Eye Candy

It's emotional, but looks do matter in equipment to me.  It's also nostalgia.  My first equipment at age 16 was a reel to reel tape deck with VU meters, so I insisted on that with my Luxman integrated.  No turntable but the Transcriptors that used to be on display at MOMA still is the most beautiful.  And when those Yamaha NS-1000's came out in the '70's way ahead of its time with vapor deposition beryllium domes, the new NS-5000's just looked right.

Thanks Eisen, My love too is dated, and I don’t really use it much, but a reel to reel tape recorder has to be the best!  Don’ t you think?   In college I sold Old Time Radio tapes, and I had 3 reel decks,  Teac A2300S  and Pioneer 707. It was just so wonderful to watch those reels spin slowly and the VU meters dance, and all the buttons and switches on the front. 

and Cassette Decks!  The Pioneer F2121 was an incredible value $200 in 1976 and looked so great. With a high level headphone output that was actually useful.  The cassette was in a well at a 45 degree angle, lit by a blue lamp, with bright VU meters. A great looking set of transport controls,  cylinder shape with the top cut flat.    After college I could afford a Nakamichi cassette deck. I think they had the best industrial design. Works of art to me. :)  Great Memories at a great age.

@jerchapman

Yes, I kind of forgot about my cassette deck of years gone by. It may not have had the eye appeal of others at the time, but it sure did provide a lot of fun!