Ugly vs Gogeous speakers

twm3,

I'm on the fence with the looks of the JansZen speakers (I've been interested in hearing them).   They look promising, sort of a mix of retro and modern.  It's the type of thing that would look chintzy if the build quality is average, but if the build quality is such as to have more of a premium feel I think they could be nice to look at.

Imhififan

Really uggllyyy C'mon man

The thing that enhances the experience for me is knowing I got the best performance for the money.  (That doesn't mean buying from someone who doesn't know what they're doing or ripping anyone off in any way.)  I like the idea that I got something that performs better than stuff that costs far more but that most people wouldn't want because of the looks or not being a recognized brand, etc. 

I most like the looks of giant metal and or wood horns like the one in my moniker.

Otherwise I like sleek and unobtrusive. I like the looks of the latest home monitor speakers from ATC for example with the magnetic metal grills.

I tend to be ambivilent towards the looks of most tower speakers. Too passe. Later generation Thiels are nice. I much prefer the looks of a good old fashioned box speaker over most towers though. Harbeth does that well. OHM Walsh is elegant in its simple and most unobtrusive  appearence.

A great quote about seeing- “We see what is behind our eyes, not what is in front of them”. Us humans make up, in our minds, what is beautiful. This process is cultural, part of your own personal upbringing, and what your aesthetics, bias, attitudes, values have created. Even a “one eyed baby” is the most beautiful child in the world to it’s mother!