??? Would You or Have You Paid A Premium Price For A Component Because Of It's Looks ???

I might add that although aesthetics are important to me, my MSB S-200 power amp looks like some machine on a shop floor in a warehouse. But there was no better-looking competition for that quality at the price I got the demo at. 

Back in the late seventies, I bought a multi band stereo equalizer because of all the red LED’s. It never made my system sound better, just different.
Haven’t bought anything since because of looks.

Would I pay more for a turntable if it had gold plated fittings?  No, I'd take the extra money and upgrade the cartridge or something else in the chain that would improve the sound. 

But that's because for me the point f owning a good system is to produce good sound.  Others may well have different priorities. If yours include impressing people with looks, go for it and try to ignore the fact that those priorities cost you something in sound and resolution.

@wspohn 

It costs nothing in sound and resolution, just money. 

Avoiding ugly stuff is more important.  So I would not buy a piece that looks bad even if it is significantly cheaper.  Of course aesthetic appeal is in the eye of the beholder, and for me something like an MBL Radialstrahler is too far out.

On the flip side, I would pay up for a prettier piece.  I remember choosing an Acoustic Research Amp for its looks over a Dynaco PAT4/Stereo 120 set that was a better value with many more controls and features.