If you want components that are gorgeous sounding as well as looking, they are out there. And some aren't too expensive. For a turntable, try the Michell Gyrodec or Oracle Delphi. For speakers the Gallo Nucleus Reference. For amps some of the Cary's or Quicksilvers. For CD players the Rega Planet, Meridian or Krell. Check out HiFi News from the UK. They have photos of a lot of stuff from Europe which is very aesthetically designed.
B&O, overpriced artistic piece of audio?
I have always had some sort of fascination to all things nifty and modern looking. Since 1982, before coming to this country, I was able to look into a B&O advertisement page in the NYTimes. Are B&Os a compromise sonically compared to my current system (Preamp SFL-2, Amp, Sonic Frontiers Power 2, speakers Gershman X-1 and Sw-1 subwoofers, Japanese DVD+Bel Canto DAC-1, Tuner MCintosh Mr-78)? Can I be enamoured just for the looks and this sense of nostalgia or should I simply say that B&O does conquer sonically? PAUL