[yetis]

1. Bass drivers - Each has it's own grill. Due to the frequency range I believe these don't have to be removed at all. Ideally the driver holes would be carved out so the grill lines up to the surface.
2. Midrange - Uses the grill by default due to the sensitive ceramic design. The square face plate looks awful. If this could be round shaped as the bass it would look much better.
3. Tweeter - Not centered due to the diffraction control. I wonder how many people actually hear this e.g. blind test center vs off center. Also, a round face plate would be preferable (like Monitor Audio PL200) due to the shape of other drivers.

I must say, l like the look of the individual bass driver covers. I wonder if you could put a third one at the top that covers the mid and Tweeter?  Likely needs to be a grill, but possibly the same Size?

I sort of get the feeling that Salk speakers are not for you.  Given all the parameters set by the wife, I would recommend Meridian dsp's.  No disrespect, just seems like it might workout better.   

With my wife the trick is demanding involvement in the purchase of all the furniture and interior items... The "compromise"  being that I agree to let her pick if I get what I want...

[Big Red Machine]

Understood. But we all know weight and specifications are but aspects of a speaker's design, not necessarily indicators of performance. I'm not a Focal or Salk owner. Just saying that one should never judge the performance of a speaker based on weight or specs alone. One must listen and decide.
It's like judging how a car drives based on curb weight and horsepower. They're aspects of the car that affect performance, but aren't the only indicators. Test drive and decide.

I disagree.  The build of the Focal is pretty and at $9000 it is like a Salk at $4500, or an HT2-TL.  You get what you pay for and the beefier SS8 is really a $16k-20k speaker at retail prices.  Performance specs and mass have quite a huge impact because the specs are driven by the drivers chosen, the crossover, and cabinetry to make those specs come to fruition.  I would venture in one-on-one comparison the SS8 will smoke that model Focal.  So if the OP wants looks over performance, then......

[mirekti]

So if the OP wants looks over performance, then......

I clearly stated that I like what SS8 brings even though I didn't listen to them at all. However, it turned out the choice will have too meet my and wife's cafeterias. That's why I started this thread.
Price wise, the $9000 is MSRP set at the release date. The price was not adjusted to dollar to euro ratio which changed a lot recently. One can get them much cheaper nowadays Lacquer for around $7000, and regular (black ash) sides for $5500, but that's not the point.
The looks in not the only thing she complained (she also mentioned resale value as these are "custom, unkonwn" speakers). I don't care much about the resale part, and she said: ok, it's your part of savings.
The looks, the looks issue remained. That's actually it what gives me

If you look at the subject topic, this reveals my (wife's) issue with these speakers so I started this thread in hope there might be some nice facelifts proposed by other members which might/might not result is SS8 II.
I truly understand if I am the only guy with such an issue, that this is hopeless.

[Early B.]

I clearly stated that I like what SS8 brings even though I didn't listen to them at all. However, it turned out the choice will have too meet my and wife's cafeterias. That's why I started this thread.
Price wise, the $9000 is MSRP set at the release date. The price was not adjusted to dollar to euro ratio which changed a lot recently. One can get them much cheaper nowadays Lacquer for around $7000, and regular (black ash) sides for $5500, but that's not the point.
The looks in not the only thing she complained (she also mentioned resale value as these are "custom, unkonwn" speakers). I don't care much about the resale part, and she said: ok, it's your part of savings.
The looks, the looks issue remained. That's actually it what gives me

If you look at the subject topic, this reveals my (wife's) issue with these speakers so I started this thread in hope there might be some nice facelifts proposed by other members which might/might not result is SS8 II.
I truly understand if I am the only guy with such an issue, that this is hopeless.

You seem to be allowing your wife to be too heavily involved in your speaker purchase decision. Generally speaking, stereo equipment is a man's domain. She doesn't have to like the speakers you buy. This works both ways. For instance, my wife picked out the living room furniture. We agreed on a budget and she got what she wanted. I don't like what she chose, but as long as she likes it, I'm OK with it. Just tell her that you acknowledge her input, but now you're gonna make the final decision. Just buy the SS8's in the finish you prefer and be done with it.

 

[RDavidson]

You're not hopeless. I understand where you're coming from. It's just that many on AC don't share your and/or your wife's perspective. Obviously, esthetics are subjective too. It's a tough subject to really get a clear answer about. My suggestion is to talk directly to Salk, tell him what you'd like to do, and see how much customization he's comfortable with. If it doesn't seem like he'll be able to find the right esthetic balance for you, then it may be best to look at other speakers or just get the Focals.

[Atlplasma]

I clearly stated that I like what SS8 brings even though I didn't listen to them at all. However, it turned out the choice will have too meet my and wife's cafeterias. That's why I started this thread.
Price wise, the $9000 is MSRP set at the release date. The price was not adjusted to dollar to euro ratio which changed a lot recently. One can get them much cheaper nowadays Lacquer for around $7000, and regular (black ash) sides for $5500, but that's not the point.
The looks in not the only thing she complained (she also mentioned resale value as these are "custom, unkonwn" speakers). I don't care much about the resale part, and she said: ok, it's your part of savings.
The looks, the looks issue remained. That's actually it what gives me

If you look at the subject topic, this reveals my (wife's) issue with these speakers so I started this thread in hope there might be some nice facelifts proposed by other members which might/might not result is SS8 II.
I truly understand if I am the only guy with such an issue, that this is hopeless.

Can you put the speakers in a dedicated listening room? That might be the best option for keeping everybody happy.

[RDavidson]

You seem to be allowing your wife to be too heavily involved in your speaker purchase decision. Generally speaking, stereo equipment is a man's domain. She doesn't have to like the speakers you buy. This works both ways. For instance, my wife picked out the living room furniture. We agreed on a budget and she got what she wanted. I don't like what she chose, but as long as she likes it, I'm OK with it. Just tell her that you acknowledge her input, but now you're gonna make the final decision. Just buy the SS8's in the finish you prefer and be done with it.

I tend to agree with you, but I can appreciate wanting to make a good choice that the wife will also like. So rather than telling the OP that his wife is wrong or his approach to the "problem" is wrong, (and frustrating the OP) lets stick to the actual topic and try and make some more constructive suggestions regarding speakers.....which is the info I think he really wants.

[charmerci]

What about having Jim make one giant grill to cover up all the drivers so she doesn't have to see them at all? Won't be very expensive at all and will be quick and easy.

[RDavidson]

What about having Jim make one giant grill to cover up all the drivers so she doesn't have to see them at all? Won't be very expensive at all and will be quick and easy.

That could be a good and inexpensive solution. He might even be able to make or possibly source a curved grill, to soften the speaker's otherwise rectangular shape.

[mirekti]

Hm... I don't want to sound like my wife now, but midrange already has a grill, and everyone removes a grill from the tweeter when listening, this wouldn't actually be a step forward.
All thing counted it, it might not be such a bad idea. Let's see.

Maybe I should back off for a while and see what my wife will say in a month or so. I need this time anyhow to gather the rest of the needed funds anyway.

[RDavidson]

Hm... I don't want to sound like my wife now, but midrange already has a grill, and everyone removes a grill from the tweeter when listening, this wouldn't actually be a step forward.
All thing counted it, it might not be such a bad idea. Let's see.

Maybe I should back off for a while and see what my wife will say in a month or so. I need this time anyhow to gather the rest of the needed funds anyway.

Right. Everyone removes the grills when listening. When not listening, perhaps they'll look nicer sitting there (with grills in place) in the wife's eyes.

[audiotom]

Just have her look at a SS10

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=108974.msg1129022#msg1129022

[Big Red Machine]

Changing grill designs is pretty straightforward and Jim and crew will do what they can to accommodate that.  Changing the cabinet shape is much more involved and there are limits to what the factory can do.  They don't have industrial CNC machines with 3 inch radius bits to massage the shape to the extent of the Focal.

They probably could radius the back corners or chamfer all of them slightly.

[jsalk]

What about having Jim make one giant grill to cover up all the drivers so she doesn't have to see them at all? Won't be very expensive at all and will be quick and easy.

The SS8's do have grills that cover all of the drivers.  Also, it may be possible to design a baffle that basically covers the drivers with cutouts that expose the cones only.  With this approach, you would not see the frames of any of the drivers.  We have never done this before, but I have often thought about that approach.

- Jim

[Gzerro]

I truly understand if I am the only guy with such an issue, that this is hopeless.

You are not "hopeless", and definitely not the only one.

The SS8s were vetoed in my household due to the passive radiators on the side looking "funny".

Peace in the household is way more important than how good your speakers sound.  Everyone pays a certain amount for looks in this hobby, nothing wrong with that.

Best of luck!

[Early B.]

You are not "hopeless", and definitely not the only one.

The SS8s were vetoed in my household due to the passive radiators on the side looking "funny".

You guys may be misinterpreting what your wives are saying. For instance, just because she says something looks, "funny" doesn't imply that you shouldn't buy it. To her, the term, "funny" means "non-traditional," but men interpret it as, "ridiculous." Trust me, she'll always make it very clear to you when "no" means "no."   

[audiotom]

The SS8's do have grills that cover all of the drivers.  Also, it may be possible to design a baffle that basically covers the drivers with cutouts that expose the cones only.  With this approach, you would not see the frames of any of the drivers.  We have never done this before, but I have often thought about that approach.

- Jim

wouldn't it be much harder to swap out a driver?

[jsalk]

wouldn't it be much harder to swap out a driver?

Yes, that would be a completely new design.  Of course, we are not opposed to doing that.  But it is hard to determine, in advance, what impact that would have on sound quality.

- Jim

[ctviggen]

You seem to be allowing your wife to be too heavily involved in your speaker purchase decision. Generally speaking, stereo equipment is a man's domain. She doesn't have to like the speakers you buy. This works both ways. For instance, my wife picked out the living room furniture. We agreed on a budget and she got what she wanted. I don't like what she chose, but as long as she likes it, I'm OK with it. Just tell her that you acknowledge her input, but now you're gonna make the final decision. Just buy the SS8's in the finish you prefer and be done with it.

Wow, that's totally different than my wife and me.  We always agree together on something.  Now, I did get rid of my VMPS RM40s to get the Salk HT3s, as my wife wanted some smaller speakers.  The RM40s looked like big coffins.  They sounded good, though. 

[ctviggen]

Understood. But we all know weight and specifications are but aspects of a speaker's design, not necessarily indicators of performance. I'm not a Focal or Salk owner. Just saying that one should never judge the performance of a speaker based on weight or specs alone. One must listen and decide.
It's like judging how a car drives based on curb weight and horsepower. They're aspects of the car that affect performance, but aren't the only indicators. Test drive and decide.

I'm a believer that speakers that weigh more are better as a general rule. It takes a lot of weight to damp vibrations, have better bass drivers, etc.  This is unlike a car, where curb weight is actually a detriment (think carbon fiber panels = good).  For cars, though, generally the lighter the better at least given a certain class of car, such as sports cars.