Ugliest Component of the Year 2024!

It is amazing to me that people got paid real money to come up with these designs.  On top of that, the designs most likely had to be approved by multiple people at these organizations.  The wadax is the least offensive to me.  Tectonic and McIntosh are close but Tekton gets the edge because I could put the Mc in a cabinet to hide.

The ugliest thing about the McIntosh is that it lacks MDMI.  Something that is reportedly fixed with their forthcoming pre-amp!  Who cares what the form factor is if there's no function

I’d say its a toss up between that laughable Tekton speaker pictured above and the supreme joke of Tralfamador...actually I think the real prize should go to complete system composed of Mac separates with Tektons as the main left and right with Tralfamadors as the surrounds with a phantom center. Anyone support that notion? And now for the real question: Who among you could walk into a room filled with a system like I just described without laughing out loud?

While no particular component comes to mind, anything with a polished mirror finish that reflects the image of a 75-year-old, well-worn audiophile back at you (in my case) has to be near the top.

Manley’s headphone amp is at the top of my list for least attractive aesthetic.

It gives off expensive casket vibes:

https://www.hifinews.com/content/manley-absolute-headphone-amp

Lubachi, that’s it!   Looks like some kind of flower that would grow in the Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  Run for your lives!   Ahhhhhh!  

Not sure I would turn the lights off with those amplifiers in the house.

The person who owns these horns cares ONLY about the sound.  He puts together custom systems that are much more practical than ones with that giant horn.  That horn was meant to be used in theaters where it was hidden behind screens or curtains so looks were totally irrelevant.  The sound is a great example of how one can engineer something that works despite what would otherwise be considered a major flaw.  If you suddenly stop the music, you will hear a very long echoing decay of the music, which means that the horn is ringing like crazy.  But, it rings over a broad range of frequencies so that the decay sounds utterly natural and there is no sense of the music being muddled or tonally altered by this ringing.  Once I heard that ringing, I found it hard to accept, in my mind, that this was not a BIG problem.  But, the more I listened, the more I came to realize that it was not a problem and that this horn is fantastic.  It is very impractical, requires at least four, and up to eight very expensive midrange compression drivers for a stereo pair, but it IS something one should hear if one has the chance.  It is on display and plays in the museum dedicated to vintage gear in Seoul, South Korea.

Really anything from these folks:

https://www.metaxas.com/product-page/product-page-audio-2/product-page-audio.html

The headphone amp is particularly fetching.

@larryi

Those are some horns…Personally, I wouldn’t care to own them but I believe some people pride themselves in owning something rare as this regardless of its appearance. They may sound phenomenal but for me, striking a balance between form, function, and how a piece integrates into its surroundings is an important aspect of ownership. It’s about creating harmony in the space as well as in the sound, which makes the experience even more enjoyable.

I have another anatomically suggestive speaker system for you to consider.  It is the Western Electric 16A horn from the 1920's.  I know someone who owns two of these beasts.  Although it has two drivers, it is a single midrange horn.  I've heard them run full range with Western Electric 555 fieldcoil drivers and also YL compression drivers.  The setups I heard did not employ any woofers.   Being a midrange horn, and given that the drivers were also meant to only operate in the midrange, it was shocking how much bass this horn delivers (goes down to somewhere around 70 hz).  A bullet tweeter crossed in at around 15 khz.  Whether it is ugly or beautiful is really hard to say.  It is like what someone said about Nat King Cole--I don't know if he is the handsomest or ugliest man.

https://we16ahorn.blogspot.com/

Wadax components get great reviews, cost a fortune, and look like a cheap boom box.  https://wadax.eu/reference/

Plus 1000 @otherworld74 

Until you see the back panel!!!

Let's not forget this weird banana thing from Vivid:  https://vividaudio.com/giya/giya-g1-spirit/

IMHO, a lot of companies take pride in their work without threatening reviewers, and testers with litigation, like Tekton, DCS and Tom Evan’s did.

When I read the copy on these speakers I double checked to see that I was not on The Onion.

https://www.yankodesign.com/2009/10/26/sounds-from-behind/

DeKay

I'll throw klipschorn and other giant boxes by them in the mix.  Don't like how they sound either which makes it worse for me.

And yea the rant on ASR was not a good moment for Tekton.  To be fair I didn't think their base model Lore was that bad measurement wise.  Go check the stereophile article on the impact monitors if you want to see the response of the seven tweeter array.  I have a +/-3 DB response from 20 hz to 20 khz with minimal room EQ from the listening position.  I also have a fully treated space and two rhythmik F12s working sub 80 hz.  Speaker designers are human too and he clearly takes pride in his products to light Amir up like that lol

@barts 

"So it goes."

DeKay,

Holy s**t, that is a real looker, although what looks like a port when the thing is closed is really going too far.  I recall people talking about putting toilet paper over the tweeter on Klipsch Heresy speakers; toilet paper stuffed in that port would really be too much to even think about.

https://www.yankodesign.com/images/design_news/2009/10/25/asspeaker03.jpg

DeKay

LEDs tend to increase noise to the power supply circuit.  Perhaps, that improves the sound of some gear where noise is preferable to what the amp puts out.

Anything that uses LEDs to light up the tubes is ridiculous in my book. 
 

And going back to the original topic, Ugliest Component of the Year® is a vigorously defended trademark of Wilson Audio 😂😂🤣

As far as Tekton, unfortunately I’ll never unhear the cretinous fight they took to ASR, in which they successfully demonstrated that the speakers ASR trashed in a review were in fact trash, but not for the reasons ASR said. They lost their credibility and gained nothing. Why anyone would think that the self-infliction of a PR disaster is good business is incomprehensible.

I have more generous thoughts towards Chord's looks, they just remind me of those toys that are supposed to make toddlers smarter.

Although to be fair, some of their better products look quite good. 

Shoot me, but I like the McIntosh designs. A bit retro, which I like. Come on, who here wouldn’t want a big honkin’ Sansui or Marantz receiver in their rack, even if it was just for show? I have a C220 preamp, and love the LED lit front panel. It sits on the top of my rack.

Frankly, I think the Chord designs look like R2D2 vomited out his lunch. I tend dislike asymmetrical designs.

Great topic! I think that the beauty is in the sound, so give me a big ugly, if it sounds great, the appearance will be more acceptable, 

I actually painted my transformers on my monoblocks Islanders colors. They still sound awesome!

A lot of pent up humor released on me all at once.  it’s too much.  I’ll have to be a cheerful old F all day.

Love this humorous thread! Great stuff posted! 

OMG,, @lalitk , those look like the server room at your locale telecom company have a fungal infection.

https://wolfvonlanga.de/wvl-loudspeakers/wolf-von-langa-33221-berlin

How did anyone sign off these as "ok, they will love it".  WTF are they.

The Washington Post did an article where a non-audiophile reporter went to a local high end shop.  The reporter described the Avantegarde speakers as looking like an air raid siren from a Tex Avery cartoon.  I thought that was a terrific description, albeit one that younger readers might not understand.

+1 @lubachl 

As any good Tralfamadorian would say

"The universe exists as a random and senseless place."

Regards,

barts

I could never buy an exposed horn speaker like the one lubachi has shown, or Avantegarde no matter how they sound.  For a positive comment, those Vitus amplication products from Denmark have me drooling for an upgrade.  Just gorgeous.

That's the new McIntosh Microwave; they are entering the appliance market. The design works well if you keep your audio equipment in the kitchen.

Agreed, Lalitk, The Frankenstein look of the MCD85 is, IMO, unbeatable in this little contest of yours.

It is (obviously?) a reference to the MC2100, which I owned for some years, but never appreciated for beauty. It sat on a bottom shelf, largely in the shadows of a dark listening room, and nobody ever approached it to "get a closer look".

Geez. Those are just horrible. 

From the planet Tralfamador:

@bassbuyer 

I am digging your sense of humor and take on Tekton’s. And I agree, horns belongs in a nice wood cabinet with one exception. Check out WVL 33221 Berlin. If I have the room with high ceilings, I wouldn’t mind these bad boys. 

https://wolfvonlanga.de/wvl-loudspeakers/wolf-von-langa-33221-berlin

I dislike any gear that so departs from what you can fit into your equipment rack. I'm considering a Mola Mola DAC. To me it fits the ugly description

Is it to early to blame this hideous looking thing on Bose?

@gemoody hear hear well said 👏

I would add Legacy speakers as well to this list, to me they look Frankensteins born of a DIYer with too much money and zero aesthetic sensibilities.

Those Tekton speakers look like Tekton speakers - love 'em or loathe 'em, that's their vibe.

While I'm not a McIntosh fanboy, their aesthetic is their brand.

When you start making what look like cheap knock-offs of your own products, you're in trouble. 

@gemoody +1 Hifi-Mac: The worst combination of ostentatious and ugly. I have yet to see a Mac product I could bring myself putting in my home. Maybe Bose will rectify that?

Almost the entire Macintosh line, to me, has the design sensibility of a flying mallet.

@mesonto COMPLETELY agree. Would only add everything from Wilson Audio!

Great list so far.  Mc is definitely not for everyone.  If it has those blue meters I could go for it.  Glowing green tubes just add to the fun.  My question with Tekton is, when do they know they’ve added enough drivers?  When they reach the top of the step stool?  My add would be any equipment with giant horns visible. (Tried adding a picture or link without success).  Honkin’ on Bobo indeed.  I love the spinning sound of a Leslie but the horns are usually placed in a beautiful wood cabinet.  

   

It doubles as a 6 slice toaster. I gotta get one.

Tekton dude, Eric, clearly doesn't want to do gloss paint lol.  As a businessperson, probably one of those things where it's like "if they want it, they'll pay for it otherwise I can just do the part I like doing"

I own the double impacts and impact monitors and I love how they sound.  Not extremely gorgeous but they honestly look much nicer in person.  My friend has the moabs.  They are a bit more to take in but I wouldn't say I hate them by any means with the ceramic and beryllium drivers.  I understand if you're able to fork out 10's of thousands to get insane sound and gorgeous cabinets.  I can only afford one of the two.  And I prefer insane sound over gorgeous cabinets

OMA

Tekton V12: $14K. Add $10K for high-gloss paint - seriously?