Does it annoy you when companies don't show the internals of electronics ?

Some void the warranty if the case is opened, such as Tom Evans and I believe the Merrill gear too.

I always had that issue with Merrill and a few others, and particularly when companies were putting the same NC1200 modules in their amps yet passing them off as being significantly different from each other.  There just wasn’t that much that could be done short of a linear power supply like Theta did. Some had different input boards but in the end  it seems they all had the same basic NC1200 sound.
In this industry, where measurements don’t necessarily tell the whole story, there is a lot of hype and scientific innuendo used to market and sell products.  I certainly respect ingenuity and uniqueness of design, but if I am going to pay the price of a car for a piece of audio gear, I want to know and see what is inside.  Not everyone shares that opinion and that is fine with me (and with Merrill).

Like this?

@millercarbon

We simply know so little of what matters and what does not. We can look all we want. In the end, if it sounds good then we can only admire the way it’s put together. If it don’t, well then who cares how it looks?

I agree with you but isn’t it great when what you see correlates with what you hear? There are circuit designers who can achieve tremendous sound from relatively ordinary but reliable parts, but few to none who can do it by cutting corners. Some of us like George and Grannyring probably know exactly what they are looking at and even others like me have seen enough to know when something doesn’t pass the sniff test as to power supply, internal layout, and parts quality. As to proprietary designs, there are a few who hide small stuff (i.e., like which chip they are using) but very few who do not let you look inside.....to the point where you wonder if they are hiding something. The worst are those like about 10 years ago when Lexicon was putting Oppos inside of their cases and charging a lot more.

Sure, so why look under the hood when you bought the car so you could drive it?

BTW, I agree with you about looking inside of speakers, which is why I do. Looking at cabinet construction, bracing, drivers, crossover components and wiring can all provide an insight into the quality of construction but is not always a predictor of sonic quality.