and interiors for his better designs.
Your thoughts?
I've come to this point where I've concluded that I can't make the loudspeaker cabinets "disappear" for the purposes of WAF, or SAF. I'm not willing to go with ceiling or wall mounting, either.
So, another approach would be to build something that looks very nice, and integrates well with home decor. I guess this means something beyond a dark rectangular box.
So here's the question - if Frank Lloyd Wright were alive to design a loudspeaker today, what would it look like?
I'm trying to provoke thoughts on attractive cabinet design that doesn't shout "I'm a loudspeaker". I chose FLW as I've always admired his architecture, and he typically designed furniture and interiors for his better designs.
Your thoughts?
I've been wrestling with that as well. I've considered building them into a larger multi-purpose piece of furnature. A simple example is a speaker that is also a plantstand with a plant on top. Or bookshelves that alse have a speaker at one side. The speaker in the bookshelf case would actually be quite close to the wall if the shelves were facing the listener and nicely out into the room if the shelves are perp. to the listener.
Sheldon
Sheldon
FWIW, these probably still yell loudspeaker, since you can see the drivers, but thought they might give you some ideas. All are hybrid omnidirectional speakers and on the contemporary side and are intended to get away from the standard box look.
The first one is a simple 2way TL about 7" wide x 40" tall. The baltic birch parts will be finished in some kind of maple veneer.
This one is a 3way about 48" tall and is completely finished with gloss black and high gloss Santos Rosewood, with clear acrylic posts.
This one is also a 3way (working, but not yet finished). The mdf parts will be getting a waterfall bubinga veneer, probably high gloss. The maple parts are actual hardwood and the white parts are raw pvc tube and will probably be left natural with a light sanding as you see here.
The first one is a simple 2way TL about 7" wide x 40" tall. The baltic birch parts will be finished in some kind of maple veneer.
This one is a 3way about 48" tall and is completely finished with gloss black and high gloss Santos Rosewood, with clear acrylic posts.
This one is also a 3way (working, but not yet finished). The mdf parts will be getting a waterfall bubinga veneer, probably high gloss. The maple parts are actual hardwood and the white parts are raw pvc tube and will probably be left natural with a light sanding as you see here.
Dan -
You're GOOD!
weinstro -
Maybe a practical way to approach it is to try to blend the speakers into the decor, using similar colors, shapes, patterns, etc. Very thin baffles help, but then you need to build deep, which is more visible from the side.
I think round columns, built with PVC pipe as Dan has used, are a great way to make speakers less visible - they have no angles or flat surfaces that let light call attention to them, and have the same profile from any angle. If you use small-diameter tubes with small drivers, say no larger than 4" or so, you have a much less intrusive speaker. Subwoofers can be easily hidden behind furniture.
You're GOOD!
weinstro -
Maybe a practical way to approach it is to try to blend the speakers into the decor, using similar colors, shapes, patterns, etc. Very thin baffles help, but then you need to build deep, which is more visible from the side.
I think round columns, built with PVC pipe as Dan has used, are a great way to make speakers less visible - they have no angles or flat surfaces that let light call attention to them, and have the same profile from any angle. If you use small-diameter tubes with small drivers, say no larger than 4" or so, you have a much less intrusive speaker. Subwoofers can be easily hidden behind furniture.
What about using some of Wrights clocks designs. This one would be easy to model a speaker after.
http://www.theclockdepot.com/Bulova_G0803_Sherman_Booth_Floor_Clock.html
http://www.theclockdepot.com/Bulova_G0803_Sherman_Booth_Floor_Clock.html
weinstro said:
Made of PVC and along the same theme as dlneubec 1st pic, these always got high marks from the females:
http://www.t-linespeakers.org/FALL/toobz/index.html
One of these days i will revist the concept.
dave
http://www.t-linespeakers.org/FALL/toobz/index.html
One of these days i will revist the concept.
dave
stokessd said:
You mean the kind with the real wide, shallow planter on top? That was a signature item of FLW.
In a big room, it would look pretty cool.
Another idea I had was to merge it into a lamp design. Bass section on bottom, column shape, TM or MTM on top, with sides backlit. Heh, I wonder if the lamp would flicker to the music.....
sdclc126 said:
Maybe, what is it?
My initial concept - I hesitate to call it original - was an MTM based on 5" midwoofers, coupled with dipole subs.
My guess is that the in-wall construct could be EQ'd in the crossover design. I'd be more concerned about the wall itself making strange sounds. I live in California, where houses tend to be flexy. Whenever a door shuts, I swear the whole house shakes, and I think, "what a piece of crap". Flexy is supposed to be desireable when the "big one" hits, however.
I hesitate to think about drivers mounted directly to stucco covered drywall walls.
Anybody run into an interior designer or architect that understood how to integrate high performance audio into a house?
Maybe Frank Lloyd Wright is too esoteric - he's been dead for a while. Who would be a good contemporary? How about Martha Stewart?
Thanks for the suggestions -- this has been interesting.
Maybe Frank Lloyd Wright is too esoteric - he's been dead for a while. Who would be a good contemporary? How about Martha Stewart?
Thanks for the suggestions -- this has been interesting.
weinstro said:
The integration thing could be tricky, as one sort of wood (veneer) might match OK, but only untill the next change of furniture comes along. If you're into making speakers each time this happens, then choose the wood to match the current decor and ensure they don't stand too tall or too wide.
Otherwise...
- "acoustically transparent" covers for your speakers. There's probably a number of diaphanous fabrics at your local fabric shop that both look good and don't destroy the sound too much. Just ensure that you make them so that you can 'lift the speakers skirts' when the missus is not around.
- the pot plant stand idea is quite a good one. Provides some added weight for the speaker and avoids having things like photographs or statuettes (both of which rattle) on top of it. Just ensure that you build it with these in mind (small lip on the top so that slight overwatering doesn't discolour your cones or short your wiring).
- Both!
weinstro said:Anybody run into an interior designer or architect that understood how to integrate high performance audio into a house?
Maybe Frank Lloyd Wright is too esoteric - he's been dead for a while. Who would be a good contemporary? How about Martha Stewart?
Thanks for the suggestions -- this has been interesting.
I got news for you. Most of the interior designers and decorators think that Bose is the best out there. And guess why? Because every issue if Architectural Digest or Elle decor, has their full page add in it.
If high end audio is desired by the client it is usually goes no more then an OK Home Theater setup.
Most of the expense in this case goes into incasing speakers in to mill work and making them invisible.
It's not actually that bad but I've never heard of someone actually hiring an acoustical engineer to do this work. The results are usually mediocre to good.
Clients that are capable of affording high end sound, don't care about it most of the time. It's a rare exception then a person is wealthy enough and knowledgeable enough. Most of the people think that $$$ and salesman recommendation “booo hoo thous are the best” will get them there and they simply don't know the difference.
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