My best upgrade ever!

It's a fact that few of us can make cabinets to the cosmetic standards of the major manufacturers. And back in the day when Sony wanted to be 'high-end' they made some high-end speaker cabinets. But the designs of these cabinets made them very retro very quick.

Over the years I have tried many alternatives but the bookshelf speakers that come with the Sony SS-CPX1 are my preferred fronts, the deep cabinets and Kevlar drivers representing the sound I like. The problem is that in 2022 they so effing butt ugly that divorce lawyers salivate at the thought of me keeping them in house.

I bought a pair of Wharfedale Diamonds but they weren't 'it'.

The solution cost $3 and 2 hours.

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Seriously I didn't think $2 of spray paint and dab of sugar soap would change my life. Trust me, at home, I now get lucky - a lot.
 

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I guess that is what he did. Taste is personal. Tolerating those little poly tweets is also personal.

BTW, Sony never made a high end speaker. Not even close.
Yes, Wharfedale makes compromises in their lower lines based on their ideas. You gat a lot of compromises until you get to about $5000/pair. Warfdales are tuned more "British" with a little rolloff up top. JBL's that "West Coast Sound" i.e. boosted mids. Some try to boost the upper bass to mask not having anything below and a lot of modern speakers are way too bright. So, for cheap speakers, you have to find some that distort to your preference,
 
I think that the grey grill on the black would look nice, plus you get the protection.
As far as the sound goes I have SONY B1000s , B3000s, MB150Hs, and MB115s. They all sound different and just fine.

Also I believe that the JBL 2500 speakers are even worse in the factory looks department. My late grandmothers shelf lining paper would be more modern.

And Hey grab some wood and learn to make a box or get some 5 dollar piece of furniture from thrift store and mod it. You will be on your way to making a nice speaker cabinet.
 
Sony made quite a few really high end speakers. For instance.
Would you happen to have a brochure of the ones they offered to compete with B&W's 801 in 1979? I remember seeing a pair when shopping for my first rig. They looked up to the task but the kid in the shop didn't want to demonstrate them. When I finally persuaded him, they were the worst sounding speakers I had ever heard. Actually, they may have sounded okay if you could get enough power into them. Sensitivity was "not" on the chart. I could barely hear them.