[JP78]

Hi Lou,

Are there any plans to offer speakers with any kind of painted lacquer or similar matte monochromatic baffle and/or sides?

I don't want to be blasphemous, and I know no small part of the joy of ownership of your speakers is the exceptional fit and finish of furniture-grade construction using natural woods.

Sometimes, however, the current finish options just don't fit decor.  For example there's no your current offerings will pass WAF in a glass and concrete loft and (very) sadly I can't consider your speakers right now. For someone like me that values coherency, a hallmark of your reviews, I'm left considering a brand such as Dynaudio as I have no other choice.

Some manufacturers do offer painted sides and a wood baffle, or the inverse.  Do you have any plans on your future roadmap? Please share your thoughts, I always look forward to learning from your posts.

Thanks,

EDIT: if this is in any way inappropriate please feel free to move / delete

[Daedalus Audio]

Good question and not the first time 

Often when people ask about a "paint" finish cabinet they want to reduce costs, other times such as your request it has to do with the appearance solely. 
On the cost front I can just say that it isn't that easy. The hardwood is integral to optimizing the sound. Yes it can be done with other materials, billet aluminum, stacked baltic birch, concrete, marble...you name it but it is always expensive and usually VERY heavy. Not to say that there are not good systems made with MDF and similar materials but they require a lot of bracing etc and again are heavy, the really good ones are not inexpensive.
That being said, to build these with a different material is a ground up redesign. I have  ideas but the market for high end speakers has to improve for me to consider tooling up for that, and the final product would be several times the cost of what I am currently offering.
My response to the desire for a more "modern" look has been the Ebonized Walnut, we can choose wood for a more uniform dark grain with the result being a very elegant almost black speaker.  You might consider that as you would have to spend many times the cost to get anywheres near that performance with Dynaudio, (who's top of the line speakers are excellent).

[morganc]

I have Ebonized walnut from a different manufacturer and it looks great in my modern Condo in San Francico. 

[Folsom]

One of the worst jobs I ever had was a white kitchen remodel. It costs more, and you can't use cheaper wood or it won't work right. Spraying paint sucks compared to spraying finish. It's a whole other level to make it perfecto.

So I'd be opposed to doing it if I was Lou. He's already mentioned the fact that part of his signature sound is using high quality wood, so it's going to flat out cost more for paint on top of good wood. And then it won't sound as nice (probably fine, however).

I think a white wash on a light wood would look modern enough. There's several different types of colors that can be added to wood, but they don't eliminate the grain look. There's a fair bit of different wood and color combinations to try, and sometimes the wood with the color you want isn't always a match; it can be better at times to show more grain than less.

And in some ways colored wood is more modern with contemporary looks than painted happens to be, with what's "in" with furniture now.

[jtwrace]

Why not just offer paint over the hardwood?  No, not what a wood purist would like to do but it should solve the issue. 

[Daedalus Audio]

We have looked into that, the problem is that real wood moves so a cabinet could end up with cracks in the paint at the joints.
There are other options but all would add substantially to the cost and most people when push comes to shove will not pay more $ for a painted cabinet. 

Someday we may do something along these lines but probably not until we transition to a dealer base and the prices and quantity warrant the effort. 
btw I have been working on a design combining metal and hardwood but if we ever do bring that to market it will be at least $60,000

[JP78]

I have Ebonized walnut from a different manufacturer and it looks great in my modern Condo in San Francico.

Hi morganc,

Could you please post some photos?

Thanks!

[JP78]

Good question and not the first time 

Often when people ask about a "paint" finish cabinet they want to reduce costs, other times such as your request it has to do with the appearance solely. 
On the cost front I can just say that it isn't that easy. The hardwood is integral to optimizing the sound. Yes it can be done with other materials, billet aluminum, stacked baltic birch, concrete, marble...you name it but it is always expensive and usually VERY heavy. Not to say that there are not good systems made with MDF and similar materials but they require a lot of bracing etc and again are heavy, the really good ones are not inexpensive.
That being said, to build these with a different material is a ground up redesign. I have  ideas but the market for high end speakers has to improve for me to consider tooling up for that, and the final product would be several times the cost of what I am currently offering.
My response to the desire for a more "modern" look has been the Ebonized Walnut, we can choose wood for a more uniform dark grain with the result being a very elegant almost black speaker.  You might consider that as you would have to spend many times the cost to get anywheres near that performance with Dynaudio, (who's top of the line speakers are excellent).

Thanks for the response Lou.  As expected, I've learned something today.

The placement of the speakers must be in the dining room, and as such will have to be in a matte white lacquer to match the dining table/chairs/furniture.  I do think your notes on an ebonised walnut cabinet would be gorgeous, and yes a uniform grain will certainly help.

As the hardwood walnut floors are going to get refinished next year along with new kitchen cabinets, it will likely be a good time then to revisit options with you then.

I certainly can't afford $50K Dynaudios, I'll likely pick up a demo pair of their Focus line of floorstanders for now that make only errors of omission and not commission in hopes of getting a truly world-class set of speakers in the reasonably near future.

For the time being I'll have to live vicariously through all of you!

Best,

[fwinston]

I am the proud owner of a pair of Lou's Ulysses and BOWs speakers; both pairs are ebonized walnut and look fantastic.



 

[Phil A]

I am the proud owner of a pair of Lou's Ulysses and BOWs speakers; both pairs are ebonized walnut and look fantastic.

Wow - those are gorgeous!

[Folsom]

Don't look modern to me - which is good because they look very nice without those grills on them.

[JLM]

Nice look Winston!

Back to the OP:  How about black lacquer or black stain?

[JP78]

I am the proud owner of a pair of Lou's Ulysses and BOWs speakers; both pairs are ebonized walnut and look fantastic.

Gorgeous!