How important is component “aesthetics” to you?


Obviously, performance, sound, etc is what matters most. However, some super fine, high performance products are just plain ugly. Aesthetcs does play an important role for me since we have placed a lot of emphasis on furnishing our home. 

Anyway, my search for a preamp has led me to the conclusion that ugly is more the norm. I love the look of glowing tubes with the Primalunas, mystere, Atma-sphere, Rogers, Decware, mapletree etc. In the solid state world, the macs have those famous blue meters. Even the “fake tube” older Peachtree components looked really nice. 

Just curious how “ looks” play a role when choosing components?
aberyclark

Showing 1 response by normansizemore

Zavato,
I loved my MR78, C-29, MC2105 and MC2300 with the lights dimmed.  Mac makes some of the best looking gear, proving that you can have good looks and superb sound.  These days things are simpler for me.  It's a Sansui 9090DB which looks and sounds wonderful. 

I have recently noticed that many high end systems are so  ugly I could never live with them. Speaker cables the thickness of a coke bottles strung across the floor on little speaker towers, thick stiff patch cables hanging from preamps, room tunes stuck to walls and ceilings, huge separate stands for amplifiers that were designed to sit on the floor...come on people it's a stereo!

I must be getting old, this stuff just looks so silly.  I am a musician and I insist on good sound, but also a good looking system that blends with my wife's tasteful decor is likewise important to us both.
Some systems just look comical.

N.