Ugliest Component of the Year 2024!

yeah i've never liked this layout on many of the newer mac gear. 

An oldie but goody.

Why they haven't changed their designs at some point, can only be explained by a company wide lack of any design sense.

https://tektondesign.com/product/full-range-speakers/flagship/1812-model-v12/#color

@tony1954 ,

You beat me to it!

 I worked in industrial design. All I can say is yikes.
Bent

These are a close 1 and 2 but my vote goes to Tekton.  

Here is my entry, pick one: https://rogershighfidelity.com/

While McIntosh will always have multiple entries on this list, I believe the true winner of this year's UCOTY Award goes to ML1 Loudspeaker Mk II. Truly it answers questions no one asked while ignoring multiple basic rules of design and acoustical engineering. Uglier than hammered doggy-doo, the ML1 evinces an esthetic not gone too soon, and takes one back, kicking and screaming.

Wadax components get great reviews, cost a fortune, and look like a cheap boom box.  https://wadax.eu/reference/

"The MCD85 can play store bought SACDs and CDs as well as music from homemade CD or DVD Data Discs."

Store bought SACDs! The fancy kind. I guess it won't play the ones you buy online. That's a real limitation.

when you realize a 'Stylish Wooden Finish' could have been chosen, unforgivable decision making

In Stock NOW

Is that a Ken doll record player?

In a McIntosh component system including their speakers, this CD player will fit right in and may not be the ugliest unit in the system even with the lights off.

@fredapplegate Nice one!

@otherworld74 I'm not as offended by Wadax - seems like at least there is a method to the madness

Wadax are reported to sound amazing - state of the art. It just doesn’t do it for me.

@macg19 I don’t know, I kind of like the red powder coat, features, construction, and warranty of the Rogers products; although I will admit that the layout of some of the units is a bit of a head-scratcher. Tubes are open, but the transformers are caged? Must be the way they do it in outer space. Had never heard of the company before.

@otherworld74 I think you’ve definitely got a winner there. You’ve got my vote on the entries thus far. 

@oldrooney I owned an EHF-200. They are not pretty up close. The whole space/mil build thing is just marketing and the sound is meh and the "transferrable lifetime warranty" is BS. The unit has to go back to Roger to be "re-certified for $500-$750 + 2 way shipping."

It’s just a ploy to make your buyer contact Roger and then he’ll sell one of his "used/demo" units at less than your asking price and way less hassle.

I traded mine in at TMR (bless them for taking it off my hands) and the transformer was barley attached with a bolt that was too short - they fixed it for resale and had to take the unit apart to do so.

@lalitk Good topic...we should call out the bad and ugly as well as the good.

I have a set of tekton 1812 and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.it is designed after the v 12 engine so for car guys in the man cave it fits in.there are some famous people that own these i won't mention names but are in rock bands and develop audio equipment.i agree they don't look as pretty as my focal utopia or kharma but they sound great.they cost 30 times less.im sure I'll catch some criticism  on this.like a fool and his money ha ha.stay healthy and enjoy the music.i also like my mcintosh 12000 cd bet it was alot more expensive than the one discussed. Alot of companies have low level components for entry level up to high end .focal and oothersmcintosh just released the all in one amp streamer.interesting to see what bose does

Yes beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I’m in process of trying out some new gear. Looks, size and cost all count in addition to sound quality of course.

At one extreme I was strongly considering an Accuphase integrated amp. Lovely! Also fairly big and pricey.

I ended up choosing a plain Jane Schit pre-amp and a fairly non-descript looking new GanFet Class D amp that delivers a lot for the $$$ and in a very small package! Beautiful. I’d call the gear utilitarian looking perhaps but not ugly. Something to be said for plain and simple. But that Accuphase…..

Tekton:    No thanks.  To each their own 

Anything from Wilson Audio. 

Tekton V12: $14K. Add $10K for high-gloss paint - seriously?

OMA

Tekton dude, Eric, clearly doesn't want to do gloss paint lol.  As a businessperson, probably one of those things where it's like "if they want it, they'll pay for it otherwise I can just do the part I like doing"

I own the double impacts and impact monitors and I love how they sound.  Not extremely gorgeous but they honestly look much nicer in person.  My friend has the moabs.  They are a bit more to take in but I wouldn't say I hate them by any means with the ceramic and beryllium drivers.  I understand if you're able to fork out 10's of thousands to get insane sound and gorgeous cabinets.  I can only afford one of the two.  And I prefer insane sound over gorgeous cabinets

It doubles as a 6 slice toaster. I gotta get one.

Great list so far.  Mc is definitely not for everyone.  If it has those blue meters I could go for it.  Glowing green tubes just add to the fun.  My question with Tekton is, when do they know they’ve added enough drivers?  When they reach the top of the step stool?  My add would be any equipment with giant horns visible. (Tried adding a picture or link without success).  Honkin’ on Bobo indeed.  I love the spinning sound of a Leslie but the horns are usually placed in a beautiful wood cabinet.  

   

@mesonto COMPLETELY agree. Would only add everything from Wilson Audio!

Almost the entire Macintosh line, to me, has the design sensibility of a flying mallet.

@gemoody +1 Hifi-Mac: The worst combination of ostentatious and ugly. I have yet to see a Mac product I could bring myself putting in my home. Maybe Bose will rectify that?

Those Tekton speakers look like Tekton speakers - love 'em or loathe 'em, that's their vibe.

While I'm not a McIntosh fanboy, their aesthetic is their brand.

When you start making what look like cheap knock-offs of your own products, you're in trouble. 

@gemoody hear hear well said 👏

I would add Legacy speakers as well to this list, to me they look Frankensteins born of a DIYer with too much money and zero aesthetic sensibilities.

Is it to early to blame this hideous looking thing on Bose?

I dislike any gear that so departs from what you can fit into your equipment rack. I'm considering a Mola Mola DAC. To me it fits the ugly description

@bassbuyer 

I am digging your sense of humor and take on Tekton’s. And I agree, horns belongs in a nice wood cabinet with one exception. Check out WVL 33221 Berlin. If I have the room with high ceilings, I wouldn’t mind these bad boys. 

https://wolfvonlanga.de/wvl-loudspeakers/wolf-von-langa-33221-berlin

From the planet Tralfamador:

Geez. Those are just horrible. 

Agreed, Lalitk, The Frankenstein look of the MCD85 is, IMO, unbeatable in this little contest of yours.

It is (obviously?) a reference to the MC2100, which I owned for some years, but never appreciated for beauty. It sat on a bottom shelf, largely in the shadows of a dark listening room, and nobody ever approached it to "get a closer look".

That's the new McIntosh Microwave; they are entering the appliance market. The design works well if you keep your audio equipment in the kitchen.

I could never buy an exposed horn speaker like the one lubachi has shown, or Avantegarde no matter how they sound.  For a positive comment, those Vitus amplication products from Denmark have me drooling for an upgrade.  Just gorgeous.

+1 @lubachl 

As any good Tralfamadorian would say

"The universe exists as a random and senseless place."

Regards,

barts

The Washington Post did an article where a non-audiophile reporter went to a local high end shop.  The reporter described the Avantegarde speakers as looking like an air raid siren from a Tex Avery cartoon.  I thought that was a terrific description, albeit one that younger readers might not understand.

OMG,, @lalitk , those look like the server room at your locale telecom company have a fungal infection.

https://wolfvonlanga.de/wvl-loudspeakers/wolf-von-langa-33221-berlin

How did anyone sign off these as "ok, they will love it".  WTF are they.

Love this humorous thread! Great stuff posted! 

A lot of pent up humor released on me all at once.  it’s too much.  I’ll have to be a cheerful old F all day.

Great topic! I think that the beauty is in the sound, so give me a big ugly, if it sounds great, the appearance will be more acceptable, 

I actually painted my transformers on my monoblocks Islanders colors. They still sound awesome!

Shoot me, but I like the McIntosh designs. A bit retro, which I like. Come on, who here wouldn’t want a big honkin’ Sansui or Marantz receiver in their rack, even if it was just for show? I have a C220 preamp, and love the LED lit front panel. It sits on the top of my rack.

Frankly, I think the Chord designs look like R2D2 vomited out his lunch. I tend dislike asymmetrical designs.

I have more generous thoughts towards Chord's looks, they just remind me of those toys that are supposed to make toddlers smarter.

Although to be fair, some of their better products look quite good. 

As far as Tekton, unfortunately I’ll never unhear the cretinous fight they took to ASR, in which they successfully demonstrated that the speakers ASR trashed in a review were in fact trash, but not for the reasons ASR said. They lost their credibility and gained nothing. Why anyone would think that the self-infliction of a PR disaster is good business is incomprehensible.

And going back to the original topic, Ugliest Component of the Year® is a vigorously defended trademark of Wilson Audio 😂😂🤣