Mid century modern mini speakers?

University Medallion XII I'm listening to right now have the right look. Too big of course, but figured I had to add to the awesome collection of pics on this thread.

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Earlier Radio Shack MC-500 loudspeakers arent/weren't bad.
( borrowed photo: source http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/realistic-mc-500-bookshelf-speakers.177564/ Darned if I can find a photo of the pair that passed through here years back...)

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source: www.radioshackcatalogs.com (1972)

Another nice, small choice: the KLH 32.

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Purely for aesthetics, I'm liking the following:

Fraisure Super Midgets
Bose 4.2
Bose 2.2
Realistic MC500
Realistic Minimus 5

Some of these may not be real wood, which is a concern. There are a lot of other great speakers you guys have posted, but they're either too rare or too pricey, or both. I'd like to keep the speaker purchase under $150.

Do the Bose in the list need some kind of ghettofied equalizer component to work properly? (I have never had Bose anything)

Charles.
 
Purely for aesthetics, I'm liking the following:

Fraisure Super Midgets
Bose 4.2
Bose 2.2
Realistic MC500
Realistic Minimus 5

Some of these may not be real wood, which is a concern. There are a lot of other great speakers you guys have posted, but they're either too rare or too pricey, or both. I'd like to keep the speaker purchase under $150.

Do the Bose in the list need some kind of ghettofied equalizer component to work properly? (I have never had Bose anything)

Charles.

If you want real walnut veneer in a mini speaker, the Realistic Optimus Lx4 is another model you may want to consider. They have a Linaeum monopole tweeter and a little 4" kevlar midbass driver. I have a pair of these and a pair of the MC500s (yeah, I'm a sucker for anything I find with real walnut veneer) and the LX4s sound better. Neither pair goes very low or plays very loud, but that may not be an issue for your application.

Here's a photo I borrowed from this thread: OMG ! Who says you need big bucks ...

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Not much bigger than the Minimus 7W:

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More info here: RS Optimus LX-4 Linaeum including info on the very simple blackdahlia mod that makes them sound even better. Full mod details here: The Radio Shack Optimus LX-4 Loudspeaker

The stock grill cloth is brown, but the tiny grills could easily be recovered with a beige or oatmeal cloth to enhance the mid century appearance.
 
I picture mid century modern as something with light-toned wood, very angular edges with mostly 90 degree angles, minimal interaction between contrasting colors (i.e. the solid-color grille would cover most, if not all of the front of the speaker).

The Harbeths and the KLHs referenced earlier in the thread are pretty close.

No grilles on these, but they are pretty close too:

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Yeah, this is one of the coolest grille cloth weaves I've seen. Matsushita drivers, too - - get a load of the magnet on the woofer.

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Some of RS's little speakers were really over built and were truly awesome for their period in time. They sold some cheap speakers of course but only the very bottom of the line were truly "cheap". My Solo 2's are built like tanks.....I put a serious amount of power through them from my 55wpc Sony receiver and even though they are rated for only 10 watts they put out some incredible volume (without breaking up).

Radio Shack speakers are truly the best way to go for the OP. They are readily available for the most part and were well built and handsome.
 
I have been running these for a while and really like them: Cambridge Audio S30 speakers.

With their rounded edges and wood veneer, they blend in well with mid century modern.

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So many great looking models!

Tom Brennan recommended the Harbeth P3ESR that are small and look great.

MCM_Fan recommended Anniversary Dentons, which are and do, also.

Those were my favorite suggestions for the OP's needs. The Harbeths, in particular, are calling my name and I don't need a pair.
 
You wrote "mini" and not just "small"; what are the size constraints for where you plan on putting these? Is the intent to have them a visible part of the decor, or as invisible as possible?

What are your girlfriend's customers waiting for? A mechanic or a tattoo parlor would likely have different musical demands than a therapist or massage waiting room.
 
She is a mental health therapist. Speakers will be on small side tables. If they're a little too big, but awesome, we may consider wall mounting them.

Charles.
 
Dynaco A-10 if you can find a pair. Or the easier-to-find Dynaco A-25 if they're not too big for you. I think they have the mid-century vibe you're after.

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A-10s might be a good option. In both cases the A-10 and A-25 at least come with the option to wall mount them though you have to hide the wires. The beige screens definitely fall into the mid century aesthetic. Might help to have a rough idea as far as max dimensions in terms of speaker size and max budget. Easiest and one of the smallest options would probably be walnut minimus 7s or even one of the earlier minimus variants in terms of price and availability. As far as the A-10's dimensions they're 8.5" W x 15" H x 8" D.
 
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I'm not a big fan of the minimus for this usage. Too plain and uninspired. Max budget is about $150, but I'd prefer closer to $100.

Charles.
 
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