It’s never made sense to me why you can’t have audiophile sound right along with beautiful gear. No offense, but the all black, dust and fingerprint grabbing electronics so common today may sound great, but they’re an eyesore to me. Also, how can anyone consider a power amp without big, gorgeous meters that glow so magnificently in dimly lit rooms. Nope, with all due respect, as long as there are gorgeous silver faces with meters that sound like heaven, I just don’t get plain black equipment. Probably biased from growing up during the watt wars of the 70’s with so much eye candy and wonderful sound !
HOW MUCH DO NON-AUDIO FACTORS INFLUENCE YOUR AUDIO PURCHASES?
I think most audiophiles would like to think it's all about the sound, but for me there's often many factors not related specifically to sound quality, that play a big part when deciding what audio component to buy. Perceived build quality, brand name reputation, specs, even things mostly related to appearance can have a big influence. I have for years, pursued matched, one-brand systems and seemingly can not be truly content with my two-channel rig otherwise, regardless of the performance or build quality of specific components. I sometimes think the whole process is, for me, more an exercise in obsessive behavior than a rational pursuit of a logical outcome. So how about you? Any tales of audiophilia nervosa you'd be willing to share?