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Yes, I'm attracted to a component's looks, but in the end, it's still about how it sounds that's the most important!
In a blog comment, reader Henry writes "I won't buy a component that does not look right . . . . It needs to have a look like someone cared deeply about the appearance of the thing as a function of performance." <P> Does a component's industrial design matter to you? How much?
If you are going to spend a significant sum of money on an audio component, it's not unreasonable to expect that it will be visually attractive, if not a work of art. The days of ugly pressed-steel boxes or concrete speaker enclosures being de rigueur for sound quality are long gone.
The attention to detail can help tell you what's under the hood. In some cases, the chassis is the most expensive part of the unit. If a manufacturer wants me to spend big money on their product, then it had better look pretty good and perform very well or the their competition may get my money.
Industrial design does not guarantee quality. Lack thereof is a sure sign that something may be missing. The best products always have a kind of timeless integrity about them. Apple, NAD, Tivoli, Leica, Rega, Leben, the QUADs and Revoxes and Nagras of old, the tape recording gems named Stellavox..., they all look right, feel right, give excellent value for money, and perform accordingly.