Looks definitely is a consideration. How some manufacturers design some equipment aestically is beyond me. Everyone has different tastes though, which is why many manufacturers off the choice of silver or black. There is enough good equipment out there that I don't find myself torn into buying a gorgeous sounding unit in a hideous box. The closest I've come to that is the VAC Renassaince 30/30 mk III. Sorry, it does sound fabulous, but visually it looks like it was designed by Mr. T. I don't mean to offend anyone, it's just not my cup of tea. I couldn't sit and look at that. Another example is I recently saw a used pair of Jeff Rowland Model 7 monoblocks, they sounded good, bit unbelievably ugly. Two blocks of what look like solid gold. I guess I can take the silver and black, but too much gold appears gaudy to me. I would prefer my stereo system to call attention to itself by sound, and not because it visually screams for attention. Though some of my equipment looks good, some doesn't, but I don't own any hideous things. Of course hideous is in the eye of the beholder.
I meant no offense to those who like the looks of the above mentioned equipment. Someone must like them or they wouldn't be selling. To answer the original question, yes, to some extent visual appearance comes into play. It is very rare for me though. My wife will complain about appearance long before I will, hence the dreaded term WAF.
Cheers,
John
