Do you care about the LOOK???

I have broken through the "matched black box barrier"--looks matter & some good designers realize that.

Well maybe it's a ''really nice piece of gear with a great personality and after all it's what's inside that counts....when the looks go what do you have'' ......words from a single audiophile man.

Yes,

Very much so. The Proceed PRE is in my opinion one of the ,ost appealing designs--, same for the whole line. The old Sherwood tube tuners wth their long dials and green lighting. The Dynaco FM-3, very simple and timeless. The MC-275. Yes, I am very much hooked on good industrial design. Same with cars, the dashboard and controls are where i sit for hours a week. If they don't cut it, the car doesn't get bought.

For me, style has alot to do with the room you have to work with. Right now, my system is set up in an active living space in my house. This arrangement dictates my component make up and speaker size, and yes, style. If I had a dedicated listening room, then I would probably look at some ugly mono blocks and bigger speakers.

With one exception, I put performance above appearance. All my equipment is black or dark grey, so I won't buy a component with a silver faceplate.