I always thought that was the other way round. Form follows function and the looks will grow on you. I thought the Ducati 750SS (bevel head) was a weird looking bike when I first saw one but it became a thing of beauty, a CX500 was never anything other than a plastic maggot.
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This thread really confirms the old âbeauty is in the eye of the beholderâ adage. Personally there are 2 absolute no-go articles that would never make it over my threshold, regardless of sonic attributes: Fraim and anything made by Chord Electronics! Iâm actually not keen on any hi-fi rack Iâve ever seen and the Chord gear would be more suited to the control console of The Tardis or The Liberator!
Truth be told, even the Naim Classic and Uniti styles only just pass the aesthetic acceptability test, and as for most loudspeakers (including mine)âŚ!
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I read the title and thought âsq first without question.â Then I read a few replies and realised I wouldnât buy Nagra, McIntosh or Chord. I would not be able to listen restlessly with them on view. Naim Olive would not get through the door, it just looks wrong. I bought the Gyro SE for sq and value, the fact it looks good is a bonus. A Rega of any number would be fine too. The large, expensive wooden turntables in another thread are ghastly - costing nine times the price of a top spec LP 12. Not a fan of those massive hyper expensive turntables either, even some of the larger SME machines would be difficult to live with. So although I may miss out by not buying Chord, I would pick something same level sq in a different box.
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A lot depends on where the system is located i.e. main living room or dedicated listening room, if the latter looks maybe second place.
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Naim make some of the ugliest speakers ever made, but some of the best sounding. SBLs in particular - wouldnât dream of having a pair. So I suppose looks do matter to me to a degree. Having said that, I have a Fraim which actually as time goes on I dislike more and more. The legs look obtrusive and like theyâre trying to be overly masculine in a brutalist sort of way. Just doesnât look right.
As time goes on Iâd like to dwindle the boxes down (which Iâm in the process of doing) to get the lot hidden away. I think a stack of Naim on a Fraim can end up looking like a big-nuts trophy cabinet. The Chord disco lights are quite vulgar, but the Mscaler/Qutest are small enough to sneak away somewhere. Couldnât handle a Chord amp made after 2010.
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For me the answer is SQ every time, but then my view of what is attractive can be rather different to my wifeâs, or my daughters come to that.
I owned an EAR534 for many years and thought it was very attractive in a cyber-punk way:
The ladies of the house HATED it, my wife referring to it as âThe Alienâ. So rather than living between the speakers as I had planned it was moved out of sight.
It is interesting how reactions can be modified over time. Having owned a number of speakers over the decades my wifeâs favourites were probably the Linn Kans, BUT she also likes the SBLs as they go back against the walls; rather than having to be out into the room.
M
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Just had a look at the Nagra, Macintosh and Chord websites. All different but all very ugly to my eyes. That Macintosh logo would look better on a heavy metal tee shirt! Chord really has a problem too, it would have to be very well hidden in my home. All these brands rather screaming âlook at meâ. Oddly the pricier Chord stuff looks the nastiest to my eyes!
If understated is your thing then I had a very nice Meridian CD player about 25 years ago with crisp design and a nice smoked black glass top. A quite look at their website suggests they are still doing a similar look. Ditto Audiolab
Bruce
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Going through a very similar journey and with almost identical views on system .
Am willing to downsize to make the system more manageable .
Odd! I was going to say that Audiolab was my aesthetic. Had an 8000A back in the late 80âs, probably my favourite house style. Chrome bumper and the black box Naim are clean and simple. Olive, no love from me. 
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Yes, agree. Built like a tank, and sounded sublime (when I had an FM aerial). Bit of a classic product I think.
Both in this household. The Sopra 2s sounded wonderful but thought to be ugly by wife and daughter!
How about DBLs, I can imagine that they wouldnât go down too well in some quarters with people whoâd be quite happy finding space for a couple of wardrobes.
Perhaps itâs also easier to relax and be in the right frame of mind to listen to music in an uncluttered room, although you could just turn out the lights.
Always liked the look of Lecson AC1/AP3. Never heard them thoughâŚ
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For me, SQ is the priorityâŚbut products should be aesthetically excellent too. Different people will have different aesthetics preferences. My preference is for sublety and minimalism. I loathe bling! My electronics are pretty unobtrusive in the room, when a visitor sees them (remember that?) I am asked what are those boxes?..for most people, Klimax streamers, pre amp, 4 Ă power amps are a little mysterious looking.
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For me its always been SQ first.
The LP12 and Naim boxes sit on the fraim tucked away at the back of the room and I turn the sofa round when listening. My wife is happy with that and never been an issue.
However, the arrival of the B&W 804D3âs a few years ago raised an uncomfortable eyebrow as she did not like the look of them. Her only stipulation was the dust grill had to be fitted when not listening, i can live with that.
So, still SQ first
Agree with most of this, Naim speakers and fraim remind me of early Doctor Who episodes, the Chord disco lights also could have featured in these programmes.
I would suggest the Chord Etude is a bonnie wee amp.
As with most things in terms of design, familiarity feels good, whether this be clothes, cars or in this case hifi.
I would be very tempted in having the red version.
If I remember correctly Naim did a one off chrome plated Nait Xs.
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For me itâs down to SQ only, I couldnât care less what it looks like. If I could put the gear rack in another room and still have the remotes work, and extra long speaker cables wouldnât affect the sound negatively, then Iâd probably do it.
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Depends how your brain is wired⌠very clean, ordered room can be unnerving for some of usâŚ
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