I am a total sucker for nice looking piece of equipment. Give me piece from Pathos or one of those super cool lacquered Merlin speakers. Why the hell is so much gear black? I like the color, but it is sooooo boring for equipment. I am going to buy a planar 3 and will scrounge for couch change in order to get a coloured one.
Important Qualities Other than Sound
As audiophiles we are suppose to hold sound quality as the ultimate goal. While superior sound is extremely important, I also value reliabilty, low maintenance, reasonable physical size, how the equipment looks, costs, build quality, dealer support and the manufacturer's general reputation. At different times I have consciously chosen what I thought to be a lesser sounding piece of equipment due to one of the above factors. When you are evaluating a piece of equipment, how do YOU balance these other factors against overall sound quality?