Vote

What's the use of something which looks good, costs a lot but doesn't sound good?

Aesthetics are almost as important as quaility. If you have lots of black boxes (in addition to five or six speakers) in your living room, it defeats the purpose of having a nicely decorated room. Macintosh is making a killing on the iMac because people want a more visually appealing "appliance" in their office.

I know that the subject matter is primarily about sound but there really isn't any excuse for shoddy build quality or a lack of design flair, especially in high end gear and by that I mean anything over

Hey, if it works, it ok. Form follows function...

The visual appeal is part of the total audio experience. To ignore it prevents complete enjoyment of this hobby.

Even in standby, my Rowland mono's assure me with confidence and sheer lust.

I don't look at equipment ... I listen to it!

A secondary consideration (after performance) that I consider a bonus.

I found that at a certain level all great speakers (usually very expensive) sound "great". So the deciding factor is visual design. Speakers are still large objects in your house...it makes a big difference if they match your decor. I personally like the cherry wood cases I've seen in some top name brand speakers.

My co-worker just bought a complete B&O system. He is still married....