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Do Aesthetics Matter?

Crook

Crook

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Joined
Feb 7, 2025
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136
Hi,

I recently DIY re-cabled my entire system with some lovely dark green Sommer Albedo II cable and black Amphenol RCA plugs (no reds). Before, there were all sorts of coloured cables going on and RCA plugs that did not match. I bought a £43 record weight purely as it matches my AT turntable and made an entirely unnecessary Iroko wood turntable plinth, in waxed black. I honestly can't hear any differences, but for sure it looks great (to me).

So, do aesthetics matter to you too and will you spend money to make your system just look nicer?
 
Heck, I hide my speakers in the wall/ceiling! Except for the subwoofer, but that is a very nicely finished little box (or it will be when it gets here tomorrow).

Granted, the choice of in-walls wasn't entirely about aesthetics. It's also about saving floor space and, at least for the fronts, potential technical advantages.
 
Big time.

I will not allow a speaker I consider ugly to take a permanent residence in my listening room.

I find any other piece of gear… be turntables or amplifiers or anything else… to be far more satisfying to own if I consider it to be aesthetically pleasing.

This stuff tends to cost a lot, and I wanted to look like it.

Cables hold zero aesthetic value for me, so all my cabling is hidden out of sight.

And generally speaking, in my listening room I prefer a sedate clean appearance versus the “audio shrine” where all the equipment is piled up between the speakers.

Just give me the listening room had a beautiful pair of speakers, and that’s all I want.

(all my amplification and source gear is in a separate room. As I said, I like the pieces to look nice there too, but I don’t want to stare at all of them while I’m listening to music. The one exception there could be a nice looking pair of tube mono blocks. Those are about the only thing I would let into the listening room along with the speakers.)
 
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Crook said:
So, do aesthetics matter to you too and will you spend money to make your system just look nicer?
Click to expand...

Sure, who wants to look at a messy pile of cables? Plus, I do most of my listening at my powered standing desk. So cables that are secure, long enough and flexible enough to be routed through cable trays and articulated cable snakes are a must for me.
 
MattHooper said:
Big time.

I will not allow a speaker I consider ugly to take a permanent residence in my listening room.

I find any other piece of gear… be turntables or amplifiers or anything else… to be far more satisfying to own if I consider it to be aesthetically pleasing.

This stuff tends to cost a lot, and I wanted to look like it.

Cables hold zero aesthetic value for me, so all my cabling is hidden out of sight.

And generally speaking, in my listening room I am much prefer a more sedate clean appearance versus the “audio shrine” where all the equipment is piled up between the speakers.

Just give me the listening room had a beautiful pair of speakers, and that’s all I want.

(all my amplification and source gear is in a separate room. As I said, I like the pieces to look nice there too, but I don’t want to stare at all of them while I’m listening to music. The one exception there could be a nice of tube mono blocks. Those are about the only thing I would let into the listening room along with the speakers.)
Click to expand...
I've seen some of your gear in other posts, a different level. Matching cables I could do, extra rooms and really expensive speakers would likely mean a divorce. I maxed out at F206's at UK prices! That said, I am pleased others also care about how it all looks.
 
Berwhale said:
Sure, who wants to look at a messy pile of cables? Plus, I do most of my listening at my powered standing desk. So cables that are secure, long enough and flexible enough to be routed through cable trays and articulated cable snakes are a must for me.
Click to expand...
Agreed. TBF though you see enough pictures of systems online that likely sound wonderful, but look like an disused IT server room.
 
Yes.
 
Yes, although my taste in aesthetics may not match others'. I like my equipment in 19" racks, so all cables etc are in the back of the racks, and only the front panels show.

I also like to see the valves glow in my second system, there only because I like the looks.

Otherwise, I apply the general principle that 'Form Follows Function', i.e. the equipment is there to do a job, but at least looks shouldn't offend.

S.
 
Crook said:
Agreed. TBF though you see enough pictures of systems online that likely sound wonderful, but look like an disused IT server room.
Click to expand...

TBF, I have extensive experience of disused server rooms and data centres and i've never seen any audio setup that comes close to the horrors that I have endured!
 
Loudspeakers I'm not so bothered about but the electronics have to look the part. My favourite aesthetic is 1980s Japanese high end. Sony ES, Yamaha 'M' Series, that sort of thing.

Cables - I don't care at all but they are all hidden anyway, except for the speaker cables which are chunky and have flashy braiding.
 
Aesthetics are the only reason I was able to successfully lobby to get LS60s in the house. Wife deemed them "cute". Quite a coup for me.

I also cut holes in the wall to route cables, just for looks.

I got blue XLRs to match my desk for my office setup.

And, not that he gives a thesis on it, but Amir starts most reviews with a comment on the aesthetics of the gear.

Looks definitely matter! But it's always in the eye of the beholder and not always an overriding factor, so you see quite a variety of appearances in people's gear here.
 
Mart68 said:
Loudspeakers I'm not so bothered about but the electronics have to look the part. My favourite aesthetic is 1980s Japanese high end. Sony ES, Yamaha 'M' Series, that sort of thing.

Cables - I don't care at all but they are all hidden anyway, except for the speaker cables which are chunky and have flashy braiding.
Click to expand...
Many different approaches on what looks good, it's very personal. For me it's hiding equipment away, minimalism and having nice looking speakers at my price point as an focal point. With the re-cabling, you can't see it, but 'I' know it all matches. Madness.
 
sergeauckland said:
Yes, although my taste in aesthetics may not match others'. I like my equipment in 19" racks, so all cables etc are in the back of the racks, and only the front panels show.

I also like to see the valves glow in my second system, there only because I like the looks.

Otherwise, I apply the general principle that 'Form Follows Function', i.e. the equipment is there to do a job, but at least looks shouldn't offend.

S.
Click to expand...
Horses for courses. I like small and hidden away.
 
Crook said:
Hi,

I recently DIY re-cabled my entire system with some lovely dark green Sommer Albedo II cable and black Amphenol RCA plugs (no reds). Before, there were all sorts of coloured cables going on and RCA plugs that did not match. I bought a £43 record weight purely as it matches my AT turntable and made an entirely unnecessary Iroko wood turntable plinth, in waxed black. I honestly can't hear any differences, but for sure it looks great (to me).

So, do aesthetics matter to you too and will you spend money to make your system just look nicer?
Click to expand...
Of course they do. If your listening/watching area is a shared space, then you need to be mindful of aesthetics more due to family and friends sharing the space.
If it’s a dedicated area then it’s still yes, but maybe in a different way. I like neat cabling after many years being involved in Enterprise business IT infrastructures.
 
I simply want form to follow function the best sounding loudspeakers and they look how they must look.
Keith
 
Purité Audio said:
I simply want form to follow function the best sounding loudspeakers and they look how they must look.
Keith
Click to expand...
I need to have both and would likely compromise on it. I bought what I believed to be very good speakers in my price range (F206), but if I'm honest, if they had looked like a dog's dinner, they would not have been purchased (for a shared space with some WAF thrown in).
 
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