I wasn't saying there was anything wrong with their sound, just that they put extra effort into the appearance as a way of distinguishing themselves from a dozen other brands.Many of the pre management-change Sonus Fabers were actually very good speakers for the period they were sold in (I made the mistake of form over function too until I looked inside one or two and actually spent time listening to them, upon which a few models won my heart). Not sure about the smaller modern models, as they seem to have gone awry and become hf sparklers as some other models catering 'for the more mature male? listener with old-man's hearing ' now also do.