Hey, I said if.
How your gear looks ... does it really matter?
- Thread starter H2oman7.62mm
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H2oman7.62mm
Super Member
Most of my music is consumed from the other room and / or with the lights off, so I don't see more than a blurry glow of lights with my glasses off. I'll admit the lights are kind of cool, but sometimes I wish I could block them out or dim them.I can recall an older thread where someone asked something similar to "Do you close your eyes when you are enjoying the music?"
I could be wrong, but it seems that the majority answered "yes". Hmm
Had an Outlaw RR2160. It had polarizing aesthetics to say the least. It was love it or hate it. It was a great sounding piece till it hit hard to drive Cantons and Maggie's. New Parasound pre and amp are black boxes, well made black boxes but as plain as it gets. I don't care. They sound better than anything before it. I had plenty of vintage stuff that was absolutely beautiful and it sounded good. But the new plain Jane stuff sounds better. I'll take better sound every time. The Canton speakers are plain brown boxes and aren't going anywhere.
I pretty much am form over function, but do appreciate a clean look. Most of my stuff is “challenged” like my massive industrial gray Altec A7s, my walnut AR10 Pi with peeling veneer on the back and sides, and my Fried Qs w/o grilles. The masterpiece of ugliness though is Keg’s early KT88 SEUL build on a random chassis with patches on the top. I often think about redoing it, but probably won’t do much to it aside from relocating the fuse and a test point so I can wrap it with some tasty hardwood. I want to keep the Keggerness of the rough build.
That being said, I will keep my Sherwood S3000V stereo tuner just for its cool retro looks. Internet photo below.
That being said, I will keep my Sherwood S3000V stereo tuner just for its cool retro looks. Internet photo below.
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Cinder blocks look alright to me?
P.s. I should stfu in this thread anyway considering my new 'speaker stands'.
Mike_S
Well-Known Member
Yes, appearance is very important. But secondary to sound quality. Think that is part of the reason for Mcitosh being popular, is that the looks match the sound. Same for most of us with Vintage gear, it just "looks" right, and sounds great. Yes, mixing colors is not a good idea, same for wood type.
Appearance is also good for us with "housemates" that have strong opinions about these kind of things. This is a case where appearance is much more important over sound quality.
Appearance is also good for us with "housemates" that have strong opinions about these kind of things. This is a case where appearance is much more important over sound quality.
Roadrash
Super Member
I certainly didn't buy the Kenwood L series gear in my main system for their looks! The battleship grey L-09Ms look like industrial power supplies or actual lab equipment so they'll never win a beauty contest, but they produce all the good clean power I'll ever need or want.
bluesky
Lunatic Member
Absolutely. Fine sounds, Fine looking 'setup' & surroundings.
As in - Fine looking to me/for me!! Other folks probably don't even ' s e e ' it. Maybe that's a good thing!!
When they ask me about it, or they say "Oh, you have a record player" ... I just tell them - "Yeah. It's an old stereo."
As in - Fine looking to me/for me!! Other folks probably don't even ' s e e ' it. Maybe that's a good thing!!
When they ask me about it, or they say "Oh, you have a record player" ... I just tell them - "Yeah. It's an old stereo."
These days, if I am looking for a particular piece, cosmetics are the first consideration. For the most part, if the cosmetics are good (or excellent) most other things can be repaired. Same goes for old cars and motorcycles.
This pretty much sums up where I am now. And they sound as good as they look.
This pretty much sums up where I am now. And they sound as good as they look.
The speaker on the right kinda has an expression that someone told him that he was out of phase. Are these DIYs? Nice job!Cinder blocks look alright to me?
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RunOutGroove
Addicted Member
I get that... I like classy looking gear, but even more than that, I care about the aesthetics of the room that I have all of that gear in. I haven't done a thing to improve the room acoustics, like putting in anything like acoustic panels, bass traps or the like, but if I were to use that kind of stuff, it would mean less room for hanging art and that's not really a compromise I'm willing to make. With the limitations of the window, doors, built-in bookshelves, the amount and positioning of furniture I like to have, the TV and the artwork there are going to be compromises made to the sound. That being said, though I don't really have much to compare it to, it seems like the sound I get in my living room, despite all of the compromises, is pretty good.I've actually had men in Facebook groups tell me that "caring about your space is unmanly and effeminate." This was regarding a broader discussion regarding acoustic treatments, which they regarded as mere "decoration," but those sentiments are germane to this topic as well, as if having a nice, well considered system and a treated room makes you less of a man than if you had mismatched, old, junky gears arranged without a care to how it looks (or sounds). I suspect there's classism involved as well, or as some call it, "reverse snobbery," but I'm just a working class slob who appreciates art and likes having nice things. My decidedly mid-fi setup and room isn't as well-sorted as @tomlinmgt's, but considering my modest means, I'm doing ok.I can't imagine having my audio gears relegated to a dirty garage or dingy basement, I would find that too depressing; listening to music is my "happy place" mentally, and that extends to my physical surroundings as well. How my gear looks and integrates into my space is a big part of that.
As for the gear specifically: I suspect that I might be able to get a bit better amplification for the money that I could fetch for my Marantz 2270, but I'd certainly miss the look of that thing. I don't think that piece is all about the aesthetics, as it also sounds really good to me, but I have to admit that the look is a big part of the appeal. Ditto with my speakers, Jamo C103s, which sound very good to me but more than that have really beautiful real walnut casing. As good as they sound, I wonder if I would choose them over my Dali Oberon 3 speakers, which I have in another room and have never A/B'd, and retailed for maybe only half as much (and sound great to me!), though they don't look nearly as nice...
Last year, at age 65, I bought for the first time an audio rack instead of bricks and boards from the hardware store, and included speaker stands from the same company. And this year, needing a new amplifier and cd player, I actually chose a matching set! Strictly low budget stuff (Dayton Audio furniture, Rotel A11 and CD11 Tribute electronics), but it sounds fine and looks sharp.
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