Gorgeous gizmos and gadgets

Do you want electronics that are cutting-edge or an elegantly beautiful space? Luckily, now it can be both.

By Joshua Goldman

It's hard not to be sexist when talking about home electronics. The simple fact is that men tend to be less discerning than women about how things look in the home and are willing to put up with nests of cables, big speaker stacks, a giant TV, and an endless array of components and remote controls rather than sacrifice a feature or two. Manufacturers are paying attention to the "wife appeal" of consumer electronics more and more; however, that doesn't mean men still can't use some help tucking things in. Here are some ideas to keep the peace in your home and prevent your living room from looking like Best Buy.

Go universal
If you need written directions to turn on your TV, invest in a universal remote control. A good one dispenses with some clutter and simplifies operating all your A/V components. Logitech's Harmony 1000 Advanced Universal Remote ($499.99), for example, has a big color touchscreen instead of a gazillion little buttons and is easily programmed by connecting it to your computer. Another benefit: It can be set up to send commands by radio frequency (RF) instead of infrared (IR). Because RF signals work through doors, you can keep components in a cabinet and still operate them.

Flat-panel disguises
While flat-panel plasma and LCD TVs give you a slick and slim big-screen experience, they're still visible. And even though wall mounting eliminates an unattractive stand, when the TV is off, you're still left staring at a giant black box. TV Coverups (tvcoverups.com; prices start at $399) solves this problem by letting you put framed artwork, photographs, a mirror or even a dry-erase board on a hinged panel that can be manually or mechanically lifted to reveal your TV. Or, GalleryPlayer Image Collections on DVDs, available at galleryplayer.com, transform the screen itself into high-definition art -- perfect for when you are entertaining friends or family and you just want to play down the presence of the TV.

Concealing the cable clutter
If the issue at your house isn't so much the electronics but the cables that come with them, a trip to your local electronics or hardware store (or to CableOrganizer.com online) will turn up all manner of things for concealing cables. For instance, WireTracks allows you to run wires be-hind the baseboards or under crown molding in a room. And when it comes to plugging everything in, Belkin's Conceal Surge Protector ($58.99) offers 11 outlets hidden inside a simple white box.

Speakers that can be heard and not seen
A surround-sound system is probably the hardest sell to neat freaks because many TVs have perfectly good speakers. It's especially true of multi-channel systems that require speakers, and their cables, to be placed around the room. Wireless speaker options exist, but this still leaves the speakers in sight. The Soundolier duo Wireless Speaker Lamp eliminates cables and speakers by putting a 5.25-inch full-range speaker that disperses sound in all directions in the stem of the torchier-style lamp. A small transmitter connects to the audio source, wirelessly delivering sound to the speaker, and aside from a small control panel, it's indistinguishable from a normal lamp. Another option: Acoustic Research's Home Décor series lets you cloak speakers inside items such as mantel clocks, candleholders, planters and vases.

A/V furniture that blends
In general, home entertainment centers do the exact opposite of hiding your electronics, putting them and their knobs and lights on display. That might be a source of pride to some, but it's an eyesore to others. Salamander Designs' Chameleon collection of A/V cabinets strikes a happy medium. As its name implies, the furniture (in four styles and five configurations) blends in with traditional living-room pieces, but inside is an aluminum frame with fans and vents to allow heat to escape. There also are removable back panels for easy cable routing and access, and an assortment of accessories to tailor the cabinets even more.

Joshua Goldman, a technology writer in Brooklyn, N.Y., spends a lot of energy trying to hide his miscellaneous electronics from his wife.