Poll: Faceplate preference

[GChief]

I do have more than just black, just no silver anymore.

 

[Ellymay]

I’m kinda partial to this one.

 

[cason]

PLATINUM

 

[Gigantic]

Blackface is a pretty loaded term, no?

Champagne done right does really look nice. Same with gold.
NAD equipment never looked good to me. I'm not knocking the sound or build quality, but I just can't get past how NAD'S equipment looks.
Some people like how there equipment looks and thats fine.
It's just too stark and dull looking to me.

I had an NAD 3020 in the late 80's. Perhaps foreshadowing today's compact gear, I kinda low-key felt a hint of shame regarding its form factor- not as big as a "proper" integrated and the dull gray finish that wasn't nearly as blingy as the anodized black alloy panels on anything comparable at the time. Of course, it more than made up for it in SQ and it's one of the few vintage pieces that I sort of covet.

 

[Lavane]

Blackface is a pretty loaded term, no?

I had an NAD 3020 in the late 80's. Perhaps foreshadowing today's compact gear, I kinda low-key felt a hint of shame regarding its form factor- not as big as a "proper" integrated and the dull gray finish that wasn't nearly as blingy as the anodized black alloy panels on anything comparable at the time. Of course, it more than made up for it in SQ and it's one of the few vintage pieces that I sort of covet.

I get it. Zing over bling. Put the engineering and money into performance instead of esthetics.
I like the old Polk Monitor series speakers. But they aren't much to look at. Just a flat black grill that covers the whole front with vinyl veneer on the cabinets. But I own three different models in that series. The supposed best sounding in that series, the model 7's, came to me without grills. So I made my own showing the veneer on the front edge. The new grills look better to me. I may do the same for the bigger model 10's I have in rotation at the moment.

 

[coonmanx]

I like my faceplates without dents, dings, sharpie, cigarette stains or anything else. Nice and clean. The rest doesn't matter so much. It sucks when you think that you might have found a decent unit and then someone decided they needed to etch their name on it. I also prefer when they have all the knobs and switches.

 

[Duane]

Started out with silver but now all black. Pictured is the Pioneer 9100 series purchased new in 73 and given away to a family member. Enlightened Audio Designs Ovation, PM100 and briefly their DVD player based on a Panasonic. Sold those many years ago to accommodate newer codecs with a McIntosh combo. The EAD was really liquid sounding.

 

[Mart Mccall]

I like champagne as in Accuphase and some of the old Marantz, and I like gold sometimes if done right like on the Leben.

But I was a teenager in the 1980s and back then we always associated silver kit with some bygone era (even though it was only the previous decade) and that never really goes away. So black is my favourite, and it has to be '1980s black'>

 

[Quadman2]

Colour is immaterial for me. The simpler the better, with just the basic knobs/switches.

Even the pre/amp needs to be basic, and having a "Quad" you just have less.

However, I do have a "Yamaha" Aventage A/V , wherein I run it with remote...just for off/on/input and vol.

Q

 

[raycarr00]

It depends on the layout of switches/ pots. Gold n porcelain looks good.

 

[w3jn]

Glass.

 

[Lavane]

My main system is a mix of black aluminum faceplates, brushed aluminum, polished stainless steel, black plastic faceplates, and wood. Plus three tube preamps, a handful of amps I built using hammered silver and copper paint, and wood in another room. I sold off most of my silver faced SS gear I had collected and restored.

 

[Thorsten R.]

My old Pioneer SA-8500 II, recommissioned two days ago. 4 mm strong front plate, brushed, inscriptions engraved. The volume knob is from massive aluminium. It looks soooo much better than my Kenwood BasicC1 / M1 combo thas sits adjacent.

 

[peterp1]

Perhaps the market has spoken on faceplates ….

 

[krautmaster]

I have both silver and black equipment... I like some aspects of each, but just plain black without anything to break it up (silver knobs,etc.) reminds me of cheap Black Plastic Crap. My old Onkyo amps are a dark grey that looks much better than straight black, but my new Schiit equipment is very plain looking and IMO it is much better in silver. Prettiest one I had was a Marantz 2275 with a black faceplate- gorgeous!

 

[Mwdan]

Perhaps the market has spoken ….

View attachment 3695259

I don't think that market is done yet. It was intentionally tanked but it might just come back to bite them.

Just think, I was on my way to becoming a thousandaire.

 

[qdrone]

I prefer black... but then I began to wonder if black retains heat more than other colors am I damaging my equipment . Heat is one of the main causes of equipment breaking down.

 

[tubelectron]

Faceplate from my DIY Department...

T

 

[krautmaster]

I prefer black... but then I began to wonder if black retains heat more than other colors am I damaging my equipment . Heat is one of the main causes of equipment breaking dow

I prefer black... but then I began to wonder if black retains heat more than other colors am I damaging my equipment . Heat is one of the main causes of equipment breaking down.

Auto makers have determined that flat black paint holds in the LEAST amount of heat... back in the day we had all kinds of engine paint: blues, reds, orange, gold, silver, etc. Now everything is aluminum with black painted steel valve covers, oil pains, transmission pans, etc..

 

[Lavane]

I have both silver and black equipment... I like some aspects of each, but just plain black without anything to break it up (silver knobs,etc.) reminds me of cheap Black Plastic Crap. My old Onkyo amps are a dark grey that looks much better than straight black, but my new Schiit equipment is very plain looking and IMO it is much better in silver. Prettiest one I had was a Marantz 2275 with a black faceplate- gorgeous!
View attachment 3695324

The silver buttons and knobs make it really pop.