There' probably no single answer that would match everyone's vision of best combination of pure speaker bang for the buck and aesthetcs that may add cost but not sound quality. And yes, anesthetics is in the eye of the beholder.

Having looked at and listened to, Ref's and T1's and 2's in my system over time, I'd like to weigh in:

The Ref's' finish, part gloss, has never distracted me, Frankly, I like it. Just the right combination of being subtle but classy at the same time IMHO. I have never been distracted by it's appearance. No glare. Just sits there looking quietly classy.

Re speaker performance vs. aesthetic looks issues, I can see not wanting to pay for fancy wood or burnished metal finishes that add a lot of cost with no sound quality benefit. I think the Ref's add just a touch of aeathetic uptic while retaining the value first approach and.Goldenear look

Just my opinion, but if there were a sock only option for the Ref's, I'd still opt for exactly what I have, amazing speakers that quietly but gracefully understate their presence and then just blow you away with their performance.

Whatever works, but that sure works for me.

Rick

rjohn79395 wrote:

Just my opinion, but if there were a sock only option for the Ref's, I'd still opt for exactly what I have, amazing speakers that quietly but gracefully understate their presence and then just blow you away with their performance.

Whatever works, but that sure works for me.

Rick

Amen

I agree. I always liked the sock’s esthetics. I have the One and wasn’t really tempted to upgrade to the Reference - just because it has two shiny sides. The appeal is very much in the eye of the beholder. I did however suggest that the Tritons should come with a color option. I know the moderator commented that 90 odd % would still choose black and they are trying to keep costs down. But other manufacturers, even those offering speakers at a similar price range, often offer a choice of colors. I have trouble believing that GoldenEar couldn’t still figure out how to make a profit when including this option. And now with their new speaker the One R, why not offer them in red, white, yellow, blue, etc? With the black speaker cloths, I think they’d look great.
Of course, I expect this suggestion to be rejected just like my others.

Yeah...color options! Kinda like my Acoustic Zen Adagios in Ferrari Red Burl. Something to think about.

Correction: no other manufacturer is offering a similar performing speaker at this price point. If you want blue top/toe caps - there are ways to do that (Plasti-dip anyone?). Let others chase color options while GEt pursues sonic excellence.

Please! Is it such a big stretch to think that GoldenEar can’t do both? After all, when they were criticized for the sock-like appearance, they changed it in the Reference with two shiny sides! And the new OneR has that same look at about $1000 more than the One. For a slight price increase for those who want it, what is wrong with suggesting other options? I am willing to bet that many would be interested in a variety of colors and I think they would look stunning. Please stop talking about the value they offer for the price. I suspect everyone posting here is aware of that.