I'm sat here looking at the Cayin and it is beautiful, watching the tubes glow...its by far the prettiest thing in my hifi rack. I feel like the other pieces of equipment are letting the side down. Well the Marantz is a good looking tt but the dac magic is plain....not to mention half size which I hate. Shouldn't hi-fi look exotic or am I the only one who thinks that?
Do you wish your equipment looked better?
- Thread starter shafesk
- Start date
Gusboll
Well-known member
The way my lot is set up it looks as ugly as sin, but when I'm sat down for a good listening session, that fact is eclipsed by the fact that it sounds so good! In winter I just turn the lights off so I can't see it 
Currently listening to: Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
Currently listening to: Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
chebby
Well-known member
Gusboll said:The way my lot is set up it looks as ugly as sin, but when I'm sat down for a good listening session, that fact is eclipsed by the fact that it sounds so good! In winter I just turn the lights off so I can't see it
But don't you wish it could look as good as it sounds?
I generally associate exotic looks with an exotic price, but not always. Exotic shapes are often more expensive to manufacture, and at sensible prices I'd rather the budget went towards the sound.....but if you can have good looks and a sweet sound, then as in many things, it's a bonus.
plastic penguin
Well-known member
Nope. I like the look of my system. Has a rather enticing rag-tag aesthetic.
More seriously, I don't care what it looks like, within reason, just close the eyes and listen to the beautiful sounds; that makes up for any other shortcomings...
More seriously, I don't care what it looks like, within reason, just close the eyes and listen to the beautiful sounds; that makes up for any other shortcomings...
Overdose
Well-known member
I'm not too bothered about looks, but then my system is fairly unobtrusive and is pretty much just the understated silver box that is the Mac mini, on display.
Sounds good though and that's what matters most to me.
If I could have a nice sounding setup with wall or inset mounted speakers, I'd go for that. Less is more.
Sounds good though and that's what matters most to me.
If I could have a nice sounding setup with wall or inset mounted speakers, I'd go for that. Less is more.
afterworks
Well-known member
Whilst I shoudn't and don't (cough cough) care. It's hard not to look at an amp for example that cost upwards of a grand and think 'surely this can look a little nicer'
But I've been lucky, everything, well I say everything, I mean by amp and speaker look more than pleasing, plus they sound great which is the main thing.
I persaonlly can't stand the look of Cyrus stuff, looks cheap and like something you'd find in the back of readers digest.
However, I can't deny the thought that I'd rather my money go towards the sound instead of the aesthetic.
But I've been lucky, everything, well I say everything, I mean by amp and speaker look more than pleasing, plus they sound great which is the main thing.
I persaonlly can't stand the look of Cyrus stuff, looks cheap and like something you'd find in the back of readers digest.
However, I can't deny the thought that I'd rather my money go towards the sound instead of the aesthetic.
scene
Well-known member
The sound is the most important thing at the end of the day and anyway I'm not so bothered about how my system looks as I have this big av cabinet to hide everything away in, all neat and tidy
steve_1979
Well-known member
Crossie said:Think I will sell the cyrus gear and get me one of these beauties:
Very subtle and understated.
scene
Well-known member
Crossie said:Think I will sell the cyrus gear and get me one of these beauties:
How can anyone fail to love that missile battery chic?
steve_1979
Well-known member
shafesk said:
I like subtle understated quality rather than something that's flashy and exotic looking.
I also like racks full of hifi boxes when they're all the same make and visually matching but when there's lots of different makes of hifi it can look a bit scruffy. Maybe I'm just a bit OCD though?
tino
Well-known member
I don't like hifi that looks chintzy or overstyled, and conversely plain old black rectangular boxes can be boring and have no visual appeal. A hifi setup composed of 17 differently styled components with telephone exchange cabling down the back of the rack and strewn across the floor would also also do my head in, no matter how good it sounded. The type of material used in the construction makes a difference - glossy or satin black plastics are a no-no for me. I like mimimalist cool (my Wadia 151), elegant but not extravagant use of natural materials (my valve amp), and sometimes in-your-face vibrant colours to add a touch of spice (TBD!).
idc
Well-known member
afterworks
Well-known member
steve_1979 said:
Maybe...I dunno, personally I think if your spending a lot of money on something it should look good. I'm not talking about fancy shapes or anything...just good looking.
steve_1979
Well-known member
afterworks said:
Subtlety can look good too. Things can look like they're expensive and good quality while still being understated at the same time.
power
Well-known member
Interesting topic. I dont think the primary objective must be to buy good looking hifi because hifi is not furniture but the irony is that once its in your lounge it becomes part of the furniture and it can interfere with the aesthetics of the room.
Its a catch 22 and my view is that it must sound good and also look good but we must also remember that Good looks are in the eyes of the beer holder. Beuaty in my eyes when it comes to interior looks is minimalistic approach so I believe that with Hifi also less is more. I am so put off by components with many buttons and logos like a space shuttle.
I used to have a Yamaha and when I upgraded my system I fell in love with Harman Kardon current rage because of the sound and its minimalistic approach. The receiver doesnt have branding of its features on its face like many other brands that have 99 logos on them. Its logos are hidden on top of the receiver. It has a volume dial and an obscured on/off button. same approach was used on the bluray player. I love this minimalistic approach.
My speakers are B&W CM8 in piano black. They are slim and good looking. They just stand out when you look at them. I chose them because of their sound and because they are not in your face like most floorstanding speakers that just occupy your whole room which looks bad in my eyes especially if you dont have a dedicated HT room.
My bugbear is the 2 satellite decoders I have for my TV because they are such a mismatch to the rest of my system. I wish I had a cave to hide them. I think the Marantz sound good but god I hate that roundish look and that window on the 7005 that looks like a clock
Its a catch 22 and my view is that it must sound good and also look good but we must also remember that Good looks are in the eyes of the beer holder. Beuaty in my eyes when it comes to interior looks is minimalistic approach so I believe that with Hifi also less is more. I am so put off by components with many buttons and logos like a space shuttle.
I used to have a Yamaha and when I upgraded my system I fell in love with Harman Kardon current rage because of the sound and its minimalistic approach. The receiver doesnt have branding of its features on its face like many other brands that have 99 logos on them. Its logos are hidden on top of the receiver. It has a volume dial and an obscured on/off button. same approach was used on the bluray player. I love this minimalistic approach.
My speakers are B&W CM8 in piano black. They are slim and good looking. They just stand out when you look at them. I chose them because of their sound and because they are not in your face like most floorstanding speakers that just occupy your whole room which looks bad in my eyes especially if you dont have a dedicated HT room.
My bugbear is the 2 satellite decoders I have for my TV because they are such a mismatch to the rest of my system. I wish I had a cave to hide them. I think the Marantz sound good but god I hate that roundish look and that window on the 7005 that looks like a clock
Al ears
Well-known member
Yes, and I have a cunning plan to make it so1
I am going to get life-sized pictures of Burmeister kit and tape them between the legs of my rack, thus hiding the plain black (very nice sounding) boxes behind!
I am going to get life-sized pictures of Burmeister kit and tape them between the legs of my rack, thus hiding the plain black (very nice sounding) boxes behind!
steve_1979
Well-known member
BenLaw
Well-known member
Very happy with how mine looks
Whilst SQ is the primary factor, it shouldn't be too much to ask when spending four figure sums that it looks good too. Just like it shouldn't be too much to ask that you get a decent remote as well, which all of my kit fails save for pioneer kuro. With a little care and thought of course, it is possible to maximise the looks of one's kit, through placement, a tasteful rack / stands and dealing well with cables.
Whilst SQ is the primary factor, it shouldn't be too much to ask when spending four figure sums that it looks good too. Just like it shouldn't be too much to ask that you get a decent remote as well, which all of my kit fails save for pioneer kuro. With a little care and thought of course, it is possible to maximise the looks of one's kit, through placement, a tasteful rack / stands and dealing well with cables.
matthewpiano
Well-known member
I like hi-fi to look functional and well made. I particularly like the look of quite a bit of 90s gear and I think the Pioneer A400 is a beautiful looking piece of kit. I do actually also like NAD gear, which some people will probably thing is a bit strange. What I'm not keen on is hi-fi that looks too flashy. Ultimately, of course, the sound is the most important factor but it is nice when you don't mind looking at the boxes taking up space in your living room.
HI all I must admit that until you guys started this thread I han not given it much thought as long as it sounded ok that is all that was all that mattered the mfm6i is sort of carved out off stone looking the roksan is a little lady like missions are a bit boxy but as I type all I can hear is Elbows Seldom seen kid Mirrorball sounds pretty dam good to:cheers: :cheers:
afterworks
Well-known member
steve_1979 said:
haha sorry I meant I didnt know whether he was being OCD. I totally agree about subtlety. I'm quite happy with a black metal case of some sort and a few buttons or knobs. Old NAD gear always looked nice. No bells and neon lights just simple. That kinda thing is perfect and surely not to expensive to do.
steve_1979
Well-known member
Similar threads
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram