Regardless of what people will tell you, there are always factors other than sound quality that will be relevant. Price, physical size, and the esthetics are important to virtually everyone. Not everyone has the room or the money for Klipschorns, regardless of whether one likes them or not. So their sound is only one factor in the decision on whether to buy them.
Of the choices listed in the original post, the answer will depend upon how much better the one is, how much uglier the other one is, and whether it is the kind of thing that can be hidden (such as a power amp). In my case, assuming that I plan on actually keeping it for myself instead of reselling it, the name on it is fairly irrelevant, assuming that I know that the piece itself is of good quality. Most likely, I would pick the unit that performs better, but if the performance were nearly identical, and the one was the ugliest thing I ever saw while the other one was the most beautiful piece of equipment I ever saw, I would probably go with the more beautiful one, especially if it was something that would be prominently visible (such as speakers, which usually work best if not hidden away).
Another matter of importance is reliability, though it isn't hard to get fairly reliable equipment.
Basically, it is a combination of several factors, and each one has some importance in the decision on whether or not to get something. I suppose if I were to list the three most important, it would be price, sound, and reliability, though as mentioned above, other factors can come into play.
