How important is the Look in audiophile gear?


I saw a post today about B&O. Some were dissing this gear as just made to look good. I was about to do some dissing myself and then I wondered how much of the cost of other high end audio gear might be down to the "Look"? (Impressive looking rather than boringly functional.)

Is the "Look" closer to 20% or 80% of the cost on ultra high end gear? How much are you willing to spend on "Look" relative to cost that goes into purely audible qualities? Does the "Look" give you a feeling of how amazingly good it should sound? Does "Look" enhance the listening experience in the same way a well presented meal is more enjoyable to eat?

Examples of "Look": large silvery tube amps openly exposed on a silvery mount, massive turntables with visible big wheels/levers/belts, shiny imposing isolation feet, exotic spikes and stands, ultra thick cables made from exotic materials, futuristic speaker shapes (other than a plain mdf box).
128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xshadorne

Showing 3 responses by danlib1

Dean- are you insinuating that some of the women in LA are in the porn industry?

Say it ain't so!
I buy all gear strictly based on looks- even expensive power cords. I set it all up perfectly and fine-tune the hell out of it.

Then I sneak out to my Eldorado, fire up the bong, and listen to the 8-track.

Sounds better every time:)
Thanks for asking.

The ElDoDo is White, Red pleather interior, pink fur on dash.

Convertible, of course. TV antenna on trunk lid. Lotsa Biatches in the back seat.