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Why is black so popular for components?

A current post about the looks of gear got me thinking. How did black become the most popular color for audiophile gear? I can see it being popular for home theater where the gear might be at the front of a room where you want it as dark as possible but black was the color of choice well before home theater. Maybe it is as simple as people just like it but if that were the case I would think it would also be the most popular in other consumer items such as motor vehicles.  I remember when I wasn’t always fortunate to have a dedicated stereo room and my wife would ask me why I purchased black equipment because she thought it was ugly and I agreed with her but usually, I had no choice.  For manufacturers offering additional colors may be costlier but I am willing to pay for it. Fortunately , some companies that I like offer silver usually in the face plates which works for me. Odyssey Audio has numerous color options available for their faceplates for a nominal fee but as far as I know they are an exception.  A lot of speaker manufacturers offer different colors which is great, especially if you have to place them in a communal space like a living room.  So in summary why did black become the color for stereo gear ? How many of you would prefer color options?

128x128lwin

Showing 1 response by mwinkc

mwinkc
343 posts
 
Black for me, BECAUSE I can see the dust more easily... therefore I keep it cleaner.

Also, Black is more uniform. As someone in the printing business, I know that blacks are much more easily matched and stable in color. Whites are the most difficult to match, followed by colors... all of which can change with time and exposure to light.

Having several components that are intended to be the same colors results in a mishmash of non-matching colors...like you failed or couldn’t see the difference...like the poor fellow driving a car that has had body work done and the fender doesn’t quite match the front door and neither of them match the quarter panel.

Silver is pretty, but there are a lot of different ways to obtain that color...natural, polished or natural, machined, anodized, lacquered, even painted😱. All of which look different.

I once had a Rotel power amp that had Black "heat sinks" on either side of a silver anodized front panel. Pretty clever...like blue jeans, it went with everything.

Maybe it’s just the audiophile’s equivalent of a woman’s need to have all parts of an outfit match or compliment each other?

All said.... the sound comes first!
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