Well if I didn't have to keep them I wouldn't ask how to hide them or decorate around them.

This is a battle I won't win so I have to work with them. Please advise.

Just a suggestion-if you want help you might want to tone down the 'tude. What is your budget? Are you able to do any reconstruction or space modification? Are there restrictions as to speaker placement?
Does the piece holding the TV have to stay?

Wow most people do not design rooms around speakers never heard of it. That is like designing a new sound system with an 8 track? What? Things change speakers break etc

Thanks

@rouxb I did not mean to have a "tude" but my question was about concealing the large speakers. Of course I would prefer to have purchased smaller ones, but it is out if my control. I didn't like that the "pros" first advice was to purchase smaller ones. (That was a "duh" to me)

We cannot build into the wall. The space you see on that bare wall where the tv & speakers are, can be built out slightly but I don't want to get rid of our media stand; I fear building out will require replacing it. We are very handy so budget should not be an issue if you have suggestions.

Does anyone have picture examples?

Hi - I understand when you have to work around something your husband won't let go of. Put them in the corners. Contain the cords in a sleeve at the baseboard. Don't put anything on them - they won't be noticed if you don't draw attention to them.

This is a very familiar problem. I gotta chime in :)

As you are well aware, there is some serious compromising going on here (on your part). May I suggest coming up with a euphemism for "ugly" that gives the illusion you two are working toward a common solution? Something like "killer", "badass", or "great sounding". "How do I hide these rockin' speakers?" You don't need to agree, or even care, it's just politics :)

Hide the wires. Challenging with a wood floor, so be thinking about how to do it as you figure the speakers out. This might entail going through the wall, but you're handy so that's not a huge leap.

Keep in mind that speaker placement is extremely important (for someone who loves badass speakers). Tucking them into a corner or shifting them around the room, moving just one off center....all non-starters. Again, language is important - this is a "boundary", not a limitation.

I wouldn't clutter the situation by putting anything on the speakers, that will exacerbate the problem. They need to be incorporated into a larger scheme, to minimize the clunkiness. I see the wall bracket - hang the TV and use the console beneath for any decoration. If the wires are in the wall, that will be a clean look. Then, hang art or large-format photos on the wall, with black frames, and do something with those to break up monotony of shape by varying the frame ratios (square versus long/narrow frames, even oval).

My eye calls for symmetry on this wall, but with the fireplace to one side an asymmetric scheme could work.

Disclaimer: I am on the speaker side of this issue in my home. I hope my bias isn't showing :D

lol I understand! I will never win the battle also. I tried, boy did I try but to get the smaller ones that are not nearly the quality I am told unless a few thousand is spent... Just know you aren't alone. So until they bust here they lay. My husband isn't wasteful like me (with $ or things). My husband as few requests or possessions so I "let" him have them!

As a few have suggested, hide the cords as best you can. This will make a ton of difference to the overall look. Check out the Cordmate line at Home Depot. It's inexpensive and easy to use.
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchView?catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&langId=-15&N=0&Ntt=cordmate&Nty=1&D=cordmate&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&s=true

Along with hiding the cords (which will make for a huge improvement) speaker boxes can be painted and the cover fabric changed (with speaker specific products) if lightening up the look would help. I asked about the stand because there might be a media piece that better incorporates the speakers into the design-a quick Google image search will illustrate what I mean. And while you may not win the battle today, dropping some literature around now and then about other speaker options might help down the road (bigger is not always better). As for the other issue-we don't know you or your situation thus don't know what may be "duh" to you. A little "turn the other cheek" and graciousness goes a long way. Best of luck with your project!

Put a cup hook or maybe two or three on the back of your entertainment center and hang your wires on them. The ones running along the floor can be contained in a "sleeve" made just for that purpose. Check your Lowes or Home Depot....they have them and work great..(we have them in our family room to run wires around the perimiter of the room). You can even cut the sleeves shorter if you want to run the TV wires coming from the TV to the entertainment center....and you can paint the sleeves the color of your wall or leave white like your baseboard. Cordmate is what the sleeves are called like hatetoshop mentioned.

I had a similar problem, so I painted the speakers white, except the front. And now they disappear better in our space because our walls are also white.

I had some large expensive speakers for years. I was quite happy when I relocated back home to the US from Lakenheath United States Air Force Base (I am a retired Captain). And found out the speakers were damaged. I purchased much smaller quality speakers❣️I agree to try to hide the cords. Marriage is one heck of a compromise.