Many higher end preamps are dated and ugly, why is this?


Conrad Johnson, BAT, VTL are all very good preamplifiers, they are dated and just ugly.  Audio research is a prettier amplifier but it's not very well regarded due to it sounding more like a solid state, ie. Not really a tube preamp despite all those internal lightbulbs.

Cheaper preamps can be more pretty. Schitt makes a pretty preamp for about $1000. People like pretty.

D'Agostino by many is viewed as very attractive but kind of weird. 

jumia

Cary is very nice but the problem is it doesn’t offer a fully functional remote. How stupid is that what is wrong with these guys?

Many Audiophiles are dated and ugly. Why is this?

We prefer experienced and classic looks. 

"One does not see what is in front of their eyes, one sees what is behind their eyes"

...or the more common truism "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

Sandthemall has some really interesting comments. What an interesting occupation which I guess is designing how things look. And with so many really amazing looking things out there you would think the attractiveness of how things look would lure people in and make them feel good before they purchase and would entice audio component manufacturers to step their game up. People who buy audio equipment do have a sense of taste and are not all resigned to say only the sound matters.

So manufacturers do not invest in the appearance of the product and there are exceptions of course. We all have our superficial side and a side of substance and many of us are interested in the quality of components. So how much are they really spending on what goes inside the box, how much can they get away with by diminishing the Quality of the inner workings of audio gear.

we can see the exterior of audio gear and the lack of functionality Of the remote control at times which is incredibly annoying. but How do we know what’s going on inside the box. How much are they spending on all the parts, how much are they getting away with. Attenuators, capacitors, wiring connections, Transformers, cabinets, etc, there is limited information on all this when you read about what you’re going to purchase aside from everything you’re reading that most do not understand.

My guess is that the electrical parts inside the box are less than 10% of the sales price. How often do you read in marketing descriptions proclaiming which parts are really fantastic and have cost a lot of money for the manufacturer. And when you do see a cost referred to it’s not very much in the scheme of things and what about the other things. It’s all touted as something wonderful as if something is being sacrificed by the manufacturer in making a product, how thankful we should be - if I’m spending North of $10,000, 15,000 or $20,000 I would hope they’re spending good money on the materials.